Scott Peterson has long maintained that he did not kill his pregnant wife, Lacey, or his unborn son, Connor, but prosecutors say the evidence is “overwhelming” that Peterson did.
Peterson, who was convicted in 2004, was in the spotlight again this year when the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced it would hear his latest appeal.
He also broke his silence for the first time in 20 years in a “Face to Face with Scott Peterson” interview that streamed on Peacock.
Netflix also released “American Murder: Laci Peterson,” a true-crime documentary series on Aug. 14 that features interviews with Laci Peterson’s mother, Sharon Rocha, and Peterson’s former mistress, Amber Frey.
Laci Peterson’s mother reveals first impression of murderer stepson
A still of Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson, featured in the upcoming documentary series “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
When Frey learned of Laci’s disappearance, he testified for the prosecution and revealed that before Laci’s death, Peterson had claimed to be a widow.
She began recording phone conversations with her husband, including one in which he said he did not want to be a father and was considering getting a vasectomy.
But in a new interview, Peterson admitted his behavior was “terrible,” according to People magazine. The magazine has released a preview of Peterson’s first interview in 20 years, which will begin streaming on August 20.
A photo provided as part of court evidence in the Scott Peterson trial shows Peterson and Amber Frey together. (People’s Exhibition)
“I was a complete jerk for having sex outside of marriage,” he continued.
Timeline: The Laci Peterson Case
Despite being convicted at trial and facing unsuccessful appeals for 20 years, Peterson has always maintained his innocence and is still hoping he can convince the court that he did not kill Lacie, who was eight months pregnant with their son Connor.
“If I have the opportunity to show people the truth, and they accept it, then that’s the greatest thing I can accomplish right now,” Peterson asserted in the interview, “because I didn’t kill my family.”
Amber Frey, the former mistress of murder suspect Scott Peterson, leaves the San Mateo-Superior County Courthouse after a postponement of Peterson’s trial in Redwood City, California, on August 18, 2004. (Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
At trial, prosecutors presented a mountain of evidence against the defendant, who was arrested near the Mexican border with bleached hair, thousands of dollars in cash and his brother’s passport.
Peterson also suggested that men who robbed a house across the street from the Modesto home she shared with Rashi may be involved in her death, but prosecutors say the robbery happened two days after she was reported missing.
Investigators also disproved his alibi: he claimed to have fished in Berkeley and that the police dog unit had picked up Lacie’s scent at a boat dock, and they also found a pair of needle-nose pliers found on his boat with a strand of Lacie’s hair caught in the teeth.
When officers asked him what he was fishing for and what bait he was using, he allegedly mumbled his answers, went outside, slammed his flashlight on the ground and said, “Damn it.”
Prosecutor Scott Peterson presents ‘overwhelming evidence’ against murderer’s new appeal in 337-page document
Scott Peterson is seen in a still image taken from police video during his interview with investigators on Christmas Day in 2002, hours after his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, was reported missing. (California Superior Court, County of San Mateo)
Her body and Connor’s body washed up on the water separately in April 2003.
Rashi was missing his head and three limbs, and a forensic pathologist determined that although his body was not dismembered, it was likely that sea conditions had caused the dismemberment after the ship anchored.
Prosecutors argued that the homemade concrete anchors Peterson used on his boat could have been easily duplicated, and they speculated that he may have built more anchors to use to keep his wife’s body on the ocean floor.
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Scott Peterson was charged with murdering his wife and unborn child and was booked into the county jail in April 2003. (Associated Press)
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“Peterson’s lawyers will be unhappy that he was interviewed by Peacock,” said Neama Rahamani, a former federal prosecutor who practices in Los Angeles. “There is so much circumstantial evidence pointing to his guilt that it is unlikely he will be granted a new trial. He was fishing nearly 100 miles from where his wife’s body was found, and her hair was on his boat.”
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This undated photo shows Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in December 2002. (Getty Images)
Peterson’s latest appeal suffered a setback this summer when a judge ruled that much of the evidence he wanted reexamined should not be reexamined, but the court did grant his request to reexamine some evidence, including 15.5 inches of duct tape recovered from Raci’s body in San Francisco Bay.
“[His] “The only real possibility is if the DNA on the duct tape found on her body indicates it was someone else,” Lahamani said.
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But even if a new trial is granted, prosecutors could use Peacock’s interview as evidence of motive against him, Lahamani said.
“And at the very least, a jury will hate him for cheating on his pregnant wife and then showing so little remorse when she disappeared,” he added.
Peterson has previously declined to discuss his case with Fox News Digital, citing the ongoing appeal.
