Sister-In-Law Of Scott Peterson Says Burglars Framed Him, Cites New Evidence

The sister-in-law of Scott Peterson, notoriously convicted of killing his wife and their unborn child in California, hopes that new evidence will prove his innocence.

Janey Peterson, 53, is married to Scott's older brother and has known the 48-year-old convicted killer since he was 13. Earlier this year, she went public to state that she has evidence that she thinks will exonerate Scott. Now she’s getting a bit more specific.

"There's evidence that was completely ignored that shows Laci was alive after he left for the day," Janey told the NBC's TODAY show Wednesday.

She noted that back during Peterson's 2004 trial, a neighbor testified seeing the couple's Golden Retriever inside their gated yard at 10:15 a.m. on the day Laci vanished. Janey told the TODAY show that when the mailman came by at 10:30 a.m., he didn’t see the dog. The mailman's observation was never heard in court and Janey feels it is evidence which proves Laci went out to walk the dog after Scott left the house.

Laci vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 and during Scott’s trial, prosecutors argued that Scott murdered his wife inside their home the night before or early that morning. He was was convicted of first-degree murder for her death, as well as second-degree murder of their unborn son, Conner. Investigators said that Scott, who had gone out on a fishing trip the morning of Laci's death, dumped human remains from his boat into San Francisco Bay, where they surfaced months later.

Janey believes that there could be a connection between Laci’s death and a burglary that occurred across the street from the Peterson home. She thinks her sister-in-law caught a group of robbers mid-crime and that they then kidnapped and killed her. She has expressed frustration that only two of the five people related to that burglary were interviewed in connection with the case. 

The killer burglar theory was used in Scott’s trial by his defense and was rejected during an appeal.

Janey told the TODAY show that she thinks the robbers killed Laci and framed Peterson by disposing of her body where Peterson was fishing that day, 90 miles away from their home. 

"If you have an opportunity to get away with murder, you're going to do it," Janey said.

Peterson's defense team plans to use the argument that Scott was framed. Scott is back in court this week trying to get a new trial as the result of alleged juror misconduct.

For the past two decades, Janey has been fighting to clear her brother-in-law's name and has even created a “war room” in her home to prove his innocence. She additionally obtained a law degree so that she can be part of his defense if Scott wins a new trial.

Last year, the California Supreme Court overturned the 2005 death sentence for Scott Peterson. A new trial has been ordered for the penalty phase of the case, and a review is underway to determine if a new trial is warranted.