Laci Peterson's family worried that Scott may go free after retrial, source says 'This Christmas is different'

Laci Peterson's family worried that Scott may go free after retrial, source says 'This Christmas is different'
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Laci Peterson's family is reportedly concerned that her "killer"" husband Scott Peterson will be freed from prison — 18 years after she was last seen alive. Now 47, Peterson scored two major court battles this year.

In August, his death penalty sentence was overturned, paving the way for a new penalty phase trial. Then, in October, the California Supreme Court ruled that a lower court should take another look at his case to determine whether his guilty verdict should be overturned. Meanwhile, Laci's family has struggled to cope with this year's developments in the case.

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"This Christmas is different than last Christmas," a source close to Laci's family told People magazine. "The holidays are always hard for them because Laci was taken from them on Christmas Eve. But now, with the thought that Scott could eventually go free? That's devastating. The family is really worried."

In 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death after being convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the 2002 death of wife Laci and their unborn son, Conner. Laci disappeared from her Modesto residence on Christmas Eve, 2002. She was eight months pregnant when she went missing.