EXCLUSIVE: Scott Peterson Could Seek Parole Under Controversial California Rule

Convicted killer Scott Peterson – who's spent more than two decades behind bars for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci [Peterson], and their unborn son – could one day walk free under a controversial California Board of Parole Hearings policy that critics warn could unleash hundreds of bloodthirsty killers and rapists from prison, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Laci's heartbroken family is furiously speaking out against the policy change, which may give maniacs serving life without parole – like Peterson, 53 – a shot at freedom after 25 years behind bars.

They're supporting a lawsuit filed by a victims' advocacy group hoping to snuff out the new rules before they take effect in October.

"Our family believed that sentence would finally bring some measure of certainty," Laci's mom, Sharon Rocha, said in a statement. "Victims should not have to spend the rest of their lives wondering whether the person responsible will receive another opportunity for release. Justice demands finality."

The laundry list of cold-blooded killers potentially eligible for the new parole program is heart-stopping.

They include the "Golden State Killer," Joseph DeAngelo Jr., 80, who was convicted of 13 murders and dozens of rapes across California; child-molesting creep Phillip Garrido, 75, who kidnapped and abused 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard and held her captive for 18 years until 2009; and Charles Manson disciple Bruce Davis, 83, who was convicted of two murders committed by the Manson cult in 1969, just to name a few.

Renowned private investigator Jason Jensen told RadarOnline.com the controversial policy change is playing with fire.

"I think it's absolutely reckless," Jensen said. "As much as social justice lawyers are really focused on leniency toward convicted criminals – 'it's not their fault, they were victims of crimes themselves' – at some point you have to realize that the reason they are in prison is they had their chance and they screwed it up.

"This policy is hazardous to the public's health, and even if there was one new victim, it's one victim too many."

The Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) filed the lawsuit in July, arguing the new edict bypassed state lawmakers by "fundamentally changing California's sentencing laws through administrative regulation rather than through laws enacted by the people's elected representatives.""We're talking about people that would have been qualified for the death penalty, OK? So, they are the worst of the worst," said Anne Marie Schubert, the head of CJLF.

"We are talking about cop killers. We're talking about baby killers. We talk about mass shooters. There's a case out of Fresno that happened in the early '90s where a guy killed 10 people, and he pled to life without parole. He would potentially be eligible."

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, however, stated to RadarOnline.com: "These regulations do not create a new pathway out of prison, do not shorten sentences, and do not guarantee anyone's release from prison. They create a transparent, structured process for the Board of Parole Hearings to provide expert public safety assessments to judges and the Governor. The Board's role is advisory only. Any decision to modify a sentence remains solely with the Governor or the courts."

But Phyllis Loya, the grieving mom of Larry Lasater, a Pittsburg, Calif., police officer killed by an armed robber in 2005, isn't buying the banter.

"They come like thieves in the night to rob us of justice," Loya said.