The Chilling True Story of American Murder Laci Peterson

The Chilling True Story of American Murder: Laci Peterson

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re delving into the chilling events of the disappearance and murder of Laci Peterson.

A Fateful Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve of 2002, Sharon Rocha’s life changed forever when she received a phone call from her son-in-law Scott Peterson asking where her daughter Laci was. The pair had allegedly started the day tuning in to Martha Stewart together before going their separate ways. Scott embarked on a fishing trip and Laci prepared to run errands and walk their dog. It soon became apparent that she was missing and the police were quickly called, with the situation being made more urgent by the fact that Laci was eight months pregnant.

The Life of Laci Peterson

Laci Peterson was born Laci Rocha in 1975 in the town of Escalon in California’s Central Valley and eventually relocated to Modesto. She was described by friends and family as a very active kid and a fun-loving, joyful, and caring person. As a child, she enjoyed gardening with her mother and working on her family’s dairy farm, and later became involved with cheerleading in high school. She met Scott while studying horticulture at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The pair were married in 1997 when 22-year old Laci became a college graduate and, five years later, she was pregnant with their first child, who was to be named Conner.

The Initial Search

Friends, family, and community members mobilized for a massive search effort in the hopes of finding Laci and the case quickly gathered significant media attention. Tips poured into help lines, candlelit vigils were held, and a $500,000 reward was eventually offered. Police interviewed witnesses who claimed to see a pregnant woman walking her dog but there are various accounts on whether any were able to positively identify her as Laci. A tip on a suspicious van in the neighborhood also fizzled out.

The Burglars

Days after Laci's disappearance, the Medinas, who lived across the street from the Petersons and had been out of town for a bit, returned home to discover that they had been robbed. An investigation began immediately, with police strongly suspecting the burglary was related to Laci’s disappearance. It didn’t take long for two suspects to be identified: Donald Pearce and Steven Todd, an undynamic duo of petty criminals known to operate in the area. The pair cooperated with police and it was confirmed that they broke into the house on the morning of December 26 but the two maintained that they had nothing to do with what happened to Laci. While this timeline has since been disputed, police at the time did not find any evidence to the contrary and the search for Laci continued.

Scott Peterson’s Behavior

Throughout the initial investigations, police had aimed to clear Scott, statistically the number one suspect, of any wrongdoing, but he didn’t exactly make it easy for them. He had demonstrated a calm demeanor and lack of urgency on Christmas Eve, only calling his mother-in-law after feasting on pizza and milk, taking a shower, and doing some laundry. Many in his and Laci’s family hadn’t even been aware that he’d just purchased a fishing boat. He did cooperate with police, but was also cagey at times and, at one point, backtracked his willingness to take a polygraph. He was also uncharacteristically silent and avoiding the media, relying on friends and family to keep Laci in the news. It’s widely acknowledged that there is no “perfect” or “correct” way for someone whose loved one has been harmed to behave. In fact, none of Scott’s actions individually proved he did anything amiss but, together, they formed a pattern of suspicious behavior that planted seeds of doubt in people’s minds.

Amber Frey

The police naturally received thousands of tips in the days after Laci disappeared and many proved to be fruitless, but one stood out and would dramatically change the course of the investigation. A young woman from Fresno told police that Scott Peterson had been her boyfriend for several weeks. Amber Frey began to reveal the extent of Scott’s deceptions: he had initially told her he was unmarried before “coming clean” and claiming he had “lost his wife”. Frey would go on to record hours of phone conversations between her and Scott before coming forward publicly to admit their relationship. This was the final nail in the coffin of public opinion on Scott Peterson with even Laci’s family no longer supporting him or his innocence.

Investigations & Arrest

Once his relationship with Amber became public knowledge, Scott must have realized he needed to do some damage control, and finally began speaking with the media. His efforts backfired, however, after he gave a complete trainwreck of an interview to Diane Sawyer that made him look even worse. Meanwhile, police were ramping up their investigations and had Scott under extensive digital and physical surveillance. They also searched his home, warehouse, and boat for forensic or trace evidence. Several anchors made out of concrete were found, which were theorized by prosecutors to have been used to weigh down Laci’s remains in the San Francisco Bay, but nothing was ever conclusively proved. In April of 2003, however, everyone’s worst nightmare came to pass. Two bodies that had washed up on the shores of the San Francisco Bay were confirmed to belong to Laci and Conner. Police formally arrested Scott for their murder a few days later in San Diego.

Trial and Appeals

Scott’s trial began in June of 2004. With little forensic evidence available, the prosecution’s case hinged on circumstantial evidence and witness testimony. One crucial witness was Amber Frey, who testified despite significant media scrutiny and vitriol. The defense presented an alternate theory that Laci had been the victim of a kidnapping and emphasized the lack of forensic evidence. After five grueling months, Scott was found guilty and given the death penalty. In 2020, however, after Scott continuously maintained his innocence and filed various appeals, his death sentence was overturned and he was eventually re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The LA Innocence Project eventually joined his appeals team and his sister-in-law Janey Peterson obtained a law degree so she could support the appeal efforts. Numerous issues have been heavily debated and disputed including the make-up of the jury, disagreements on the investigation and forensic evidence, and the kidnapping victim theory.

Laci’s Legacy

Murder consistently ranks as one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women. While Laci’s death was horrific and tragic, the widespread notoriety of her case has led many to escape potentially similarly harmful situations, and that should be honored. Her legacy lives on in all the women she’s saved.