On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson vanished from her home in Modesto, California.
She was eight months pregnant when her husband, Scott Peterson, reported her missing. He claimed he had gone fishing at the Berkeley Marina that morning and returned to find her gone. The media frenzy and search efforts were enormous, with countless volunteers helping out. Eventually, suspicion grew around Scott as law enforcement delved deeper into the case. Months later, their remains were found in the San Francisco Bay, leading to Scott’s arrest and conviction for their murders.
Director Skye Borgman’s documentary series American Murder: Laci Peterson revisits the case 20 years after Scott’s conviction. The three-part series uses news clips, interrogation footage, and courtroom videos to highlight the investigation and trial. It features interviews with key figures like detectives, lawyers, and jurors, and even includes insights from Amber Frey, who played a crucial role in the investigation. Sharon Rocha, Laci’s mother, also speaks out for the first time since Laci’s death, offering a new perspective on her loss and ongoing grief.
Fans often feel connected to stories like these, reminding us of the impact they have on everyone involved.
What Happened to Laci Peterson?
On December 24, 2002, Laci went missing from her Modesto home. With her pregnancy nearing its end, Scott reported her disappearance, saying he had been fishing and found her gone upon returning. As the search expanded, involving numerous volunteers and intense media attention, doubts about Scott’s story began to rise.
On April 13, 2003, Conner Peterson’s body was discovered, followed by Laci’s remains the next day. Both were in the San Francisco Bay, close to the marina. Five days later, Scott was charged with their murders. By November 2004, he was convicted of first-degree murder for Laci and second-degree murder for Conner. Initially sentenced to death in 2005, his death sentence was overturned in 2020 due to jury selection errors, though his conviction stands, and he now serves life without parole.
“I remember, before I met Scott, Laci telling me all these things about him,” Rocha said in American Murder. “And I remembered saying, as her mother, ‘I hope he’s not filling her with crap.’ I’ve learned to go for my gut feeling.”
Where Is Scott Peterson Today?
Scott is currently in California State Prison, Corcoran, serving a life sentence without parole. His case continues to attract media attention, with various appeals and public interest surrounding it. In 2024, Scott spoke out after two decades, still claiming innocence.
In American Murder, Rocha’s reflections on Scott’s involvement are among the series’ most poignant moments.
“Sharon did press when Laci went missing, but she’s never sat down to do an interview for a documentary,” Borgman told Netflix. “It’s not easy, after 20 years, to sit down in front of a camera. But we wanted this to be about Laci, to bring her back to people’s consciousness. Sharon wanted to talk about Laci’s spirit, and about the dragonflies that Laci loved. How Laci is still with them, and how Conner — Laci’s unborn son — is still with them.”
The series also interviews Laci’s friends, Scott’s relatives, and the officers who worked on the case. Borgman’s focus goes beyond just the events in Modesto; she highlights a startling statistic: homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women. “Intimate partner violence is something that’s really overwhelming. I want people to walk away from this thinking about that in a deeper way,” Borgman says.
Watch American Murder: Laci Peterson on Netflix now.