The judge overseeing the Scott Peterson case has approved a discovery process for the convicted murderer, two decades after he was found guilty of killing his pregnant wife.
This recent court filing is a victory for Peterson, who was convicted of murdering Laci Peterson in 2002.
Since January of this year, Peterson has been receiving assistance from the Los Angeles Innocence Project.
In a document obtained by Fox News on Monday, Judge Elizabeth Hill of the San Mateo County Superior Court granted Peterson’s request for a post-conviction discovery period.
While some of Peterson’s team’s requests for specific evidence were rejected, others were approved by Hill.
Peterson is granted a discovery period under California Penal Code 1054.9, which allows defendants convicted of serious or violent felonies and sentenced to 15 or more years in jail to access discovery rights.
Peterson is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
According to the code, the defendant is entitled to materials “in possession of the prosecution and law enforcement authorities to which the same defendant would have been entitled at the time of trial.”
“The Court has considered the filed pleadings submitted by all parties and the oral arguments of counsel, and now orders post-conviction discovery pursuant to Penal Code 1054.9 as follows,” the judge wrote.
Whether Peterson, currently incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison, will receive a retrial depends on the outcome of the discovery process.
In 2004, Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Laci and their unborn son in 2002.
Laci, who was eight months pregnant, disappeared on Christmas Eve and was reported missing by Peterson a day later.
Peterson claimed that upon returning from a solo fishing trip, he discovered his home in Modesto, California, empty and alerted authorities.
Four months later, Laci’s body washed ashore a few miles away from where Peterson had been fishing. Peterson, who had bleached his hair after the murder, was arrested carrying his brother’s passport in San Diego.
Prior to his arrest, police suspected Peterson of attempting to flee to the Mexican border.
Last month, Peterson participated in his first on-camera interview in a Peacock three-part series titled “Face-to-Face with Scott Peterson,” where he expressed regret for not testifying during his trial.
“I have a chance to show people what the truth is, and if they’re willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing I can accomplish right now – because I didn’t kill my family,” he claimed.
Additionally, Peterson theorized that burglars who targeted a nearby home at the time of the killing were responsible for Laci’s murder.
The burglars later testified that they had broken into a neighboring home on December 26, 2002, after Laci went missing.
“There was a burglary across the street from our home,” Peterson shared in the TV series. “And I believe that Laci went over there to see what was going on, and that’s when she was taken.”
Fox News Digital’s Christina Coulter and Michael Lundin contributed to this report.
