Scott Peterson's request for new trial denied
Fox News correspondent Claudia Cowan has the latest on the criminal case on 'America Reports.'
EXCLUSIVE – Amber Frey, the ex-girlfriend of Scott Peterson who later testified against him, is speaking out exclusively to Fox News Digital after a judge denied his bid for a new trial, saying among other things: "The truth doesn't change over time."
Just one day after California Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo announced that she was not granting Peterson a new trial in the murders of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner, Frey, who was revealed to have had an extramarital affair with Peterson, is breaking her silence.
"It's relieving to hear Scott Peterson will not get a new trial," she said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital by her longtime attorney, Gloria Allred. "I would have been willing to testify again. However, I am relieved that my testimony will not be necessary. If I were called to testify, I would give truthful testimony again, for the truth doesn't change over time."
A photo provided as part of exhibits in court for the Scott Peterson trial shows Peterson and Amber Frey together. (People's Exhibits)
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Massullo ruled that a new trial was not warranted despite allegations of a biased and deceptive juror. She issued the long-awaited decision on Tuesday, when she wrote in her 55-page decision that the juror accused of wrongdoing had acted out of emotion, rather than a bias against Peterson, and she had made "honest mistakes."
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"The Court finds that several of the answers provided by Juror No. 7 on her juror questionnaire were false in certain respects," she wrote. "The Court concludes that Juror No. 7’s responses were not motivated by pre-existing or improper bias against Petitioner, but instead were the result of a combination of good faith misunderstanding of the questions and sloppiness in answering."
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Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha, did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. Pat Harris, Scott Peterson's attorney, wrote in the statement provided to Fox News Digital that he was "disappointed" in the ruling, but the case was "far from over."
Amber Frey, left, leaves with her attorney, Gloria Allred, after testifying during the Scott Peterson trial at the Redwood City, Calif., courthouse, on Aug. 10, 2004. (AP)
"Just in the last few months, we have learned new information that will prove Scott Peterson did not murder his wife, Laci. And we are going to continue to push forward until he is freed," he wrote. "As for the ruling, the judge does concede that Juror #7 committed misconduct but excuses that misconduct by writing that her background, her contentious relationship with her boyfriend and her frequent memory lapses are all excuses for her misconduct. We respectfully disagree."
READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM SCOTT PETERSON'S ATTORNEY HERE:
A statement released by Scott Peterson attorney Pat Harris related to a judge's decision to deny Peterson's bid for a new trial.
Janey Peterson, Peterson's sister-in-law and outspoken advocate, told Fox News Digital that Scott "is innocent" and "did not have an impartial jury."
READ THE JUDGE'S RULING:
"We will not stop fighting until Scott is free and we find who murdered Laci and Conner," she wrote in a message after Tuesday's news. "20 years ago this week, Laci Peterson was seen alive walking her dog after Scott had left for the day. Sometime after that walk, the evidence shows she encountered men burglarizing the home across the street. Those men kidnapped her and later killed her."
Saturday will mark 20 years to the day since Laci Peterson disappeared.
Meanwhile, Peterson, now 50, is currently serving a life sentence at California’s Mule Creek State Prison.
He was convicted in 2004 in the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors argued at the time that he killed Laci and disposed of her body on Christmas Eve 2002 in San Francisco Bay.
A child looks at a memorial and missing person's banner offering a reward for the safe return of Laci Peterson at East La Loma Park in Modesto, California, on Jan. 4, 2003. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Frey not only testified against Peterson, but worked with law enforcement as a police informant and ultimately helped to convict him of first-degree murder in Laci’s death and second-degree murder for the killing of Conner.
The California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s death sentence in 2020 after news that prospective jury candidates were improperly dismissed came to light, but the court maintained his conviction.
Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004 in the murders of his 27-year-old wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP)
Peterson's attorneys had argued that a new trial is warranted because juror Richelle Nice was biased and lied in her questionnaire to get on the jury. Meanwhile, prosecutors have argued that Nice "did the best that she could when faced with a 23-page questionnaire that had 163 questions.
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Scott Peterson, center, listens to Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney David Harris speak during a hearing at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2021. (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, Pool)
"She's inconsistent on her answers," prosecutor David Harris previously told the court. "But being wrong does not necessarily make it false or make her a liar. It just might be that she's really bad at filling out forms."
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Nice previously testified that she did not have any bias against Peterson until after hearing the evidence presented at trial.
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