Scott Peterson was charged Monday with two counts of murder in the deaths of his pregnant wife, Laci, and his unborn son. District Attorney James Brazelton said he would likely seek the death penalty.
Peterson pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In filing the charges, Brazelton said Peterson acted "intentionally, deliberately and with premeditation" in the killings. "It's hard for me to realistically believe it is anything but a death penalty case at this time," he said.
California law permits a murder charge for a fetus if a pregnant woman is slain, even if the fetus is not viable, said a spokesman for the state attorney general.
Scott Peterson behind bars in Modesto, Calif.
Peterson, 30, was arrested near San Diego on Friday because detectives feared he might flee to Mexico.
Peterson has maintained that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance. He claims he was fishing in San Francisco Bay when Laci, eight months pregnant, vanished before Christmas.
Authorities found the two bodies last week when they surfaced in San Francisco Bay.
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