The family and friends of Laci Peterson, who would have turned 50 years old, gathered recently to honor her memory. They expressed their anger towards Scott Peterson, her husband and killer, for his latest attempt to avoid serving his prison sentence.

Scott Peterson was found guilty in 2004 of killing Laci, aged 27, and their unborn child Conner. Their bodies were discovered separately on the shores of the San Francisco Bay in April 2003, several months after Laci went missing.

Despite being behind bars for more than two decades, now 52, Scott Peterson continues to claim innocence. Recently, the Los Angeles Innocence Project filed a petition on his behalf, alleging the existence of new evidence that they believe proves his innocence.

In the wake of the astonishing claims, loved ones of Laci gathered in her hometown of Modesto, California, on Sunday to commemorate what would’ve been her 50th birthday.

Laci’s best friend, Stacey Boyers-Birdsong, told the Daily Mail that the solemn landmark was completely overshadowed by Scott’s latest ‘disgusting’ efforts to clear his name.

‘It’s ridiculous and it’s disappointing,’ fumed Boyers-Birdsong. ‘It’s like you can’t even celebrate and try to remember Laci, when in the back of your mind you’re thinking, this [case] still isn’t done.

‘When is the justice system going to protect Laci’s family and everybody that was hurt and whose lives were changed forever by what he did?

‘But he continues to be heard, and what we’re all wondering is: when is enough, enough?’

Scott Peterson (right) was convicted of murdering his wife Laci (left) and their unborn son in 2004 in a case that shocked the world, with Laci’s loved ones now revealing how they marked the doomed mother’s 50th birthday

Last month, Scott’s attorneys launched a stunning legal petition seeking to overturn his conviction, claiming newly discovered evidence exonerates him

Flowers line the grave of Laci Peterson in an image shared by one of her closest friends

Speaking to the Daily Mail on Friday, Boyers-Birdsong said that Laci’s friends and family typically commemorate her birthday by meeting for lunch and taking flowers to her gravestone, where they sit reminiscing about old times.

Boyers-Birdsong lives in Tennessee and was unable to attend in person, though said she planned to FaceTime in to join the celebrations.

More than 20 years after Scott’s conviction, Boyers-Birdsong said she is horrified at the prospect of Laci’s case being retried.

She said there is no doubt in her mind that Scott killed Laci and Conner, and called his petition for a new trial a shameless vanity project designed to torment those who loved Laci most.

‘Laci’s been gone for 23 years, and never would we have thought this would have been a continuous fight… it should be done, and we’re tired of hearing about him,’ Boyers-Birdsong said.

‘He is tormenting us and grasping at straws… This is a circus. It’s almost comical. What’s next? What will Scott come up with next as the reason why he didn’t do this?’

Boyers-Birdsong added that Scott’s latest legal Hail Mary has also scarred her children.

‘Our children have to see this because they know Lacey and Connor through us, because we’ve kept them alive through stories… And now their questions are, “Mommy, is he going to get out? And if he gets out, is he going to come and find us?”

‘They’re terrified.’

Laci was eight-and-half-months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve 2002

Scott Peterson claimed to be out on a solo fishing trip at the time of her disappearance

Laci’s best friend, Stacey Boyers-Birdsong, called Peterson’s latest legal push ‘disgusting’ in an interview with the Daily Mail

Laci was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she disappeared from her home in Modesto on Christmas Eve in 2002.

Scott claimed to have been off on a solo fishing trip at the time and theorized that Laci was abducted and killed while out walking their dog.

He soon became a suspect after investigators discovered inconsistencies in his story and learned that he was having a months-long affair with a woman named Amber Frey.

Frey told police Scott said he’d ‘lost’ his wife before Laci vanished and later worked with prosecutors to record damning phone calls with Scott.

Laci’s dismembered remains were found floating in the San Francisco Bay in April 2003. The horrifying discovery was made one day after a male fetus was found a mile away in a marshy area of the Bay that DNA tests verified was the Petersons’ unborn son.

Scott was convicted of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner in 2004.

He was sentenced to death the following year, but in 2020, the California Supreme Court changed his sentence to life in prison without parole due to issues during jury selection.

The LA Innocence Project claims that Laci was actually killed by local burglars after confronting them during a break-in at a neighbor’s home. 

Scott Peterson theorized his wife was abducted during a dog walk. Laci’s dismembered remains were found in the San Francisco Bay in April 2003, one day after the body of their unborn son was found in a marshy area

Scott Peterson’s death sentence was overturned in 2020 and reduced to life without parole

Its activists have accused prosecutors of a subsequent cover-up and are trying to overturn Scott’s conviction.

But Boyers-Birdsons is unmoved by Scott’s insistence that he’s innocent.

‘I’d just ask him, “Why? Why did he take her from us? Why did he take his own son?” she said.

‘He could have divorced her; she would have been absolutely fine. And I just would remind him of what he took from us and what he took from his own family.’