Scott Peterson off death row, moved from San Quentin Prison

Oct. 25 (UPI) — Scott Peterson was transferred out of San Quentin Prison and moved to a prison near Sacramento.

Peterson, 50, was convicted in the murder of his wife Laci Peterson and the second-degree murder of their unborn son in 2004. Peterson spent the last 17 years in San Quentin, but was transferred to Mule Creek State Prison south of Sacramento on Friday.

Judge Anne-Christine Massullo sentenced Peterson to death by lethal injection in 2005. In August 2020, the sentence was overturned by the California Supreme Court, and in November, he was removed from death row. He was then held in San Mateo County Jail to await resentencing.

The court overturned Peterson’s sentence because it found Judge Massullo selected jurors based on their support of a death penalty sentence.

The prosecution chose to forgo a retrial to reinstate the death penalty, but Peterson’s attorneys argued his conviction should be overturned and he should be given a new trial. They argued that one juror did not disclose relevant information indicating a bias against Peterson.

Peterson was resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December.

Laci Peterson was last seen alive on Christmas Eve 2002. She was 27 years old.

Mule Creek State Prison has a sensitive needs yard, created in 1999, designed for prisoners who need to be kept away from the general population.

This can be necessary for high-profile inmates, government informants and inmates who committed certain crimes. Staff at the prison may grant inmates use of the sensitive needs yard without verification of safety concerns.

Prison policy states that that staff will “take a liberal approach when approving [sensitive needs yard] designation.”