Scott Peterson
Originally presented to the world as a worried and devoted husband anxious for the safe return of his missing wife, a more sinister Peterson emerged as the search for Laci continued. Now on death row, the case involving Scott Peterson dominated the media for weeks, and showed a nation that things aren’t always as they seem.
Scott Peterson was born on October 4th, 1972 in San Diego, California . His early life was, by all accounts, quite ordinary. The son of two small business owners, his father owned a packaging business while his mother owned and operated a small boutique. Scott played on his high school’s golf team, and later met Laci Rocha when he worked as a waiter while attending California Polytechnic State University . The couple quickly fell in love and married in 1997.
On December 24th of 2002, Peterson reported Laci missing. She was eight months pregnant with the child that they planned to name Conner. In the media coverage immediately following Scott’s missing persons report, he was surrounded and supported by Laci’s family and friends, as well as the Modesto community, all of whom had every faith in his innocence.
Because of the immense support for Scott, he was not an immediate prime suspect in Laci’s disappearance. The support from Laci’s family was officially withdrawn after unknown details about Scott’s secret life began to emerge. Less than a month after the disappearance, a massage therapist named Amber Frey came forward to admit that she had been having an affair with Scott. Amber would later become a key witness in the case, allowing her calls with Peterson to be taped. The taped messages revealed that in the days immediately following Laci’s disappearance, Scott claimed to be in Paris celebrating. Although he never confessed to killing Laci, his odd behaviour and seeming lack of concern were important points in the prosecution’s case. Shortly after the trial, Amber released a book detailing her experiences with Scott.
In mid-April, nearly four months after Laci had gone missing, the bodies of both mother and child washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay area. The area was in the same vicinity where Scott claimed he was fishing when his wife went missing. Although the bodies were identified as the missing people, autopsies could not determine the cause of death. On April 18, 2003, less than a week after the bodies had been found, Scott Peterson was arrested in La Jolla, California .
In June of 2004, the murder trial for Scott Peterson began. It was surrounded by much media attention, and would truly be a challenge for the prosecution due the the fact that most of the evidence against Peterson was largely cirucmstantial. Nevertheless, after several jury members were removed and replaced, a guilty verdict was read on November 12th. The charges were first degree murder in the the death of Laci and second degree murder in the death of the unborn Connor. The penalty phase of the child concluded on December 13, when it was recommended that Scott receive a death sentence for his actions.
In March of the 2005, Scott was offically sentenced to death by lethal injection, and on March 17th, he arrived at San Quentin State Prison. He is currently on death row, awaiting appeal of his trial.
Aside from the book written by Amber Frey, Sharon Rocha also wrote For Laci: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss and Justice as a tribute to her late daughter. The television movie The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story, which starred Dean Cain as Scott, was released in 2004. |
