Viewers of the A&E documentary series The Murder of Laci Peterson have been forced to reevaluate their thoughts on Scott Peterson, who was sentenced to the death penalty for murdering his wife in 2002.
The most recent episode called the prosecutions timeline into question and claims that a piece of “lost” evidence could have proved his innocence.
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The missing piece of evidence were hand-written notes by the Petersons’ mailman, Russell Graybill. Graybill took note that when he was went to the couple’s home the day of Laci’s death between 10:35 and 10:50 a.m., their dog, McKenzie, didn’t bark.
This would seem to indicate that McKenzie was not present at the couple’s home during that time period.
These notes matter because they conflict with a key witness for the prosecution that, in turn, helped formulate the timeline of Laci’s final hours.
Neighbor Karen Servas testified that she found McKenzie wandering around the neighborhood at approximately 10:18 a.m. This would indicate that Laci was murdered before this time as she walked McKenzie.
Peterson’s attorneys theorize that if the dog was not present during Graybill’s visit, Laci walked McKenzie after Servas returned the dog to the couple’s home. That would mean she was killed after 10:18 a.m.
Peterson was logged into his work computer during this later period of time, meaning that he couldn’t have killed Laci.
While this may seem like a game-changing reveal, Graybill did testify about this time period at the trial, but it did not persuade jurors. These missing notes, which were separated from the original evidence given to attorneys, could have backed up his claim and swayed jurors in Peterson’s favor.
The Murder of Laci Peterson airs Tuesdays on A&E at 10 p.m. EST.
