What really happened to Scott Peterson’s pregnant wife

Summary

• Scott Peterson was charged with murder after his wife Laci and unborn son Conner were found dead near Brooks Island in April 2003.
• According to the documentary, Scott, against whom no suspicion was initially raised, was arrested just days after the bodies were discovered near the Mexican border.
• Evidence such as recorded phone calls and the location of the remains led to Scott’s conviction for double murder, even without a clear cause of death.

This article contains discussions about murder and violence against women.

The new true crime documentary from Netflix, American Murder: Laci Petersonrevolves around the true story of the murder of Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. The last person she saw was her husbandScott Peterson, whom she was already married to after meeting at California Polytechnic State University in the 1990s. Laci and Scott were reportedly overjoyed together; their marriage seemed perfect. Behind the scenes, however, Scott was not enthusiastic about having children, even though Laci wanted to be a mother.

Eventually, Scott agreed to have children, and Laci became pregnant with their son, Conner. Laci was due on February 10, 2003, but she disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002. Laci Peterson’s body, as well as Conner’s fetal remains, were not discovered until April 2003. Although Scott Peterson was not initially a suspect, quickly became the number one person of interest based on the evidence piling up against him. The new Netflix documentary examines Laci Peterson’s case in depth by interviewing everyone involved, from investigators to Laci’s family, Scott’s family, and Scott’s defense team.

Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002

Scott Peterson noticed Laci was missing after calling her mother Sharon

In the early evening of December 24, 2002, Scott Peterson called his mother-in-law, Sharon Rocha, to ask if his wife, Laci Peterson, was home. When Rocha denied that Laci was not there, they quickly realized that she was missing. They immediately called the police and gathered as many friends and relatives as possible to search for her. Scott Peterson was the last person to see Laci at home that morning before He is said to have been fishing all day in the Berkeley Marina. After returning, Scott washed his clothes and took a shower before calling his mother-in-law.

Laci Peterson may have been seen at her local park on the Dry Creek Trail walking her dog McKenzie, but no specific witnesses could definitively say they had seen her specifically. When Scott Peterson returned home, He found McKenzie in her garden, still on a leashwhen they discovered that their neighbor had found McKenzie wandering around and brought her home. When Laci Peterson disappeared, she was heavily pregnant, estimated to be eight months pregnant. All of her belongings were still at home.

The bodies of Laci Peterson and her unborn son were found in April 2003

The remains of Laci Peterson and her unborn son were found on the shore of the same bay that Scott Peterson visited

On April 14, 2003, Laci Peterson’s torso washed up on the shores of San Francisco Bay, across from Brooks Island, just north of Berkeley Marina, where Scott Peterson said he had been fishing on Christmas Eve. The fetal remains of Laci’s unborn son were found the day before, April 13, 2003. This was a shocking revelation – at this point, investigators were ready to charge Scott Peterson with the murder of Laci Peterson, but the prosecutor did not allow this without her body.

According to investigators who followed Scott, he appeared to be searching for something on land every time he visited Brooks Island.

In addition, the location of her remains added to the evidence against Scott Peterson. In the months since Laci Peterson’s disappearance Scott Peterson secretly visited Brooks Island several times for no apparent reason, although he told investigators he had gone fishing at the Berkeley Marina. Laci and Conner’s remains were discovered just off Brooks Island. According to investigators tracking Scott, he appeared to be on land searching for something every time he visited Brooks Island.

Scott Peterson was officially arrested on April 18, 2003 for the killing of his wife and unborn son

Scott Peterson was about to flee to Mexico

Just days after the remains of Laci Peterson and her unborn son were found in San Francisco Bay, authorities arrested Scott Peterson in San Diego and charged him with murder on April 18, 2003. When investigators found Scott Peterson, he was just a few dozen miles from the Mexican borderThey found him because they had ordered a wiretap on his phone several months earlier. Scott had dyed his hair orange and grown a beard.

Investigators discovered several items in his possessionincluding $15,000 in cash, several knives, credit cards and IDs belonging to him and his family, a couple of cell phones, a grill, a shovel, Viagra, and a few more items that made it clear he was most likely planning to flee to Mexico. Scott Peterson’s family believes he was in San Diego visiting them because his family lived there and the city happens to be 30 miles from Mexico. However, the circumstances of Scott Peterson’s discovery suggest he was planning to flee to Mexico to avoid a murder charge.

The murder trial of Laci Peterson and Scott’s defense explained

Amber Frey, Scott’s girlfriend, was the prosecution’s star witness

The trial of Scott Peterson began in his favor. The trial was moved one county to San Mateo County to avoid media bias, and the judge banned cameras in the courtroom, but journalists were welcome. The head of Peterson’s legal team was well-known criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos. The defense had strong arguments because they presented all evidence as circumstantial evidence. The prosecution could not determine the cause or time of Laci Peterson’s death. Two jurors in the documentary said they did not believe Scott Peterson was guilty until Amber Frey, Scott Peterson’s secret girlfriend, came in.

Scott Peterson met Amber Frey in November 2002 and their relationship quickly became serious. On December 9, 2002, Scott Peterson told Amber Frey that he had lost his wife and then bought a boat to get rid of Laci’s body. When Amber Frey learned of Laci Peterson’s disappearance, she immediately went to the police and worked with them in the hope that Scott would confess to her. Although she never confessed, Nevertheless, their telephone conversations were recorded and became important evidence in the trialAmber Frey’s testimony and the recorded telephone conversations changed the minds of at least two jurors.

The fact that he lied to Amber Frey about Laci Peterson wasn’t the deciding factor – it was the fact that Scott Peterson said something to exonerate himself and then did something else that would incriminate him.

The fact that he lied to Amber Frey about Laci Peterson was not the deciding factor – it was the fact that Scott Peterson said one thing to exonerate himself and then did something else that would incriminate him. At the end of the trial the jury deliberated for only 90 minutes before a guilty verdict was reached. The same jury later sentenced Scott Peterson to death, but that verdict was overturned on July 24, 2020, because the jury had not properly assessed its bias against the death penalty. Scott Peterson was sentenced to life without parole for the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

Why Scott Peterson was found guilty of double murder

The location of Conner’s fetal remains and his gestational age

Scott Peterson was accused and convicted of double murder for the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner. Prosecutors successfully prosecuted and convicted Scott Peterson because Conner’s remains were not found inside Laci Peterson’s body, suggesting he may have lived first. Although Laci and Conner were found less than a mile apart, the distance between them was still large enough to suggest he may have lived. However, a pathologist proved during the trial that Conner most likely did not survive outside the womb; they were just separated.

In fact, the pathologist said Laci’s uterus protected Conner from potential predators in the water. Regardless, Conner’s gestational age was further along than initially thought –According to his autopsy, Conner was between 33 and 38 weeks pregnant or nine months. This new information raised doubts about whether Scott Peterson had killed Laci and Conner, because if Conner had died at a later date, it would suggest that someone kidnapped Laci and killed her after birth, as in American Murder: Laci PetersonHowever, the pathologist quickly refuted this theory and prosecutors filed charges against Conner.

Source: SFGate, SFGate