What happened to Laci Peterson?

On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant with a son she planned to name Conner, vanished from her Modesto, California home. Her husband, Scott Peterson, claimed he’d been fishing at Berkeley Marina that day, returning to find their dog leashed in the backyard and no sign of Laci inside. As weeks passed with no leads, the case exploded into a media frenzy. Then, in a bombshell moment that no one would have expected from this former doting husband, it was revealed that Scott had been having an affair with Amber Frey, a massage therapist who had no idea he was married or expecting a child.

What did Scott Peterson allegedly do to his pregnant wife Laci?

Then came the grim discovery in April 2003. Laci and Conner’s bodies washed ashore in San Francisco Bay, four months after her disappearance. Days later, authorities arrested Scott in San Diego. What followed was a sensational trial. In November 2004, after five months of testimony, a jury found Scott guilty of first-degree murder for Laci’s death and second-degree murder for Conner’s. The prosecution argued that the main motives behind Scott’s actions were ultimately wanting to escape married life and impending fatherhood.

In other words, he wanted to be free to ride off into the sunset with his masseuse lover and not have to pay child support. Much to the satisfaction of family members and the public alike, he ended up getting the death penalty.

But the story didn’t end there. In 2020, California’s Supreme Court overturned Scott’s death sentence, citing errors in jury selection. He was resentenced to life without parole in 2021. Today, Scott remains behind bars at Mule Creek State Prison, still maintaining his innocence.

Skye Borgman, director of the new Netflix series, aims to refocus attention on Laci and Conner:

“It’s always really important to me to put the victim forward,” Borgman says. “Laci Peterson, I think, has been overshadowed many times by Scott Peterson and what’s going on with him.”

The docuseries mainly features interviews with Laci’s friends and family, Scott’s relatives, investigators, attorneys, and journalists who covered the case. Notably absent is Scott himself, who declined to be interviewed from prison.

Borgman emphasizes the series’ relevance today, highlighting the ongoing issue of domestic violence. She points out a chilling statistic. Pregnant women are more likely to be murdered than to die from childbirth complications. And it’s not the first time that we’ve seen this type of story play out in the media. The parallels between the Laci Peterson case and the Chris Watts murders are chilling. In 2018, Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters in Colorado, initially claiming they had disappeared. Like Scott Peterson, Watts was having an affair and seemed eager to escape family life.

As legal battles continue and there is a push to sensationalize events, we should remind ourselves that at the heart of this story are Laci and Conner, whose lives were cut tragically short. The Netflix American Murder: Laci Peterson series premiered on Aug. 14, offering viewers a chance to re-examine this haunting case and remember the vibrant young woman at its center. Face to Face with Scott Peterson is set to air on Peacock on Aug. 20.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.