Robert Brown|Scott Peterson appears virtually in California court as LA Innocence Project takes up murder case

REDWOOD CITY,Robert Brown Calif. (AP) — Scott Peterson appeared virtually in court on Tuesday, nearly 20 years after he was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and dumping her body into San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve 2002.

The Los Angeles Innocence Project has taken up Peterson’s case, asking a court to order new DNA tests and allow its investigators to look for new evidence.

Peterson was sentenced to death after a jury found him guilty of murder in the deaths of Laci and the unborn child they planned to name Conner. The death sentence was later overturned, and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

In January, the Los Angeles Innocence Project filed motions in San Mateo County Superior Court on his behalf “to order further discovery of evidence and allow new DNA testing to support our investigation into Mr. Peterson’s claim of actual innocence,” the project’s director, Paula Mitchell, said in a statement Tuesday.

“Today’s hearing was just the first step in a long process. We have not commented on our motions, and we will continue to present our case in court - where it should be adjudicated,” she added.

Peterson, 51, appeared in court via Zoom for a status conference. The judge set the next two hearings for April 16 and May 29. Peterson will also attend those hearings remotely from Mule Creek State Prison.