California judge to consider new trial in Scott Peterson case

A California judge is set to consider whether Scott Peterson, who was convicted of the 2002 murder of his wife and unborn child, should get a new trial, the Associated Press reported. 

Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo said on Wednesday that she expects a two-week hearing next year to consider a new trial for Peterson.

The hearing will focus on whether a juror’s misconduct denied Peterson a fair trial. 

Richelle Nice, the former juror, did not disclose her own history of suffering domestic abuse before serving on the Peterson jury.

Nice specifically did not disclose, according to the AP, that she had filed a restraining order in 2000 in fear that an ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend might do harm to her own unborn child. 

Peterson’s attorneys also claim that Nice also failed to disclose a 2001 incident when her then-boyfriend beat her while she was pregnant, according to the AP. 

The AP reported that Nice answered “no” when asked as a potential juror if she had been a victim or a crime or involved in a lawsuit. She has argued that the restraining order was not a lawsuit. 

Nice has since written a book with six other jurors about Peterson’s trial.

California’s Supreme Court ordered the judge to consider whether Peterson should get a new trial.