Cost of Peterson Case Exceeds $2.64 Million

Taxpayers spent more than $2.64 million to convict Scott Peterson of the murders of his wife and unborn son and put him on death row, the Modesto Bee reported.

The Stanislaus County district attorney’s office reported Friday that it spent $672,507, not including the salaries of three prosecutors and other employees. Modesto police estimate that they spent $1 million investigating the Christmas 2002 disappearance of Laci Peterson. Court costs totaled $742,000. And the county paid $229,000 for expert defense witnesses when Peterson ran out of money.

County prosecutors said they spent $90,000 in an unsuccessful attempt to have Scott Peterson’s double-murder case heard in a Stanislaus County court, including $61,600 to a public opinion research firm and $30,083 to a venue-change expert. When that didn’t work and the case was moved to Redwood City, south of San Francisco, it cost prosecutors more than $265,000 for hotel rooms and meals there.