Story. The case of Scott Peterson. He is the man convicted in the 2004 of killing his wife, laci, and their unborn child. After endless theories and multiple trial requests. Tonight, his defense team is giving new details about how dna testing could give him a chance at freedom. Good evening. Im ama daetz. You may remember, petersons death row conviction was previously overturned as he is now doing life without the possibility of parole. Abc7 News Reporter j. R. Stone has been looking through these Court Documents all night and has all new details. J. R. Umma, i know what youre thinking. What . I thought weve been through this, and youre partially right. Right there. There was further testing done in this case in 2013 and 2019, and peterson was denied a new murder trial in 2022. Now, though, a group that helps exonerate the wrongfully convicted is involved in this case. This 89 page motion has been filed on behalf of convicted murderer Scott Peterson by the los angeles Innocence Project. The motion is in response to Stanislaus County prosecutors, who argued just two weeks ago that there is no need for additional dna testing relating to the murder of petersons wife, laci, and unborn baby connor. 20 plus years later, this is going to be a tough call for the judge because this is a case that there is a lot of evidence against Scott Peterson, but at the same time, you want to make sure you get this right. Thats legal analyst stephen clark, who has closely followed the peterson case for many years. At the very least, the la Innocence Project would like items from this burned out van tested with state of the art dna detection, including the testing of not a sample, but the entire bloodied mattress which was found inside the van. The burnt van was found near the peterson home the morning after laceys disappearance. The key to the case for the Innocence Project is can they establish that Laci Peterson may still have been alive when Scott Peterson went fishing many years ago . If any of laceys dna was to be recovered in the van, that could place her alive when peterson went fishing, you may remember that laci and conners bodies were found in the San Francisco bay back in april of 2003. Theyd also like the duct tape from laceys pants tested, along with a target bag for any traces of blood or bone fragments. Associate with crab activity. The motion argues that there was no forensic evidence implicating peterson, saying that the pliers found on petersons boat did have laceys hair on them, but an expert had previously concluded that they were so rusted they had not been recently used. Prosecutors argue there was further testing done on evidence in 2013 and 2019. The Innocence Project is suggesting, well, no, you havent. You didnt give all of the evidence to the peterson defense team and if theres a scintilla of evidence that still needs to be tested to get this right, we need to do it and bring our experts in, and it needs to be done right away. The final Court Hearing scheduled is set for later this month, and a judge could rule on the dna testing at that time. Prosecutors have already previously outlined in their own motion that peterson repeatedly lied about his involvement in the two deaths, and how those lies outweighed the need for any additional testing. There is also the belief from the los angeles Innocence Project that if this state of the art dna testing is approved, it could help find the dna of someone else who could have been involved in the case. J. R. Stone abc seven news j. R, thank you. Our abc seven news team has been covering this case ever since it first broke 22 years ago. You can revisit the original clues of the case and follow these new updates from court. Its all there on abc seven news. Com or the abc seven news bay area app. Now to new details. In a deadly car crash that killed a family of four in the east bay, a complaint to safety regulators raises concerns about the electric vehicle the family was driving. All four members of the george family, including two young children, died in a crash in pleasanton nearly three weeks ago. They ran into a large oak tree. Then the car caught fire. Now, records from the national Highway Traffic Safety Administration show days after the crash, someone filed a complaint about a vinfast car with details seeming to match the pleasanton crash. The complaint writer says they are the owner of the car and loaned it to a coworker, the driver in the crash. The complaint also said theyd had prior issues with the cars Steering Wheel going rogue. Investigators have said they are looking into whether speed played a role in the crash, vinfast told us in a statement. Quote, vinfast is aware of this tragic accident in pleasanton and our hearts go out to the family. Sky seven was over a fire that damaged at least two buildings this afternoon in oakland. This is at the intersection of east eighth street and sixth avenue. You can see those flames coming out of an Apartment Building on the corner. Now. They also spread to the home next door as a fire looks the Oakland Fire Department says no one was hurt. However, 12 people inside the home were displaced. Its not clear if anyone was living inside the Apartment Building. It was covered in graffiti and had boarded up windows. The cause of the fire is being looked into. Happening now. The San FranciscoUnified School District is facing some cold, hard truths, a new report from the States Department of education says its cash could run dry as soon as next year. The alarming report echoes years of financial mismanagement and unmet needs. Our team here at abc seven news has covered it all. Tonight, abc seven News Reporter tim johns was there at a special district meeting. Hes in the newsroom now with more tim. Yeah. Ummah. Now, the districts problems have been ongoing for years. And during this meeting tonight, state officials had some tough words for the sfusd board, blasting both their personal and business practices. As you have to recognize, you have a problem. The board of the San FranciscoUnified School District gathering tuesday night for a special meeting to discuss the districts budget problems. A new report from the California Department of education highlighting the financial strain and saying sfusd may run out of cash by the next school year. At the meeting, sfusd superintendent matt wayne introducing a presentation by state advisors on what steps they think the District Needs to take, exemplifies what youre saying is both the progress weve made, but how far we need to go. Just last week, the state gave new powers to some of the representatives that have been assigned to monitor sfusd. Those representatives are now able to overturn or stop Financial Decisions made by the superintendent or the school board. Its been developing over past superintendents, past school boards. Its now on us, and theres no way out in order to save money. Some of the actions being considered include things like laying off staff and school closures, moves that concern many parents present at tuesdays meeting. This is not going to make more third graders able to read, or more eighth graders able to pass a math test. This is going to make that worse. I want to go to high school and get a college education. Bridget dyer says she has two kids in the district, including a son with autism. She tells us shes worried her sons class size could increase as a result of some of the proposals taking away much needed attention. Hes brilliant and i dont want him in a special day class when he can succeed. And with state pressure and Financial Realities kicking in, though, the district says it will do everything it can to put the students first. I am grateful to the state support and assistance as we work to do right by our kids, by our educators, and make sure our schools are functioning the way they should. And superintendent matt wayne has said, despite the difficulties, hes confident the district will be able to meet its obligations moving forward. In the newsroom. Tim johns, abc seven news all right, tim, thank you. It is perhaps the biggest challenge we face here in california. And solving the states homeless crisis is something we are focused on in our mission to build a better bay area, but its hard to know if the States Solutions are the right ones when were not tracking how well they work. That was the focus of a heated hearing yesterday at the state capitol. Lawmakers grilled the governors housing team after an audit found widespread failures to track outcomes of homelessness programs. The state has spent 20 billion in five years to get people off the streets, but when San FranciscoAssemblyman Phil Ting asked Program Managers how many people that money helped, they couldnt answer. You know, we spent billions of dollars and you cant tell us at all how many people weve helped the head of the states Interagency Council on homelessness told ting. Theyre working through problems with their data. The state says new numbers about homelessness outcomes could be available as soon as july. Today, Governor Newsom backed a new bill that would require cities to consider homeless populations as they plan new housing developments. We are committed to following the story here at abc seven news. Weeks ago, we took you inside san quentin as it prepared to close its death row and send the prisoners elsewhere. Then last month, we showed you the sharp response from a town in Southern California after men were sent to the prison there. Now tonight, San Bernardino county leaders are pleading with the state over the issue. Elected leaders from the county and the city of chino say the California Institute for men is old and in Poor Condition with a history of escapes. They argue the overcrowded and underfunded prison cant handle potentially dangerous inmates. In a letter to Governor Newsom, we called on him to remove the condemned inmates already housed at c. I. M, effective immediately. The state agency overseeing prisons says its following the law, and the condemned inmates are being moved to the highest security facilities. Two speeding car crashes caused serious damage in San Francisco and san jose. A stark warning from President Biden and the online chatter surrounding apples new advancement in the world of ai. Its all part of whats making up tonights abc seven news to know at 11. Take a look. A driver who hit two pedestrians in San Francisco, including a 14 year old girl, is under arrest. Police say the first person was hit just before 8 a. M. In the tenderloin neighborhood. They werent seriously hurt. Officers spotted the suspect a short time later and started pursuing him. They say thats when he hit the teenager, who was walking near francisco middle school. Police tracked down the driver and arrested him along the embarcadero. A bicyclist was killed this morning after San Jose Police say a driver ran a red light and caused a chain reaction. Crash. The collision happened on east capital expressway at center road near andrew hill high school. Investigators say the driver of a red pickup blew through the light and hit a white truck. That truck was pushed into the cyclist. Were told the cyclist was an adult. This hatred continues to light deep in the hearts of too many people in the world. President biden condemned the recent rise in antisemitism in america during a ceremony this morning to remember the victims of the holocaust. He addressed the protests on campuses, saying while its okay to disagree, hate speech and antisemitism are unacceptable. Tonight, the Biden Administration is also owning up to a major policy shift. It paused a shipment of bombs to israel last week because of concern the weapons could be used in rafah. Hundreds of people turned out for a rally supporting rafah at sproul plaza on the campus of uc berkeley. Rafah is in Southern Gaza and was recently taken over by Israeli Forces as Stormy Daniels took the stand in former president Donald Trumps hush money trial today, daniels went into great detail about an alleged sexual encounter she had with trump in 2006. Trump has denied anything happened and has pleaded not guilty to covering up a payment made to daniels. As new sizes and new technology, apple unveiled new versions of the ipad and ipad air tuesday. This is the biggest day for ipad since its introduction. Besides being thinner and faster, the ipad pro model is powered by a chip ready to handle ai. A boy scouts rebrand and its effect in the bay area, we are seeing how the new name is already changing. The american institution. Plus, you may have seen it the laser beam mystery thats lighting up San Francisco. We finally got to the bottom of what exactly is pointing up, and the San Jose Sharks hit the vegas lottery. Meet the man. The franchise is it has been flooded by troubling claims and financial woes. Today, for the first time in its 114 year history, the group is choosing to rebrand entirely. Abc seven news south bay reporter Lauren Martinez has more on what this historic shift could look like. Boy scouts of america is changing its name to scouting america, saying it reflects their mission of inclusion. We want everybody to be feeling welcomed here, and this is why we need the name change. Its just a necessity. It had to happen. The silicon valley, Monterey Bay Council consists of around 8000 scouts. A third are girls 5 to 21 years old. Diane betts first joined bsa as a summer Camp Counselor and now shes the program director. She is inspired by the amount of growth and confidence scouts gain in the programs, enjoying going on a campout, learning how to cook their food over a grill, failing sometimes. Betts said the rebrand reflects what the organization has been doing over recent years of Opening Doors for more people to join. I feel like we are always trying to be better in society, in scouting, in life, everyones trying to grow and this is just our we planted seeds back five years ago, welcoming girls in. Weve planted other seeds further back where we made improvements, and this is just that next step on social media. The name change received backlash, accusing the organization of being overly politically correct. The Communications Director with equality california hopes this is a Pivotal Moment for the long standing organization to be more accepting. I think its very important to change your organization to reflect who youre serving, which is what america is, and at the same time, i do think that were cautiously optimistic. In 2020, the boy scouts filed for bankruptcy to settle abuse lawsuits. So were hoping this is not just about creating a new model to be more financially, secure. So we are expecting that. Were hoping that its more about the diversity and inclusivity and the acceptance, the change to scouting america will officially take effect on february 8th next year. The organizations 115th birthday in the south bay. Lauren martinez, abc and we did reach out to the girl scouts to see if they had any plans to rebrand. They responded with a statement that reads in part. At girl scouts, our focus remains on providing the best experience and programing for our members. So girl scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can unapologetically be themselves. Same name, same mission. Since 1912, the hyper caffeinated drink at the center of multiple wrongful death lawsuits is coming off panera breads menu. The restaurant chain says it will stop selling charged lemonades in the next two weeks. Panera is facing at least three separate lawsuits claiming the high level of caffeine in the drinks has led to the deaths of two customers and Health Complications in another. The company says the menu change is part of a bigger menu transformation. Ocean pier 39 says, so many sea lions visited the docks last week. They had to clear them off for repairs. Take a look on the left. Are the completely full docks. A week ago, the biggest gathering there in 15 years, according to the harbor master. Well, thats today that you see on the right. Pier 39 told us the floating docks were damaged. Crews herded those sea lions away to make the repairs. The docks are fixed now, but the harbor master says some of the sea lions may be cautious about coming back, but hopefully theyll see that. You know its all good and theyll come back. Lets check out the nighttime scene from coit tower. Now, you may have noticed a mysterious bright green and blue laser beam shooting skyward. It first popped up last night and could be seen for miles. It does have the necessary approval from the city, as well as the faa, so we found out its to celebrate the rsa conference, which is going on at moscone center. According to mayor london breed, its the second largest conference to be held in the city, and the rsa conference h been with us for more than 30 years. They welcome over 40,000 people from all around the world to talk about cyber security. So were so happy to welcome them back to San Francisco. As for that beam, its going to be around for one more night. All right, lets get a check on that weather. Abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel is here. Sandhya, i think the weather is good for those sea lions to come back out and bask in the sun. Theres going to be plenty of sun for ama them to bask, thats for sure. And as we take a look at our heat alert for this week, 10 to 20 degrees above average in terms of our temperatures, which will bring minor to moderate heat risk, especially as we head towards thursday and friday. So stay hydrated and find some shade. I know tomorrows wednesday, but i want to jump ahead to thursday because youll notice the upper 80s in our warmest spots on friday. Its going to be into the low 90s, which is why there is that minor to moderate heat risk for the bay area for your thursday. So im giving you an advance warning to plan accordingly. High pressure building in this trough up to the north over the Northern Rockies is going to dive southward. And as the ridge builds in, we get sandwiched in between. The winds will pick up out of the north, which is why a wind advisory is in effect for solano county, right now. For the rest of the north bay, it starts at 1 a. M, runs until 11 a. M, northerly winds 20 to 30. Gusts to 45 miles an hour. Those winds at this hour are starting to pick up. You will notice 22 at atlas peak and hood mountain. Mount diablo is 30 miles an hour, so the winds as we head towards tomorrow morning at the lower elevations, 25 to about 31 miles an hour at 5 a. M. Those winds continue to increase 36 miles an hour in fairfield. Calistoga will be in the mid 30s in the evening hours. This downsloping wind is always concerning around this time of year, but because weve had the recent rain over the weekend, that is actually mitigating the fire danger, theres more moisture in the fuels. Stay tuned. Always remain vigilant though. 50s and 60 right now on your temperatures. A beautiful view from san jose where the skies are clear next few days. Sunny warmth builds thursday through saturday. Summer like heat is coming. Your way and mothers day. The heat eases, the fog returns. It will be nice for all the moms out there. 5 00 in the morning. Numbers will be in the 40s and 50s as we head towards the lunch hour. Really a beautiful one, 60s and 70s. And then in the afternoon you start to notice far inland areas will start to come up into the 80s. So your morning temperatures with the windy conditions limited to parts of the north bay, breezy elsewhere, 40s and 50s under clear skies tomorrow afternoon in the south bay, 80 in san jose, 79 in santa clara on the peninsula. San mateo, 7865 and Half Moon Bay wall to wall sunshine, 74, downtown San Francisco above average temperatures in the north bay 80s for santa rosa, sonoma 79, in san rafael in the east. Bay 78 in oakland, 80, in fremont head inland and its short sleeve weather, 80 in concord and livermore. Heres a look at the accuweather sevenday forecast. The warming continues. That started a little bit today. Feeling like summer on thursday and friday will bring the heat upper 80s to low 90s. Inland coast side in the 60s and 70s. And then the warmth holds on saturday. But by mothers day those temperatures begin to dial back. At least it wille more comfortable for Outdoor Activities with mom you made a cow actually its a piggy bank. My inspiration to start saving. How about a more solid way to save . Im listening. Well, bmo helps get your savings habit into shape with a cash reward, every month you save. Both cash reward . And theres a cash bonus when you open a new Checking Account to get you started. Wow. Anything you cant do . mugs. Bmo its funding full time charter flights for the next two seasons. Its estimated thats going to cost around 25 million per year. Up until now, teams have routinely flown commercial, and there was an incident last season with someone confronting Brittney Griner at the airport in dallas. Interest the wnba is at an all time high thanks to a strong influx of young talent, including caitlin clark. And check it out. After a dismal season, the San Jose Sharks have something to celebrate tonight. The social media team was on its game and shark ified the las vegas sphere after the team won the nhl draft lottery, landing the number one pick in the draft will be held at the end of june in vegas, and thus the team teal themed sphere. All right, for more on who they might pick, abc seven news get exceptional offers at your local audi dealer. ominous music dad headphones, buddy. Mom headphones. What dad hey ominous music what is going on . Mom what was that . Mom, go away nicotines a neurotoxin that can escalate teen mood swings go away mom, please. Mom listen, open this door. Boy no. Please open the door. Norman, bad news. I never graduated from med school. What . But the good news is. Xfinity mobile just got even better now, you can automatically connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go. Plus, buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. I gotta get this deal. Thats like 20 a month per unlimited line. I dont want to miss that. Thats amazing doc. Mobile savings are calling. Visit xfinitymobile. Com to learn more. Doc . We can tell you what its capable of or you could find out for yourself. How we get there matters. Get exceptional offers at your local audi dealer. The light at the end of a very long tunnel for the San Jose Sharks and their fans. The sharks won the nhl draft lottery, and they will have the first pick in the june draft. The first overall selection in the 2024 nhl draft belongs to the San Jose Sharks. Sharks fans loving the lottery. The team watch party almost a lock. Theyll take Macklin Celebrini with the first pick. The son of rick celebrini, director of Sports Medicine and performance for the warriors, macklin from boston university, turns 18 next month. So this is kind of a homecoming. Obviously, theyre a great organization. And, ive im fortunate enough to get drafted there. Itd be id be very lucky. This is obviously home for us for the last six years. The bay and, we feel like this is this is, you know, were proud to be bay area residents. And, so we were excited for san jose, for the San Jose Sharks. And were excited if the San Jose Sharks, inevitably, you know, choose macklin with their pick on a baseball. Oh, baby. Its cold outside. Giants freezing in Denver Kyle Harrison he was hot. Got off to a good start. Struck out Brendan Doyle to open the game. Rookie goes seven scoreless at coors. Struck out two. Now can the giants score any runs Michael Conforto rbi single in comes Thairo Estrada in the seventh. Giants snap a four game slide five zero. As hosting the rangers. Get your umbrellas here. Umbrellas welcome to ross striplings nightmare. Former athletic Marcus Semien leads off and takes him deep. Stripling gave up 210 runs in just the first inning. Texas bats around so were still in the first. Its simeon again rbi single. He was four for five. Five rbis. Rangers cruise 15 to 8 lamar hunt, u. S. Open cup the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer hosting the usl oakland roots nil nil in the 76th minute. Hussein buddha with a rocket past a diving Paul Blanchette to make it one. Nothing. Earthquakes. But buddha took a hard foul moments later from johnny rodriguez, and that led to some hostilities, some tension late the quakes eliminate the roots. One nil san jose advancing in the open cup sports on abc seven. Sponsored by river rock golden 1 credit union sees, youre crushing it. You nailed that audition. You perfected that plate. Your teams inspired. Whether behind the scenes or center stage, youve never chosen the easy path. Instead, you make your own. Golden 1 checking works for you with every day simple checking. So you can keep shining, no matter what scene of life youre in. Golden 1 checking, life is a journey best celebrated together. Lynn and nikki glaser. Have a great night. See you tomorrow lou from hollywood, its Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight josh brolin, nikki glaser, and music from sarah mclachlan. With cleto and the cletones. And now, jimmy kimmel