Case File: Scott Peterson

On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson disappeared from her home in Modesto, Calif. At 27 years old—and eight months pregnant—Laci became one of the most high-profile missing person cases in American history. Her husband, Scott Peterson, was eventually arrested and convicted in the murder of Laci and her unborn child. To some, Scott came off as a cold, calculating killer who sought to escape the impending responsibilities of fatherhood. To others, he proved the victim of an unfair trial, whose outcome seemed predetermined due to mass media scrutiny.

Scott Peterson was born and raised in a suburb near San Diego. The youngest child in a large, blended family, those who knew him described Scott as charming and polite, noting that he briefly considered a professional golf career before attending California Polytechnic State University. In college, he met Laci Rocha, a vivacious and outgoing fellow student who had grown up in nearby Modesto. 

Like Scott, Laci came from a close-knit family that welcomed Scott into the fold. In 1997, shortly after graduation, Laci and Scott were married, eventually settling in Modesto to be near Laci’s loved ones. Scott worked as a fertilizer salesman, leading to frequent business trips throughout the state. 

Laci held a series of jobs, but she was eager to focus on her goal of becoming a mother. Friends and family would later recall that Scott seemed ambivalent about becoming a father, while Laci was overjoyed when she became pregnant in 2002, decorating a nursery for their son, whom the couple planned to name Conner. 

In late 2002, Scott met Amber Frey, a massage therapist from Fresno, Calif. Scott initially told Frey he was single and childless, and the pair began a relationship. On December 9, two weeks before Laci’s disappearance, Scott told Amber that he had been married, but that his wife had died and this would be his first Christmas without her. 

Around 5:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Scott called Laci’s mother, Sharon, asking if Laci was at the Rocha home. He said he’d arrived home about 45 minutes earlier to find their dog in the backyard, but no sign of Laci. He showered, did a load of laundry and called Sharon when Laci still wasn't home. 

Alarmed, the Rochases called police, who soon arrived at the Peterson home. Scott told them that he had left the house around 10 a.m., making a brief stop at his office before traveling 90 miles to the Berkeley Marina, where he’d spent the day fishing off of his new boat. The last he knew of Laci’s whereabouts was her plans to take their dog for a walk that morning. 

Investigators, friends and family began an immediate search of the area. The disappearance of a pretty, heavily pregnant woman captivated the nation almost instantly, and hundreds of tips flooded into police hotlines from those claiming to have seen her on the day of her disappearance. 

Law enforcement looked into the possibility that Laci’s disappearance might be connected to a burglary that took place across the street from the Peterson home. They initially believed the crime might have been committed on December 24, the day Laci went missing, but in early January, after two men arrested for their role in the burglary told police it took place on December 26, investigators concluded that the cases were unrelated. 

Suspicions increasingly began focusing on Scott. He gave inconsistent accounts of his whereabouts on December 24, and reneged on his initial agreement to take a polygraph test. The media and public also focused on what they considered to be his oddly detached demeanor and seeming lack of emotion over the disappearance of his wife and unborn child. 

On December 30, Frey called the Modesto police, informing him of her affair with Scott and telling them she had just heard about Laci’s disappearance. Police immediately arranged to have Frey record her calls with Scott, including one on New Year’s Eve in which Scott told Frey he was in Paris with friends, when he was really at a candlelight vigil for Laci and Conner. A few days later, Scott admitted to Frey that Laci was his wife, but insisted he had nothing to do with her disappearance. 

In April 2003, the decomposed bodies of a woman and baby were discovered just a few miles from where Scott went fishing at the Berkeley Marina. DNA testing confirmed they were Laci and Conner. Soon after, Scott was arrested in San Diego, with investigators finding cash, credit cards, multiple cell phones, knives and his brother’s ID in his car, leading them to believe Scott planned to flee the country. Scott’s lawyers and supporters later claimed these items, as well as his newly dyed blonde hair, were just his attempt at keeping safe and hiding from the unrelenting gaze of media attention.

Due to fears of a biased jury pool, the trial was moved from Modesto to Redwood City and started in June 2004. While the trial was not broadcast, the case was a mainstay on television, with daily reports on proceedings and many in the media and public were convinced Peterson was guilty.

While no direct physical evidence—such as blood or murder weapon—was ever found, prosecutors built a circumstantial case centered on motive, opportunity and Scott’s suspicious behavior. They said Scott murdered Laci, possibly by strangulation, on the night of December 23 or early December 24 and transported the body in his boat, dumping it in San Francisco Bay, weighted down by concrete anchors he made in his office. Frey was the prosecution’s star witness, with jurors listening to her damning recorded calls with Scott.

Peterson’s defense, led by famed attorney Mark Geragos—who’s also represented Michael Jackson, rapper Chris Brown and Erik and Lyle Menendez—hammered home the lack of physical evidence. He claimed investigators ignored reports of people who said they saw Laci walking that morning, meaning she was alive after Scott left for the fishing trip, and failed to follow up leads that Laci might have been abducted as part of the nearby burglary.

Despite these arguments, in November 2004, Scott was found guilty of murder in the first degree for the death of Laci and murder in the second degree for Conner. The same jury sentenced him to death. However, in August 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Scott’s death sentence due to juror bias issues. Later the next year, he was re-sentenced to life without parole.

Laci’s mother, Sharon, became an outspoken advocate for victims of violence and the need for better protections for pregnant women. In 2004, the same year Scott was convicted, the federal government passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, often referred to as “Laci and Conner’s Law,” which allows for separate charges for the death of a fetus during a violent federal crime.

Over the years, public opinion on the case has remained sharply divided. While many found the verdict just, others argue that Peterson’s trial was deeply flawed. In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s death sentence, citing judicial errors during jury selection, specifically surrounding a juror who had failed to disclose that she had previously sought a restraining order while pregnant, a detail that should have excluded her from the case. He was resentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2025, the Los Angeles Innocence Project petitioned the California Court of Appeals for a new trial. The petition was denied, but Peterson’s supporters continue to pursue legal pathways.

Few true crime cases have captivated public attention like that of Laci and Scott Peterson. The case struck a nerve with its tragic image of a pregnant woman vanishing on Christmas Eve. In recent years, the case has been reexamined in countless books, documentaries, podcasts and online forums. TV series, including A&E’s The Murder of Laci Peterson, reignited interest, with some viewers and legal analysts questioning the fairness of the investigation and trial.