In a bid to overturn his 2004 conviction for the murders of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner, Scott Peterson appeared remotely for a status conference hearing at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City on Tuesday morning. Peterson's counsel attended the proceedings in person. The hearing comes after the Los Angeles Innocence Project joined Peterson's case in January and filed a motion for DNA testing to potentially clear his name.

The Los Angeles Innocence Project recently made headlines for using DNA evidence to overturn the murder conviction of Maurice Hastings, who spent almost 40 years behind bars before being declared factually innocent earlier this month. Impressive results in Hastings' case have raised hopes for Peterson's defense.

Originally tried in Stanislaus County, the case is being prosecuted by the county's District Attorney's Office. However, the venue for Tuesday's hearing was moved to San Mateo County due to concerns that the jury pool in Stanislaus County had already formed opinions about Peterson's guilt.

Peterson's arrest came soon after Amber Frey, a Fresno-based massage therapist, informed the police that she had been dating Peterson for a month prior to his wife's death and that he had told her his wife was deceased. During his trial, Peterson admitted to fishing on the day Laci disappeared but failed to provide details about the specific type of fish he was attempting to catch.

Numerous suspicious actions also raised eyebrows during Peterson's trial. He sold his wife's car, researched selling their house, and converted the baby nursery into a storage room in the weeks following Laci's disappearance.

In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Peterson's death sentence, citing the improper dismissal of potential jurors who expressed opposition to the death penalty but were willing to adhere to the law. As a result, Peterson was resentenced in 2021 to life in prison without parole.

However, another setback occurred in 2022 when a judge denied Peterson's request for a new trial. The judge ruled that a former juror, accused of misconduct during the trial, was not guilty.

Peterson's defense team now awaits the outcome of the status conference hearing to determine the next steps in their efforts to secure a new trial. The use of DNA evidence in recent cases has proven instrumental in overturning wrongful convictions, raising hopes for Peterson's chances at a fair reconsideration of his conviction.

As the legal battle continues, Scott Peterson remains incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison, having been moved from San Quentin State Prison in 2022. The case has garnered significant attention throughout the years, particularly from Laci Peterson's grieving family, who watch the proceedings closely in search of justice.