Laci Peterson Murder

Laci Denise Peterson, 27 years old and eight months pregnant, was reported missing by her husband Scott Peterson on December 24, 2002, in Modesto, California. Scott told police he had returned from a solo fishing trip at the San Francisco Bay to find her gone. The subsequent investigation, trial, and conviction of Scott Peterson became one of the most highly publicized criminal cases of the early 2000s. [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2013/04/02/us/scott-peterson-fast-facts/index.html)

Scott Peterson — born October 24, 1972, in San Diego — was a fertilizer salesman. He and Laci had been married for five years. In the weeks following her disappearance, Scott gave multiple television interviews, appearing calm and controlled, which struck many observers as suspicious. He initially said he had been golfing the morning Laci disappeared, then changed his account to say he had been fishing in San Francisco Bay.

On January 24, 2003, Amber Frey, a massage therapist, came forward publicly to confirm she had been having an affair with Scott Peterson. She revealed that he had told her in December — just weeks before Laci's disappearance — that he had "lost" his wife and would be spending his first Christmas alone. Frey cooperated with police and recorded subsequent phone calls with Peterson, in which he continued to profess love for her while Laci was missing. [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/11/13/scott-peterson-convicted-of-murdering-wife-fetus/f8c74012-0ff8-492d-a65e-7d6e3efce18e/)

On April 13-14, 2003, the partial remains of a newborn male and the torso of an adult female washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay near where Scott had said he was fishing. Dental records confirmed the adult remains were Laci's. The baby, whom Laci had planned to name Conner, was wrapped in plastic and appeared to have been cut from her uterus. [AP News](https://apnews.com/article/scott-peterson-convicted-murder-laci-2004)

Scott Peterson was arrested on April 18, 2003, in La Jolla, California. He had dyed his hair blond, grown a goatee, and was carrying significant cash and multiple cell phones — leading police to suspect he was fleeing. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, including the death of unborn Conner.

Scott Peterson's trial began June 1, 2004, in Redwood City, California, after a change of venue from Modesto. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence: he had no solid alibi, the fishing location matched where the bodies surfaced, he had recently bought a boat (and lied about owning it), he had conducted internet searches about ocean currents and tidal patterns, and the affair with Amber Frey provided a possible motive. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/24/scott-peterson-death-sentence-overturned)

The defense argued there was no direct evidence of murder, no weapon, no witnesses, and no definitive cause of death. Defense attorneys suggested Laci may have been kidnapped by someone else after Scott left for fishing.

On November 12, 2004, the jury convicted Peterson of first-degree murder in Laci's death and second-degree murder in the death of Conner. He was sentenced to death by the same jury on December 13, 2004.

In August 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Peterson's death sentence (though not his conviction) due to jury selection problems — specifically, a juror who had been improperly dismissed for holding reservations about the death penalty. [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57899888) On December 8, 2021, Peterson was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole. [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/10/27/1131939513/scott-peterson-laci-peterson-murder-netflix-documentary)