Scott Peterson Wants a New Trial Nearly Two Decades After He Was Convicted of Murder

Almost two decades after Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son shortly before Christmas 2002, California's Supreme Court officially decided to overturn his death sentence in August of 2020. However, the murder convictions stand. 

The shift in the death sentence ruling was headline-making in and of itself, but it also marked one of the first times that the convicted felon's face has been seen publicly in 18 years. 

What does Scott Peterson look like now? The convicted murderer was regarded as "attractive" when he was sentenced back in 2005, and he basically looks the same as he did all those years ago.

Living on death row in San Quentin for years certainly isn't easy, but according to Radar Online, he's been protected from harm after apparently taking on the role of the prison "Snowbunny." 

This means he has agreed to exchange sexual favors with a group of tough inmates for protection. One inmate, 6-foot-6 Raynard Cummings, explained how he and his buddies — called "The Tribe" — have Peterson wash their underwear and give them hot oil massages in exchange for bodyguard services.

This protection agreement could explain why Peterson didn't look particularly worn down from the 18-year prison experience, but it could also be due to his "cushy" prison lifestyle. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Peterson has been housed in what they described to be a particularly nice part of the prison. It apparently includes a basketball court, an outdoor shower and toilet, tables, and a roof that provides the inmates with shade. 

Minus the fear of his impending death sentence, which has officially been canceled, as well as the sexual favors he was allegedly required to provide for protection, Peterson's lifestyle in prison doesn't sound too taxing. It comes as no surprise he hardly looks haggard at all, as you can see in the mugshot taken in 2018 below.

Though Peterson's face hasn't been seen much since, the public is still hearing about his case. His sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, said that the San Quentin inmate is interested in another trial because he believes that his first one was unfair. 

"There's absolutely no physical evidence at all that Scott committed this crime," she said, per ABC News. "You can't just pick Scott as the default because you don't know what else it could have been,” said his sister-in-law, Janey Peterson. "To dump his wife’s body in broad daylight. It just defies logic."

In April of 2021, a trial judge allowed Peterson's lawyers to have a 60-day extension to continue working on their case in the event that there is a retrial. 

"What I want the public to know in this coming trial is: just listen to the evidence," his defense attorney, Pat Harris, said to ABC News. "Don't go on emotion on this. It's rare in life you get a second chance. It's taken 18 years for Scott, sitting in a jail cell."

In case you don't recall, Peterson started dating a woman named Amber Frey after meeting her at a work conference in 2002 while Laci was still alive and well. He kept the fact he was married a secret from Frey, and said his wife had died, so when Frey saw Laci's disappearance on the news — in conjunction with Peterson — she was terrified. Frey informed police that she was dating him, and allowed authorities to record a phone call between her and Peterson, which was used as evidence in court.

Since the murder, Frey wrote a book titled Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson. She also told her story of the affair to A&E's docu-series Truth and Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson in 2017 to ABC's 20/20 that same year, and most recently, to Dateline. She divorced a law enforcement agent in 2008 and had a son named Justin, but overall, Frey has kept her personal life relatively private. She now works as a real estate agent.