Convicted killer Scott Peterson's court hearing delayed because of COVID

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - A San Mateo County court hearing scheduled for convicted murderer Scott Peterson was delayed because of COVID, a court spokeswoman said Tuesday.

One of his attorneys tested positive for the virus, according to Deputy Court Executive Officer Sarah Lind, and Peterson himself was exposed to COVID in his pod at San Quentin. Peterson is on "loose quarantine," she explained.

Peterson was scheduled to have a status conference on Monday in his juror misconduct hearing. The hearing was rescheduled to Aug. 11. 

Peterson has been asking for a new trial since he was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and unborn son 20 years ago.

But the retrial hinges on whether a California juror who helped send him to prison in 2004 amid worldwide publicity was biased because she was a domestic violence victim.

The California Supreme Court overturned Scott Peterson’s death sentence in December, finding that potential jurors were excluded from the jury pool after saying they disagreed with the death penalty. 

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office opted to not pursue the death penalty again after consulting with Peterson’s family.