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Scott Lee Peterson (born October 24, 1972) is an American who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant at the time with their unborn son, Conner. Peterson's case dominated the American media for many months.

In 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He remains on death row in San Quentin State Prison while his case is on appeal to the Supreme Court of California. He maintains his innocence.

Early life

Peterson was born in San Diego, California to Lee Arthur Peterson (born 9 May 1939) and his wife, the former Jacqueline Helen Latham (born 16 September 1943). Peterson's father worked for a trucking company, and later owned a crate-packaging business. His mother owned a boutique in La Jolla, California, called The Put On.

While a student at University of San Diego High School, he worked as a caddy at a local golf course, and participated on his high school's golf team. Scott and his father, Lee Peterson, claim that Scott knew Phil Mickelson. Lee Peterson said that Phil and his son were friends and that Scott gave up his hopes of becoming a professional golfer because he knew he did not have Mickelson's ability, though Mickelson said he does not remember much about Peterson. Scott attended California Polytechnic State University and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

He was working in a San Luis Obispo cafe as a waiter while attending Cal Poly, when he met Laci Rocha. The couple married in August 1997.

Disappearance of Laci Peterson

On December 24, 2002, Laci Peterson was reported missing from their Modesto, California home. She was eight months pregnant with a due date of February 10, 2003, and the couple had planned to name the baby Conner. The exact date and cause of death of Laci was never determined. Peterson initially reported his wife missing on Christmas Eve, and the story quickly attracted nationwide media interest.

The Modesto police did not immediately identify Peterson as a prime suspect, largely because Laci's family and friends maintained their faith in his innocence during the initial month after Laci's disappearance. It was then that police grew more suspicious of him, however, due to inconsistencies in his story. On January 17, it became known that Peterson had numerous extramarital affairs, most recently with a massage therapist named Amber Frey. She had requested police assistance when she became suspicious that the man she had just begun to date had not been honest with her after she learned that he was actually married to a missing woman. At this point, Laci's family announced that they withdrew their support of Scott. They later said that they were angered not by the affair, but that Peterson had told Frey that he'd "lost" his wife and that he would be spending his first Christmas without his wife--15 days before Laci disappeared. To the Rochas, this meant that Peterson had already planned to kill Laci long before her disappearance.

Frey became a key witness in the case against Scott Peterson when she agreed to let the police tape their subsequent phone conversations in hopes of getting him to confess. Despite this, Peterson was not recorded making any confession to Frey.

Frey told the police that two weeks before Laci's disappearance, Scott had implied to her that he was a widower by saying that he had "lost his wife." During the trial, the audio recordings of Peterson and Frey's telephone conversations were played, and the transcripts were publicized. Their contents proved to be both revealing and, ultimately, damning to Peterson's character. For example, they revealed that in the days after Laci went missing, Peterson claimed to Amber that he had travelled to Paris to celebrate the holidays, in part with his new companions Pasqual and François. In reality, Scott made one of these phone calls while attending the New Year's Eve candlelight vigil in Modesto for his missing wife.

Recovery of bodies

On April 14, a male fetus washed ashore from San Francisco Bay in Richmond's Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, north of the Berkeley Marina, where Scott had been boating the day of Laci's disappearance. The next day, a partial female torso missing its hands, feet, and head washed ashore in the same area. The bodies were later identified as Laci and Conner Peterson. Autopsies were performed, but due to decomposition the specific cause of death could not be determined. The medical examiner did note that Laci had suffered some broken ribs (the 5th, 6th, and 9th ribs) prior to her death; these injuries were not caused by the body dragging along the rocks in the bay. Prosecutors theorized that Laci may have been suffocated or strangled in the couple's home. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Modesto Police Department performed forensic searches of the couple's home, Scott's truck, the tool box in the back of his truck, his warehouse, and his boat. The only piece of forensic evidence identified was a single hair, thought to belong to Laci, found in a pair of pliers from Scott's boat.

Arrest

Peterson was arrested by Detective Taylor Burlingame on April 18, 2003 in La Jolla, California, in the parking lot of a golf course, where he said he was meeting his father and brother and Zak O'Regan at Torrey Pines Golf Course, for a game of golf. At the time of his arrest, Peterson was in possession of the following non-golf specific items: approximately $15,000 in cash; four cell phones; multiple credit cards belonging to various members of his family; an array of camping equipment, including knives, implements for warming food, tents and tarpaulins and also a water purifier; a dozen pairs of shoes; several changes of clothing; a t-handled double-edged dagger; a MapQuest map to Frey's workplace (printed that same day); a shovel; rope; 24 blister packs of sleeping pills; Viagra; and his brother's driver's license. His hair and goatee had been dyed blond, although he claimed the lighter hair color was the result of chlorine from swimming in a friend's pool. (The pool's owner later testified that to his knowledge, Peterson had never swum in his pool, nor made use of his hot tub.)

Trial

Initially, Peterson requested court-appointed counsel and the Stanislaus County Public Defender's Office was appointed to represent him. Chief Deputy Public Defender Kent Faulkner and Deputy Public Defender Maureen Keller were the attorneys assigned to the case. Subsequently, Peterson indicated that he had sufficient funds to hire private counsel and attorney Mark Geragos (who at the same time also served on the defense team for singer Michael Jackson's child molestation trial) took over his representation.

On January 20, 2004, due to intense media attention and increasing hostility to Peterson in the Modesto area, a judge moved Peterson's trial from Modesto to Redwood City, California.

The trial, officially styled the People of the State of California vs. Scott Peterson, began in June 2004 and was followed closely by the media. The lead prosecutor was Rick Distaso, and Mark Geragos led Peterson's defense.

Prosecution witness Amber Frey engaged her own attorney, Gloria Allred, to protect her from the news media. Allred was not bound by the gag order imposed on everyone else involved in the trial. Although she maintained that her client had no opinion as to whether Peterson was guilty, Allred was openly sympathetic to the prosecution. She appeared frequently on television news programs during the trial. Allred was key in keeping many facts about her client's past from the public eye.

Peterson's defense lawyers based his case on the lack of direct evidence, and downplaying the significance of circumstantial evidence. They suggested that the remains of Conner Peterson were that of a full-term infant, and theorized that someone else had kidnapped Laci, held her until she gave birth, and then dumped both bodies in the bay. However, the prosecution's medical experts were able to prove that the baby had never grown to full term, and died at the same time as his mother. Geragos suggested that a satanic cult kidnapped the pregnant woman. He also claimed that Peterson was "a cad" for cheating on his pregnant wife, but not a murderer.

Early in the trial, one juror was removed due to juror misconduct and was replaced by an alternate, this on a complaint by CourtTV. A videotape showed the juror and Brent Rocha, Laci Peterson's older brother, exchanging some words while passing one another in the courthouse. Later, during jury deliberations, the jury foreman, medical student Gregory Jackson, also requested his own removal, most likely because his fellow jurors wanted to replace him as foreman. Geragos told reporters that Jackson had mentioned threats he had received when he requested to be removed from the jury. Jackson was also replaced by an alternate. On November 12 the reconstituted jury convicted Scott Peterson of first-degree murder with special circumstances for killing Laci and second-degree murder for killing his unborn son. The penalty phase of the trial began on November 30 and concluded December 13, when at 1:50 P.M. PST, the twelve-person jury recommended a death sentence for Peterson.

In later press appearances, members of the jury stated that they felt that Scott Peterson's demeanor—specifically, his lack of emotion, and the phone calls to Amber Frey in the days following Laci's disappearance—indicated that he was guilty. They based their verdict on "hundreds of small 'puzzle pieces' of circumstantial evidence that came out during the trial, from the location of Laci Peterson's body to the myriad lies her husband told after her disappearance." They also decided on the death penalty because they felt Peterson betrayed his responsibility to protect his wife and son.

Evidence

In order to avoid recognition by the press, Peterson changed his appearance and purchased a vehicle using his mother's name. He added two hardcore pornography television channels to his cable service only days after his wife's disappearance; the prosecution suggested that this meant Peterson knew his wife would not be returning home. He expressed interest in selling the house he had shared with his wife, and did sell Laci's Land Rover.

Testimony for the prosecution included Ralph Cheng, a hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey, and an expert witness on tides, particularly of the San Francisco Bay. Cheng admitted during his cross-examination that his findings were "probable, not precise"; tidal systems are sufficiently chaotic, and he was unable to develop an exact model of the bodies' disposal and travel. The prosecution explored an affair by the defendant with Amber Frey, and the contents of their taped telephone calls.

Geragos seemed quite confident that Dr. Charles March could single-handedly exonerate Peterson, by showing that the defendant's unborn baby died a week after prosecutors claimed the child died. "Prosecutors pointed out that no medical records relied on the June 9 date and March became flustered and confusing on the stand -- and even asked a prosecutor to cut him 'some slack' -- undermining his credibility." Journalists at the trial describe prosecutor Birgit Fladager "convulsing with laughter" while watching Dr. March testify. Summing up this key defense witness, Stan Goldman, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles said, "There were moments today that reminded me of Chernobyl."

Motives

The prosecution presented his affair with Amber Frey as an indication of Peterson's character. Prosecutors surmised that Peterson killed his wife and unborn child due to increasing debt and a desire to be free of the obligations of his impending family life.

Sentencing

On March 16, 2005, Judge Alfred A. Delucchi formally sentenced Scott Peterson to death, calling the murder of his wife "cruel, uncaring, heartless, and callous." The prescribed method of execution was lethal injection. He also denied the defense's request (which was based on evidence of juror misconduct and media influence) for a new trial and ordered Peterson to pay $10,000 towards the cost of his wife's funeral.

In the early morning hours March 17, 2005, Scott Peterson arrived at San Quentin State Prison. Peterson was reported to have not slept the night before, being too 'jazzed' to sleep, calling some to question his state of mind . San Quentin is about 12 miles (19 km) north of San Francisco, on the opposite side of the bay from where Laci's body was found. Scott joined 643 other inmates there in California's sole death row facility while his case is on automatic appeal to the Supreme Court of California in Sacramento. National Geographic did a documentary on San Quentin prison, and Scott Peterson's entry was documented in part two of the documentary.

Aftermath

A made-for-TV film about the case starring Dean Cain was later broadcast in 2004.

Another made-for-TV film starring Nathan Anderson portrayed Scott Peterson in Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution opposite Janel Moloney as Amber Frey, broadcast on May 25, 2005 on CBS.

In January 2005, days after the initial guilty verdict was handed down, Amber Frey released a book about her experiences with Scott Peterson. Laci's family criticized her for placing her photograph between Scott's and Laci's on the cover of her book.

Among Peterson's prison correspondents is Richelle Nice, a member of the jury in his case dubbed "Strawberry Shortcake" by trial observers for her red hair, who initially wrote to Peterson at the advice of her therapist.

Books about the case

• A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation by Catherine Crier, Cole Thompson (2005) ISBN 0060766123
• Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty by Anne Bird (2005 Regan Books)
• Dr. Henry Lee's Forensic Files: Five Famous Cases Scott Peterson, Elizabeth Smart, and more... by Henry C. Lee, Jerry Labriola (2006) ISBN 1591024099
• Presumed Guilty: What the Jury Never Knew About Laci Peterson's Murder and Why Scott Peterson Should Not Be on Death Row by Matt Dalton with Bonnie Hearn Hill. (Atria, 2005) ISBN-10: 0743286952 ISBN-13: 978-0743286954
• Stone Cold Guilty The People v. Scott Lee Peterson by Loretta Dillon, (self-published?) ISBN 1411634535
• We, the Jury: Deciding the Scott Peterson Case, compilation (2007) ISBN 1597775363

References

1. Ancestry of Conner Peterson
2. Furguson, Don (April 22, 2005). "Past champions get invite to U.S. Open". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
3. Peterson Trial - Scott Peterson Trial Info and News
4. Scott Peterson entry at NNDB
5. BBC News - Labels Peterson as the "U.S. beach bodies killer"
6. CourtTV.com - Evidence from the Scott Peterson Trial, with updates
7. Courttv.Com - Top News
8. Before Frey, two other affairs for Peterson, detective says - Courttv.com - Trials
9. Rocha, Sharon (2006). For Laci. New York City: Crown Publishers. ISBN 030733282. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
10. COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Detective: Peterson's mistress agreed to tape phone calls
11. COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Detective: Peterson told lover he was a widower weeks before wife disappeared
12. "Laci Peterson Case: Scott Peterson's Ex-Mistress Testifies." CNN http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/12/11/court.archive.peterson5/index.html (accessed: 11 June 2008)
13. Laci Peterson's remains identified; husband arrested, CNN, April 18, 2003, retrieved September 23, 2007
14. In closing, prosecutor says parenthood pushed Scott Peterson to kill - Courttv.com - Trials
15. A paucity of physical evidence, findlaw.com (retrieved November 11, 2007)
16. Items Found in Scott Peterson's Car
17. Ryan, Harriet. "Expert Connects Scott Peterson's Fishing Route to Unborn Son's Remains." (5 October 2004) http://www.courttv.com/trials/peterson/100404_ctv.html (accessed: 11 June 2008)
18. COURT TV ONLINE - The Scott Peterson Murder Trial
19. CNN.com - Transcripts
20. ^ COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Two-timer, yes, but no double murderer: Peterson's defense lays out its case
21. Scott Peterson's unborn son died at time of his wife's disappearance, expert says - Courttv.com - Trials
22. FOXNews.com - Experts: No Proof of Satanic Cults - U.S. & World
23. Source: Peterson jury foreman wanted to be taken off panel - Courttv.com - Trials
24. Peterson penalty phase postponed until after Thanksgiving - Courttv.com - Trials
25. Peterson jurors speak about guilty verdict, death sentence - Courttv.com - Trials
26. COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Prosecutors: Peterson signed up for porn channels after wife vanished
27. Taped phone calls catch Scott Peterson in numerous lies to family, friends - Courttv.com - Trials
28. 'Weak' Peterson defense rests | Oakland Tribune | Find Articles at BNET.com
29. Fetus age debated in Peterson trial | Oakland Tribune | Find Articles at BNET.com
30. Judge sentences Scott Peterson to death for killing his wife and unborn son - Courttv.com - Trials
31. Google Maps showing relationship of San Quentin to body locations, retrieved November 11, 2007
32. , National Geographic San Quentin part 2 of 6
33. IMDB - The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story
34. http://www.modbee.com/reports/peterson/trial/story/9701544p-10584066c.html
35. The sport of speculating about 'Strawberry Shortcake', sfgate.com (retrieved November 11, 2007)
36. Juror Becomes Scott Peterson Pen Pal, cbsnews.com (retrieved November 11, 2007)

External links

• Official pro-Peterson website
• The alternate theory
• Author claims Peterson may be innocent – Article on MSNBC

• 1972 births
• Americans convicted of murder
• Living people
• People from San Diego, California
• Parents who killed their children
• American prisoners sentenced to death
• Prisoners sentenced to death by California
• People convicted of murder by California