Law & Crime Report: Court to Reexamine Scott Peterson Case For Possible Retrial Due to Potential Prejudicial Juror

Bianchi’s headline story involves the latest updates in the Scott Peterson case. Scott Peterson was convicted for the first-degree murder of his wife, Laci, and her unborn child, Conner. After years of appeals, the court said they are reexamining whether or not there should be a retrial due to a potential prejudicial juror. Peterson’s lawyer can be seen arguing not only for the overturning of the death penalty as well as for a retrial.

Bianchi brings on a panel to discuss this and other legal news. Kirk Burkhalter explains how Peterson’s attorney eloquently argued his client’s 8th amendment right to a fair trial, especially when facing the death penalty. One juror has been shown to have misled the court about prior experiences that would have likely led to their dismissal. Dr. John Delatore examines the psychology of this juror who seems to have decided they wanted to be on this jury, leading them to lie about their past experiences.

The important factor in these motions for retrial is whether or not any errors by the court resulted in actual changes to the outcome. If the evidence is overwhelmingly convincing regardless of errors, the conviction may stand as is.

In other news, a former Idaho gubernatorial candidate was indicted in the killing of a girl that disappeared in 1984. This case seems almost stranger than fiction. The man could not keep himself out of the case and kept offering more and more information that eventually led to his indictment on rape, kidnapping, and murder charges. The panel agrees there are likely many more victims that could be uncovered through further investigation.

The panel also discusses stories such as a DA saying a Lancaster police officer was justified in shooting a knife-wielding man and will not face charges, an FBI agent saying the group charged in Michigan governor kidnap plot discussed targeting Virginia governor also, and Kyle Rittenhouse will not face charges in Illinois for rifle possession. Other recent stories include the sad story of a girl who died after being forced to jump on a trampoline in extreme heat as punishment and how the two Maine police officers who allegedly beat porcupines to death while on duty have been fired.