July 06, 2012 - 2:11 AM
SAN FRANCISCO - Scott Peterson is appealing the guilty verdict and death sentence he received in 2004 for the murder of his wife Laci and their unborn son Connor.
Peterson's lawyer filed the 423-page document with the California Supreme Court late last night.
Peterson maintains his innocence and claims the overwhelming publicity his trial received, incorrect evidentiary rulings and other mistakes deprived him of a fair trial.
Peterson was convicted in 2004 after a trial that his lawyer says surpassed the O.J. Simpson murder trial in terms of publicity.
The lawyer argues that the trial should have been moved from San Mateo County after 95 per cent of nearly 1,000 prospective jurors said they had been exposed to publicity about the case.
The appeal is expected to take months, if not years, to be resolved.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012