Laci and Scott Peterson appeared to have it all; a beautiful home, a loving marriage, and a baby on the way. So what went wrong? Here are the factors investigators believe led Scott Peterson to become a killer.
Laci Peterson’s Christmas Eve disappearance shocked the nation. When her husband Scott was subsequently charged and convicted of her murder, many wondered what could have driven him to such a heinous crime. What motive could he possibly have had? The answer lies within a terrifying pattern.
Scott Peterson is what is known to experts as a “family annihilator.” It is a term used to describe a person who kills their entire family unit, usually a spouse and their children. It is one of the most heinous crimes in contemporary society, and we have seen an alarming increase in it in middle to upper-class suburbia with cases like the Watts and Murdaugh families. So what could make seemingly normal families, the “family next door” to become perpetrators and victims of family annihilation?
Scott Peterson’s motive
While every family and crime is different, there are a few common factors that seem to be present in the circumstances of family annihilators. Scott Peterson’s case is no different. While from the outside, the Petersons seemed to have a perfect marriage, cracks within the relationship were beginning to show. As is often the case with examples of family annihilators, extramarital affairs were present, and for Scott Peterson, there was a single mother named Amber Frey.
Scott Peterson’s affair
Although investigators found Scott’s initial behavior odd, true criminal suspicion wasn’t fully aroused until it was discovered that he had been seeing another woman, Amber Frey. Frey came forward and revealed to investigators she had been dating Scott Peterson for several months, and had no idea he was married or was expecting a baby. Once she realized the truth, she began assisting investigators by recording her phone conversations with Peterson and it became quickly apparent that the supposed “grieving” husband, was far from it.
Also, while Amber Frey may have been the most well-known of Peterson’s affairs, it turned out–she wasn’t the only one. According to NBC, there were other extra-marital affairs on the part of Peterson including one with a woman named “Janet” who also was told Scott was single. So not only was Peterson having affairs, but he was actively presenting himself as single and dating during his marriage to Laci.
Did Scott Peterson want to be a father?
Along with extramarital affairs another common factor in family annihilator cases: a partner’s pregnancy. Whether it is the addition of a first child, or a new baby to an already-existent family dynamic, the addition of familial responsibility seems to be a tipping point.
Once again, Scott Peterson seems to be no exception to this general rule. Peterson was living his secret life as a single man, and having a child would most likely end his ability to do so. It would also create lifelong ties and responsibilities, something that it did not seem he was particularly interested in. In fact, in a CNN report, Peterson was revealed to have lamented to friends and family that he was “dreading fatherhood” and felt trapped and depressed by his life and circumstances. He was even reported to have said that he had been “hoping for infertility.”
While not every person who has affairs and is not excited about parenthood, turns into a family annihilator, these two factors are frequently present in these types of cases. The prosecution for the case argued, that the pressure of Scott not wanting to become a father, and wanting to either be with Amber Frey specifically or other women generally, contributed to his snapping.
Of course, the resounding question with these types of cases, and most especially the Peterson case, is often “Why don’t they just get divorced?” Yet experts feel that the perpetrator may fear repercussions and backlash from friends, family, and the community causing them to put off leaving until they reach a breaking point or a point of no return. That pressure is especially amplified when a spouse is pregnant, or when there are other children in the home. Basically what many would view as a dream come true, feels to the perpetrator, like a nightmare. There is no true logic or reason behind the acts of family annihilators or Scott Peterson in particular, however, these patterns may provide clues to his state of mind and warped motive for murder.
The murder of Laci and Conner Peterson will haunt our society for a long time to come. Truthfully, it is not just the death of a beautiful young mother-to-be and her unborn son, it is the death to many, of the American dream. Family annihilators shatter the illusion that achieving these societal milestones provides us with safety, happiness, and fulfillment. When the crime is no further than the family next door, it rattles our own sense of safety, leaving shockwaves in its wake, for decades to come.