Another Bizarre Piece of Evidence Has Viewers Questioning if Scott Peterson is Guilty

Even though the Laci Peterson murder case ended with a conviction, it seems as if the truth of the investigation is still coming to light almost 15 years later. A strange new piece of evidence reveals that her husband, Scott Peterson, could possibly be innocent of the crime.

The A&E docuseries, The Murder of Laci Peterson, has laid out many facts of the case previously unknown to the public. Many of the revelations learned from years of information gathering have viewers questioning if the police pegged the wrong suspect as the murderer.

On the day Laci disappeared in December of 2002, Scott went fishing 90 miles away from their home. When the police were conducting the investigation, they used tracking dogs in an attempt to determine where Laci went. The K-9 agents named “Merlin” and “Twist” led police to the marina at which Scott told the investigators that he was fishing at the time of her disappearance.

The theory for Laci’s disappearance provided by the state was that Scott killed his wife, and then used the boat to transport her body to the warehouse and then the marina. The dogs led the cops to the same location Scott told the police he was at the time of Laci’s disappearance.

While this seemed like a slam dunk for the prosecution at the time, it may not have been as damaging to Scott’s case as everyone thought. Keep scrolling to see why the tracker dog evidence probably shouldn’t have been such an important aspect of the murder trial.

Laci Peterson Murder Case: Tracker Dogs

The prosecution used the dog scent evidence as one of the major cornerstones to make their case, but as it turns out, the tracker dogs weren’t heavily reliable. 

It was discovered that “Merlin” actually had a dismal record of being incorrect in following scents. In its history of tracking, the dog was actually wrong 66% of the time when being tested or used in the field.

The other tracker dog, “Twist,” showed no interest in Scott’s boat at the marina. This is a shocking detail given that the state claims Scott used the vessel to transport Laci’s body.

The state actually bet heavily on the evidence collected by the K-9 agents. The jury was even told that if the dogs were to be believed, Scott was a murderer.

While many people in the media and public believed Scott was a killer, this particular detail has the Internet wondering whether the Laci Peterson murder trial was tragically misjudged.

The Internet Thinks Scott Could Be Innocent

Fans of the A&E series have been taking to Twitter to voice their opinions regarding the case, and to share their confusion. In fact, some have gone as far as to say that they believe Scott is undeniably innocent.

“Has anyone watched the Murder of Laci Peterson? Scott Peterson got the shaft. Really opened my mind to what actually happened in the trial,” one user wrote.

Similar to how fans of Netflix’s Making a Murderer pleaded for lawyers to take up convicted murderer Steven Avery’s appeal case after the documentary was released, Twitter users have been hoping that an attorney could step in to help Scott.

“@innocence I think you should look into the Scott Peterson case,” one user wrote. “That guy is innocent and on death row for a crime he didn’t commit!”

Is the Media to Blame for Scott’s Guilty Verdict?

Before Scott even went to trial, a national spotlight had been shining on the investigation for quite some time. Many in the general public were convinced Scott was guilty. However, it could have been because the media was pushing its opinions on the masses.

One Twitter user claimed that TV host Nancy Grace was responsible for molding the public opinion of Scott’s innocence or guilt. 

“Nancy Grace in the Scott Peterson case is a prime example of how the media can loudly exert their opinion on the public, right or wrong,” one user wrote.

At the time, Grace used her TV soapbox to essentially serve as a de facto prosecutor, judge, and jury. It wasn’t just Grace who was responsible for swaying public opinion in regards to the case.

Journalist Ken Auletta said in the documentary that news organizations as a whole decided “the audience is going to be riveted by this” and “went all in,” according to CNN. 

Auletta says that there was a complicity between the media and the investigators on the case and they were both playing to the public.

Scott Peterson Maintains He’s Innocent

At the time of the trial, many interested viewers cheered as Scott was ruled guilty. Now, after the airing of the A&E docuseries, some are coming to his defense. In any scenario, Scott maintains that he is innocent.

Earlier this year, he spoke out from his prison cell during a recorded cell phone call. Scott opened up about the emotions he experienced after hearing that he was being sentenced to death row.

“When they told me, I had just a terrible physical reaction,” Scott said. “I mean it was a really emotional, physical reaction. I couldn’t feel my feet on the floor. I couldn’t feel the chair I was sitting in.”

“My vision was even a little blurry. And I just had this weird sensation that I was falling forward — and forward and down and there was going to be no end to this falling forward and down, like there was no floor to land on. I, I was staggered by it. I had no idea it was coming,” he continued.

Scott is currently being held on death row in San Quentin prison.

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