The 2002 disappearance of Laci Peterson is back in the spotlight due to a new Netflix documentary series, "American Murder: Laci Peterson," which premiered on Aug. 14.
Directed by Skye Borgman, the three-episode series features interviews with members of Laci and Scott Peterson's families, as well as investigators on the case, as they try to piece together what happened on that Christmas Eve, more than two decades ago.
Laci Peterson, who was 27 years old and eight months pregnant at the time of her death, was last seen in her home in Modesto, California, on Dec. 24, 2002. Her body and the body of her unborn child washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay four months later.
“It’s always really important to me to put the victim forward, and Laci Peterson, I think, has been overshadowed many times by Scott Peterson and what’s going on with him,” Borgman tells TODAY.com in an interview. “And I just really wanted to make sure that that we did our job and put Laci forward, and put Conner forward as well.”
Scott Peterson was later convicted of the murder of Laci Peterson and their unborn son, whom they planned to name Conner, after their bodies were located.
Scott Peterson has maintained his innocence in the crime, and is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Keep reading for more information on where he is now.
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When was Scott Peterson arrested?
Scott Peterson was arrested near a golf course in San Diego on April 18, 2003, according to The Los Angeles Times, just days after Laci and Conner Peterson's bodies were found.
He was later charged with two counts of murder, and he pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment, according to NBC Bay Area.
In the months between Laci Peterson's disappearance and the discovery of her body, Scott Peterson cooperated with investigators and did media interviews, in which he said he went fishing in the Berkeley Marina on Christmas Eve, before arriving home and finding their dog on a leash in the backyard — and no sign of his wife.
In January 2003, a woman named Amber Frey, a massage therapist from Fresno, California, spoke to a room of journalists, according to NBC Bay Area, explaining that she had been in love with her boyfriend Scott Peterson — until she found out he was married and expecting a baby.
“Scott told me he was not married,” Frey said, according to NBC Bay Area. “We did have a romantic relationship.”
Scott Peterson's trial began in June 2004 at the Redwood City courthouse in San Mateo County, after a judge ruled for it to be moved out of Stanislaus County because of the attention the case had received in the community, according to NBC Bay Area.
Prosecutors alleged during the five-month trial that Scott Peterson had faked his wife's disappearance after he had dumped his wife's body in the Berkeley Marina on Christmas Eve, while Peterson's attorneys suggested she was killed after she stumbled upon a burglary, according to NBC News.
On Nov. 12, 2004, jurors read their verdict in court: Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in Laci Peterson's death, and second-degree murder in the death of their unborn son, following the five-month trial, according to the Associated Press.
What was Scott Peterson's sentence?
The same jury that convicted Scott Peterson recommended for him to be sentenced to death in 2004. In 2005, Judge Alfred Delucchi upheld the jury’s suggestion and sentenced Scott Peterson to the death penalty, according to NBC News.
In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence and also later ordered a second look at his convictions, according to the Associated Press. The death sentence was overturned due to a "series of clear and significant errors in jury selection," per an opinion by the California Supreme Court. However, the court upheld his murder conviction.
Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager announced in 2021 she would not retry the penalty phase of the trial, meaning Peterson would be resentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to NBC News.
Peterson was denied a request for a new trial in 2022, according to NBC News.
Where is Scott Peterson now?
Peterson, now 51, is incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He is not eligible for parole.
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Innocence Project took up Peterson’s case, arguing in court that several pieces of evidence were suppressed during his 2004 trial and that new materials should be presented in court to prove his case.
A judge ruled in May that only one piece of evidence — a piece of duct tape found on Laci Peterson’s pants — should undergo new DNA testing, according to NBC News.
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