MODESTO, Calif. — Convicted murderer Scott Peterson may face a second full-blown trial when his former in-laws seek a multimillion-dollar civil judgment against him for the deaths of Laci and Conner Peterson.
Judge Roger Beauchesne ruled Friday that Peterson's conviction and death sentence would not speak for themselves during a wrongful death trial. That means his in-laws will have to prove again in court that Peterson killed Laci and Conner.
Defense attorney Nareg Gourjian of Los Angeles cited a videotaped deposition at San Quentin State Prison in which Peterson insists he is innocent and the victim of a shoddy investigation by Modesto police.
"We're obviously disputing that he killed his wife," Gourjian said.
The civil trial is set to begin July 8 and should take about five weeks, said Gourjian, an associate of attorney Mark Geragos, who represented Peterson during a trial that garnered nationwide attention.
Attorneys for Laci Peterson's father, Dennis Rocha, and mother, Sharon Rocha, argued that the facts of the case were already settled. Beauchesne disagreed.
Read the full story at modbee.com.
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