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OVER 20 years ago, convicted murderer Scott Peterson had a floundering interview about his wife Laci’s disappearance that only convinced more people that he was involved.
A pregnant Laci Peterson was reported missing from her home on Christmas Eve in 2002 and their bodies washed to the shore of San Francisco Bay four months later.
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Peterson, now 51, was convicted of murdering Laci and their unborn son, Connor, and has been serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California — 113 miles east of San Francisco.
On April 24, 2003, Peterson decided to interview with Diane Sawyer about his wife’s disappearance.
However, the question-answer conversation backfired in his face and led the public to believe he did have a hand in killing Laci.
His calm demeanor, forgetfulness, and body language made viewers believe he was lying throughout the interview.
READ MORE on Scott Peterson
At one point, Sawer asked if he had ever hit Laci and he responded “No” and went on a tangent saying he understood why people thought he was involved in her disappearance.
“I know that suspicion has turned to me. It turned to me because, one, I am her husband and that’s a natural thing and I have heard all the statistics on the news shows… who is responsible for her disappearance,” he said.
After his lackluster attempt at trying to explain he “understands” why people think he was involved, he paused and said, “I forgot your question.”
‘THAT WASN’T TRUE’
The conversation transitioned to Amber Frey who Peterson admitted to having an affair with in the months leading up to Laci’s disappearance.
He affirmed he had told Laci in early December of 2002 about the affair and also claimed to tell the police.
Peterson had initially told Frey he wasn’t married and claimed to call her when Laci first disappeared to “tell her the truth.”
However, Frey said she found out about Laci from the news and not through Peterson.
Sawyer pushed Peterson further and asked if he had told anyone about his affair and he responded that he told police.
“I told the police immediately,” he said.
When Sawyer asked “When?” his response was quiet and muffled and he refused to make eye contact.
Scott Peterson case timeline
Laci Peterson, 27, vanished from her home in Modesto, California, on December 24, 2002. After a months-long search, her husband Scott was arrested for murder. Here are key developments in the case.
- December 24, 2002: Eight-month-pregnant Laci disappears
- April 13, 2003: Laci’s body and the remains of her unborn son are found washed up on a San Francisco Bay beach
- April 18, 2003: Scott is arrested for murder in San Diego
- April 21, 2003: Scott is arraigned and charged with two felony counts of murder with premeditation and special circumstances
- June 1, 2004: Scott’s criminal trial begins
- November 12, 2004: Scott is found guilty of one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder
- December 13, 2004: Just shy of two years since Laci’s death, Scott is handed a death sentence
- July 5, 2012: Scott appeals his death sentence
- August 24, 2020: The California Supreme Court upholds Scott’s convictions but overturns his death sentence after finding bias in the jury’s death penalty decision
- September 22, 2021: Scott is re-sentenced to life without parole
- January 2024: The Los Angeles Innocence Project announces it is taking on Scott’s case
- March 12, 2024: Scott appears in court to schedule future hearings
- April 22, 2024: The district attorney’s office files its opposition to a motion from Peterson’s defense team for post-conviction DNA testing of evidence
- May 29, 2024: A judge rules a single piece of duct tape found on Laci’s pants at the time of her autopsy can be tested for DNA
- July 16, 2024: Scott’s defense asks for more than 600 pieces of evidence from the Modesto Police Department
His answer was shakey and ill-prepared as he tried to concoct a story that would make sense.
The truth eventually came out when Sawyer voiced over the next clip revealing, “That wasn’t true and Scott Peterson called us after the interview to set the record straight.”
“He said he never told the police about his affair with Amber Frey, but claimed he did tell his wife.”
AN ‘ACCOMMODATING’ WIFE
Over the next few minutes, they discussed his relationship with Laci after he admitted the affair and Sawyer seemed shocked by Peterson’s responses.
When she asked if there was a lot of arguing, he responded, “No” with a breathy, dismissive voice.
“No, I can’t say that even she was okay with the idea. But it wasn’t anything that would break us apart,” he claimed.
He also said there wasn’t a lot of anger on Laci’s part with an emotionless look on his face.
His glazed-over look continued when Sawyer asked him how he expected people to believe a woman who was eight months pregnant was so “casual” and “accommodating” about her husband having an affair.
Between long pauses and life-less eyes, he said, “Yeah, no one knows our relationship, but us. [She was] at peace with it, not happy about it.”
His lack of energy and incomprehensible responses did nothing for his case and swayed people to believe, even further, that he was the culprit.
GRUESOME MURDERS
Laci was only 27 when she disappeared from her home in Modesto, California — about 90 miles east of San Francisco — on Christmas Eve in 2002.
She was eight months pregnant with Peterson’s son who they planned to name Connor.
However, after she went missing that night, their bodies weren’t found again until April 2003.
Connor’s body was found on April 13 and Laci’s was found on April 14, according to CNN.
Only parts of Laci’s body were found, including her torso, arms that were missing the elbow down, one leg that was missing from the knee down, and a leg that was missing a foot, Court TV reported in 2022.
Police never found her head and all of her organs were missing except part of her uterus.
Despite the evidence that named Peterson the killer, his sister-in-law Janey, believes Lani was killed in a burglary.
Janey became a lawyer so she could help Peterson fight for his innocence and have his murder conviction thrown out.
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