Murder of Laci Peterson

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Laci Denise Peterson (née Rocha; May 4, 1975 — Template:Circa) was an American woman murdered by her husband, Scott Lee Peterson (born October 24, 1972), while eight months pregnant with their first child. The case has remained a subject of public interest and discussion, raising questions about the legal process and media coverage.

In 2002, Scott reported Laci missing from their home in Modesto, California. The next year, the remains of Laci and her unborn son, whom the couple had planned to name Conner, were discovered on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Scott was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of murder. In 2004, he was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner. His death sentence was overturned in 2020.<ref name="SFChronicle">Template:Cite news</ref> The next year, Scott was re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<ref name="CNN12.8.21">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, he was granted a status hearing in response to a request by the LA Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization claiming to have new evidence supporting his innocence.<ref name="ABCNews3.5.24">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NBCNews3.23.24">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and marriage

Laci Peterson

Laci Peterson was born Laci Denise Rocha on May 4, 1975.<ref name=CourtTV>Template:Cite web</ref> She was the younger of two children born to Sharon (Template:Nee)<ref name=ForLaci>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Reference page and Dennis Robert Rocha,<ref name=ModBee2.10.19>Template:Cite news</ref> with a brother named Brent (born 1971).<ref name=ForLaci/>Template:Reference page Her parents had met in high school and owned a dairy farm west of Escalon, California.<ref name=ModBee4.19.03>Template:Cite news</ref>

Laci worked on the dairy farm from a young age and also enjoyed gardening with her mother. Laci's parents divorced in 1977 when she and her brother were young. Subsequently, their mother moved with the children to Modesto; Laci visited her father at the dairy farm on weekends.<ref name=CourtTV/>

Laci's mother developed a long-term relationship with Ron Grantski, although they never married; Grantski would help raise the children from the time Laci was two years old.<ref name=ModBee4.10.18>Template:Cite news</ref> Laci was a cheerleader in junior high and high school. After graduating from Thomas Downey High School, she attended California Polytechnic State University,<ref name=ModBee4.19.03/> majoring in ornamental horticulture.<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Fleeman>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Reference page

Scott Peterson

Peterson in a 2022 prison photograph.

Scott Lee Peterson was born October 24, 1972, in San Diego, California, to Lee Arthur Peterson, who owned a crate-packaging company, and Jacqueline "Jackie" Helen Latham,<ref name="SFChronicle3.7.04" /><ref name="LATimes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Biography.com">Template:Cite web</ref> who owned a boutique in La Jolla called The Put On.<ref name="SFChronicle3.7.04" /> Lee and Jackie had six children from previous relationships. Scott was their only child together.<ref name="LATimes" /><ref name="Biography.com" /> As a child, Scott shared a bedroom with his half-brother John in the family's two-bedroom apartment in La Jolla.<ref name="SFChronicle3.7.04" /> He began playing golf at an early age,<ref name="LATimes" /> and, by age 14, he could beat his father at the game.<ref name="SFChronicle3.7.04" /> For a time, Scott had dreams of becoming a professional golfer, and he was teammates with future-pro Phil Mickelson at the University of San Diego High School.<ref name="LATimes" /> By the end of high school, he was one of the top junior golfers in San Diego.<ref name="SFChronicle3.7.04" />

In 1990, Scott enrolled at Arizona State University (where Mickelson had also enrolled) on a partial golf scholarship.<ref name=PhoenixNewTimes>Template:Cite news</ref> Scott's father, Lee, later testified that Scott was discouraged by the considerable competition that Mickelson and an unnamed future pro presented. According to Chip Couch, the father of another young golfer, Chris Couch, Scott was taken off the golf team after Chip discovered that Scott had taken Chris out drinking while Chris was visiting Arizona State for a recruiting trip. Chip complained to the Arizona State golf coach, who subsequently kicked Scott off the team. Scott transferred to Cuesta College and then to California Polytechnic State University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Initially planning to major in international business, Scott ultimately graduated with a degree in agricultural business in 1998. Professors who taught Scott described him as a model student. His agribusiness professor, Jim Ahern, commented, "I wouldn't mind having a class full of Scott Petersons."<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/>

Relationship

While at Cal Poly, Scott worked at Pacific Café, a restaurant in Morro Bay. Laci would occasionally visit the restaurant to see a friend who also worked there.<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/><ref name=ModBee4.19.03/> In mid-1994, Laci sent Scott her phone number; she also told her mother that she had met the man that she would marry. Scott later called Laci, and they began dating.<ref name=ModBee4.19.03/> As the relationship grew more serious, Scott put aside his dreams of professional golf in order to focus on a business career.<ref name=LATimes/>

The couple dated for two years<ref name=ModBee4.19.03/> and eventually moved in together.<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/> In 1997, after Laci graduated, they married at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/><ref name=PhoenixNewTimes/> While Scott finished his senior year, Laci took a job in nearby Prunedale. Prosecutors later stated that, around this time, Scott engaged in his first extramarital affair, though they did not reveal the details of the relationship. Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business in June 1998,<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/> and the Petersons opened a sports bar in San Luis Obispo called The Shack.<ref name=ModBee4.19.03/><ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/><ref name=LATimes/> The Petersons decided to put The Shack up for sale when they moved to Laci's hometown of Modesto, California, to start a family;<ref name=ModBee4.19.03/><ref name=LATimes/> they completed the sale in April 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2000, the Petersons purchased a three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow for $177,000 on Covena Avenue in an upscale neighborhood near East La Loma Park.<ref name=SFChronicle3.7.04/> Laci took a part-time job as a substitute teacher,<ref name=LATimes/> and Scott got a job with Tradecorp U.S.A., a newly founded subsidiary of a European fertilizer company, for which he earned a salary of $5,000 a month before taxes.<ref name=SFChronicle8.3.04>Template:Cite news</ref>

Laci's family, including her mother and younger sister, related that she devoted much of her energy towards being the perfect housewife, and that she enjoyed cooking, entertaining and watching Martha Stewart.<ref name=LATimes/> In 2002, Laci discovered she was pregnant;<ref name=LATimes/> her due date was February 10, 2003.<ref name=SFChronicle9.17.04>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple had planned to name their son Conner.<ref name=CNN2.10.03>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November 2002, Scott was introduced by a friend to Amber Frey, a Fresno massage therapist, and the two began a romantic relationship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Laci's disappearance

On December 23, 2002, at 5:45 p.m., Laci and Scott went to Salon Salon, the workplace of Laci's sister Amy Rocha. Amy cut Scott's hair, as she did each month.<ref name=ModBee11.1.03>Template:Cite web</ref> Scott offered to pick up a fruit basket that Amy had ordered because he would be playing golf the next day at a course near the retailer.<ref name=CNN6.7.04>Template:Cite news</ref> Prosecutors say Scott also told other people he would play golf on Christmas Eve.<ref name=ModBee11.1.03/> Laci's mother, Sharon, spoke with Laci on the telephone around 8:30 that evening.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The last three people known to have spoken to Laci before she disappeared were Amy, Sharon, and Scott.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Scott later told police that he last saw his wife at about 9:30 a.m. on December 24, when he left to go fishing at the Berkeley Marina. He said Laci was watching a Martha Stewart TV show about meringue<ref name=Time6.6.04>Template:Cite news</ref> and preparing to mop the floor, bake cookies, and walk the family dog to a nearby park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Karen Servas, a neighbor of the Petersons, said that she found the Petersons' dog, a golden retriever named McKenzie, alone outside the home and returned him to the Petersons' back yard at around 10:30 a.m.<ref name=ModBee12.26.02>Template:Cite web</ref> She later testified that she had found the dog at 10:18.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another neighbor, Mike Chiavetta, said he saw McKenzie at about 10:45 a.m., as he played catch with his own dog.<ref name=ModBee12.26.02/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Modesto Bee reported that an unnamed female neighbor found the dog with a muddy leash, wandering in the neighborhood. That neighbor put the dog in the Petersons' yard, not observing that anything was out of place.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At 2:15 p.m., Scott left a message for Laci, stating, "Hey, Beautiful. It's 2:15. I'm leaving Berkeley."<ref name="SFMercuryNews">Template:Cite web</ref>

Scott said when he returned home that afternoon, Laci's car was in the driveway<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the house was empty.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also said that he found McKenzie in their back yard,<ref name=ABCNews9.13.17>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and that he relayed this to Laci's mother, Sharon. She later denied his account in her book.<ref name=ForLaci/> Scott showered and washed his clothes.<ref name=CNN11.6.03>Template:Cite web</ref> A neighbor of Scott's later said that Scott had knocked on his door, asking if he had seen Laci. The neighbor and his wife both testified overhearing Scott saying that he had been golfing that day and had tried to call Laci. A relative of Laci's would also later testify that, when friends and family began gathering at the Peterson home that night, Scott said he had earlier gone to play golf.<ref name=SFChronicle6.10.04>Template:Cite news</ref>

Scott called his mother-in-law, Sharon, to ask if Laci was with her; Sharon subsequently said that call was when she learned Laci was missing.<ref name=ABCNews9.13.17/> Scott<ref name=IntroDNAEvidence>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Reference page<ref name=FoxTimeline/> and Laci's stepfather both reported Laci missing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The police received the report of her disappearance shortly before 6pm.<ref name=Fleeman/>Template:Reference page At the time of her disappearance, Laci was seven-and-a-half months pregnant,<ref name=ABCNews9.12.17>Template:Cite web</ref> with a due date of February 10, 2003. The story attracted nationwide media interest.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Search and investigation

Modesto Police detectives Allen Brocchini and Jon Buehler responded to the missing person call, and became the lead investigators for the case.<ref name=ABCNews9.12.17/> Upon their arrival at the Peterson home, the detectives interviewed Scott and performed a cursory search of the home. Scott told detectives he had been fishing for sturgeon at the Berkeley Marina, approximately 90 miles from the couple's Modesto home. The detectives found Laci's keys, wallet, sunglasses, and purse in a closet,<ref name="NewYorkPost">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and began organizing a search of the area.<ref name="ABCNews9.12.17" />

The following day, over 900 of Laci's family, friends, and neighbors searched the neighborhood and posted missing-person flyers.<ref name="ForLaci" /> At a press conference, detective Al Brocchini said police did not believe Laci left without contacting her family: "That is completely out of character for her."<ref name="ModBee12.26.02" /> Over thirty Modesto police and firefighters on foot, horseback, bicycles, and watercraft used canine units and searchlight-equipped helicopters to search Dry Creek and the surrounding area.<ref name="ModBee12.26.02" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Laci's disappearance and the extensive search efforts attracted nationwide media interest.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A $25,000 reward was offered—later increased to $250,000 and, finally, to $500,000—for information leading to Laci's safe return. Posters, blue and yellow ribbons, and flyers were circulated. The original, basic version of the LaciPeterson.com website was launched by the husband of one of Laci's friends. Family, friends, and volunteers set up a command center at the Red Lion Hotel to take phone calls, record developments, and circulate information. Over 1500 volunteers distributed information, worked at the command center, searched for Laci,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and held candlelight vigils with Scott for Laci.Template:Citation needed

Although detectives did not initially consider the case suspicious,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> they suspected foul play almost immediately<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and became increasingly suspicious of Scott as they continued their investigation into Laci's disappearance.<ref name="court">Template:Cite web</ref> Buehler told ABC News in 2017, "I suspected Scott when I first met him. Didn't mean he did it, but I was a little bit thrown off by his calm, cool demeanor and his lack of questioningTemplate:Nbs... he wasn't, 'Will you call me back? Can I have one of your cards? What are you guys doing now?Template:' ".<ref name="ABCNews9.12.17" /><ref name="ABCNews9.13.17" /> Buehler further described Scott's behavior as, "a strange combination of polite and arrogant, disaffectedly distant and impatiently irritable. He just didn't seem like a man who was crushed or even greatly disturbed by his wife's disappearance and possible death."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Rocha family defended Scott, describing him and Laci as the ideal couple.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discovery of affair

The nationwide media coverage produced several tips and possible sightings, one of which was from a woman who identified herself as Scott's girlfriend. On December 30, 2002,<ref name="MPDNews">Template:Cite news</ref> Amber Frey informed detectives she had met Scott on November 20, and he said he was single. Additionally, Frey told detectives Scott said on December 9, he was a widower and this Christmas would be his first without his wife.<ref name="ChicagoTribune">Template:Cite news</ref> Based on the dates and information Frey provided, detectives now believed Scott began planning to kill Laci two weeks before Laci's disappearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hoping Scott would confess or reveal information about his involvement in Laci's disappearance, detectives gave Frey a device with which to record her conversations with Scott.<ref name="ChicagoTribune" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On January 15, 2003, detectives informed Laci's immediate family of Scott's affair with Amber. Upon learning of Scott's involvement with Amber Frey, Sharon Rocha told detectives she believed Scott killed Laci. On January 24, Sharon, Ron, and Laci's brother Brent held a press conference in which Brent said Scott had, in a phone call on January 16, told Brent he was having an affair with a woman in Fresno. Brent also said that he and his family have withdrawn their support of Scott due to his lack of communication and cooperation. Later the same day, Amber Frey held a press conference and explained her role in the investigation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ABCNews1.24.03">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Discovery of bodies

On April 13, 2003, two people walking their dog found the body of a male fetus on a tidal flat<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> of the San Francisco Bay shore in Richmond's Point Isabel Regional Shoreline park.<ref name=LATimes4.19.03>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following day, a jogger spotted a human torso in the riprap along the Point Isabel shoreline,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> approximately one mile from where the body of the fetus was found.<ref name="CNN6.7.04" /><ref name="LATimes4.19.03" /><ref name="SFChronicle4.15.03">DeFao, Janine; May, Meredith; Lee, Henry K.; (April 15, 2003). "Bodies of fetus, woman found by bay / Cops investigating Laci Peterson case summoned to site". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2019.</ref> On April 18, 2003, DNA tests verified the bodies were Laci and her unborn son, Conner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ABCNewsAutopsy">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LookingBack">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="SiouxCityJournal">Template:Cite web</ref>

The autopsies on both bodies were performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Brian Peterson (no relation).<ref name=SiouxCityJournal/> Although a judge sealed the autopsy results, an anonymous Associated Press source revealed Conner's body had minor decomposition, mutilations on his right side, and a length of nylon cord wrapped around his body.<ref name=ABCNewsAutopsy/> The source of the mutilations and how the cord became wrapped around Conner's body could not be conclusively determined.

Laci's body was bloated, missing her head, arms, most of her legs, her internal organs, and was severely decomposed.<ref name="ABCNewsAutopsy" /><ref name="SFChronicle9.17.04" /> The autopsy revealed Laci had two cracked ribs and some cracked neck bones, but that her uterus and cervix were intact.<ref name="IntroDNAEvidence" /><ref name="LookingBack" /> Neither Laci's date of death nor whether the broken ribs and neck bones occurred postmortem could be conclusively determined.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The missing head and limbs led to rumors that Scott had dismembered Laci beforehand, but Dr. Peterson found no human-made incisions. Dr. Peterson and state forensic pathologists testified the missing organs and disarticulation were conditions consistent with a body weighted at the wrists and ankles and submerged in seawater for several months. Laci's head, arms, and legs were never recovered.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Dr. Peterson concluded Conner had died in utero<ref name="SFChronicle9.17.04" /> and his body was expelled from Laci's decomposing corpse when the skin over the abdominal cavity ruptured due to natural decompositional processes. Seawater entered the abdominal cavity and washed out most of Laci's internal organs, as well as Conner.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Post-discovery investigation and developments

The discovery of Laci's and Conner's bodies changed the case status from missing person to homicide, and allowed the detectives to expand their investigation of Scott Peterson as the prime suspect. The FBI and Modesto Police Department performed forensic searches of the Peterson home.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Using mitochondrial DNA testing, the FBI linked a hair wrapped around a pair of pliers found in Scott's fishing boat to hairs recovered from Laci's hairbrush.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Police searched Scott's truck, toolbox, and warehouse, and found a homemade concrete anchor in the boat Scott purchased two weeks before he reported Laci missing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Scott told detectives he used a 90-pound bag of concrete to make one boat anchor, and used the rest of the concrete to repair his driveway. When Detective Henry "Dodge" Hendee searched Scott's warehouse on December 27, he found a cement powder on the boat trailer, and five circular marks matching the size and shape of the bucket used to make the anchor. Hendee also found a sledgehammer and a dustpan covered with cement powder.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prosecutors alleged Scott made five anchors and used four – one tied to each of Laci's wrists and ankles – to sink Laci's body in San Francisco Bay.<ref name="AP10.18.04">Template:Cite web</ref> After Scott was arrested, police searched the San Francisco Bay for the anchors, but nothing was found.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Using a GPS locator they'd placed on Scott's car, detectives Brocchini and Buehler tracked Scott to San Diego. Anticipating Peterson was planning to evade arrest by fleeing to Mexico, the detectives immediately began electronically monitoring Peterson's activities, but discovered Peterson had switched vehicles, rendering their GPS locator useless.Template:Cn

Criminal action

Arrest and arraignment

Police increased their surveillance of Peterson, following his car and monitoring his location by listening to his cell phone calls. Since Peterson had switched vehicles and was less than thirty miles from the Mexican border, detectives were certain Peterson was planning to flee to Mexico. Said Detective Brocchini in a 2017 interview: "We've got to find Scott right now. He told me he was [at Brooks Island] and that's where the bodies come (sic) up? I believe it was premeditated, he planned it ... San Diego was pretty darn close to the Mexican border. Scott knew the area pretty well. That's where his parents lived. That's where he lived. So it wasn't like he was going to have to get on MapQuest to figure out a way to get to Tijuana."<ref name="ABCNews9.12.17" />

On April 18, 2003,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> detectives arrested Peterson at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla<ref name="LATimes4.19.03" /> as he was meeting his father and brother for a golf game.<ref name="SocialHistory">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Page needed Peterson had dyed his hair and beard blonde<ref name="CNNKeyPlayers">Template:Cite news</ref> and his vehicle was packed with equipment and supplies, including nearly $15,000 in cash, Viagra tablets, camping and survival equipment,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SocialHistory" /><ref name="CBSNews">Template:Cite news</ref> several changes of clothes, four cell phones,<ref name="CBSNews" /> and two driver's licenses: his and his brother's.<ref name="CNNKeyPlayers" /><ref name="CBSNews" /> Lee Peterson, Scott's father, explained Scott used his brother's license to get a San Diego resident discount at the golf course, and was living in his car to avoid media attention and harassment. Police and prosecutors alleged the switched car, dyed hair, money, phones, driver's license, and camping equipment indicated Peterson was trying to disguise himself and flee to Mexico.<ref name="CBSNews" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Detectives Brocchini and Buehler drove Peterson back to Modesto, where Peterson was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail. On April 21, 2003, Peterson was arraigned in Stanislaus County Superior Court and charged with two felony counts of murder with premeditation and special circumstances, to which he pleaded not guilty. Because of the intense publicity, community involvement, and the small pool of potential jurors in Stanislaus County, Judge Al Girolami moved the trial to San Mateo County to avoid defense accusations of juror bias and ensure Peterson received a fair trial.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Trial

Before his arraignment, Peterson had been represented by Kirk McAllister, a veteran criminal defense attorney from Modesto. Chief Deputy Public Defender Kent Faulkner was also assigned to the case. Peterson later indicated that he could afford a private attorney, namely Mark Geragos, who had done other high-profile criminal defense work.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Scott's trial began on June 1, 2004,<ref name=CNNFastFacts>Template:Cite web</ref> and was followed closely by the news media. The lead prosecutor was Rick Distaso and Geragos led Scott's defense. Prosecution witness Frey hired her own attorney, Gloria Allred, to represent her.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On June 23, 2004, one of the jurors was dismissed by Judge Alfred Delucchi after Delucchi spent two hours in his chambers questioning each of the jurors. Prior to Delucchi's June 21 interview, the aforementioned juror had been recorded on video speaking to Laci's brother, Brent Rocha. Delucchi had initially stated that this exchange had not warranted removal. He did not give a reason for the juror's later dismissal, although the transcript of Delucchi's session with him indicated that the juror had admitted that his girlfriend and others had spoken to him about news reports of his encounter with Rocha. Delucchi furthermore warned the remaining jurors not to read, watch, or listen to media coverage of the trial.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Opening statements

In opening statements, the prosecution said they would show that Scott had killed his wife because he was having an affair with Frey. The state chiefly detailed Scott's behavior in the days before and after his wife was reported missing, including telling others he had been golfing and asking police if they had used cadaver dogs to investigate the park in which Laci was supposed to have walked their dog.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The defense conceded that Scott was "a cad" for cheating on Laci but ridiculed the prosecution's theory that Scott was going to "chuck this entire life he had" for a masseuse mistress he had taken on only four dates. Geragos said that the police had rushed to judgment,<ref name=CNN12.31.07>Template:Cite news</ref> noting that the police had discredited Scott's claim that Laci was watching a segment of Martha Stewart Living on making meringues because, they stated, no meringue was mentioned on that program that morning.<ref name=Time6.6.04/>

But Geragos played a tape in court of that day's morning episode, which showed that the segment was about baking meringues.<ref name=CNN12.31.07/><ref name=Time6.6.04/> Finally, Geragos emphasized the prosecution's lack of forensic evidence. He dismissed a hair of Laci's found in Scott's boat because Laci had visited the boat a few days before her disappearance and could have left it then.<ref name=CNN12.31.07/>

Evidence

Lacking direct evidence to link Scott to the crime, prosecutors chiefly relied on circumstantial evidence, pointing, in particular to Scott's behavior before, during, and after Laci's disappearance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Through various witnesses, the prosecution suggested Scott had several motives for killing Laci—that he was tired of his marriage, that he felt pressure from her pregnancy, that he wanted to continue his affair with Frey,<ref name=ABCNews10.7.04>Template:Cite news</ref> and that he was under mounting financial pressure.<ref name=SFChronicle8.3.04/> Prosecutors claimed Scott strangled Laci before making cement anchors to weigh his wife's body down in San Francisco Bay.<ref name=AP10.18.04/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sharon Rocha testified that when she went to East La Loma park to search for Laci, she saw Scott there, but she said Scott did not acknowledge her calling out to him and that he later "angled away" from her attempts to hug him,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and failed to attend a candlelight vigil. Two other relatives of Laci said Scott had shown little emotion during Laci's disappearance,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and three witnesses testified that Scott had told them he had been golfing, not fishing, after Laci's disappearance.<ref name=SFChronicle6.10.04/><ref name=SFMercuryNews/>

The prosecution called on various witnesses to establish that Scott changed his appearance, purchased a vehicle using his mother's name, and added two pornographic television channels to his cable service days after his wife's disappearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A realtor testified that, in January 2003, Scott expressed interest in selling the house he had shared with Laci, saying he did not want her to have to live in the home if she were to be found alive.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A car salesman testified that Scott had traded in Laci's Land Rover for a Dodge pick-up truck after her disappearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Frey testified as to her affair with Scott, and the jury heard the secretly recorded telephone calls between the pair; in one, recorded after Laci disappeared, Scott falsely said he was in Paris.<ref name=ABCNews10.7.04/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As to the Petersons' financial condition, an auditor testified for the prosecution that the couple had been living beyond their means and accumulated $23,000 in credit-card debt. During cross examination, the auditor also stated that Scott had paid all of his bills on time and had $50,000 of credit available on other cards.<ref name=SFChronicle8.3.04/>

Prosecution witness Rodney Oswalt said that neither of two hair follicles found on Scott's boat belonged to Scott, though he said he could not determine whether they belonged to Laci.<ref name=ABCNews10.7.04/> Karen Korsberg, an FBI trace evidence expert, said she matched one of the hairs to a hair found in Laci's hairbrush through mitochondrial DNA tests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The prosecution further suggested that the hair must have come from Laci's dead body because she had not seen the boat while alive.<ref name=FindLaw>Template:Cite web</ref> Defense lawyers argued that mitochondrial testing was not a reliable means of DNA comparison—only half of states in the U.S. allowed the practice—and further contended that Laci had, in fact, been on the boat while alive.<ref name=9News>Template:Cite news</ref> A witness reported that she had seen Laci at the warehouse with the boat the day before she was reported missing.<ref name=FindLaw/><ref name=9News/> On the stand, Detective Allen Brocchini explained that he had "excised" that witness's statement from his police report.<ref name=9News/>

Prosecution witness Robert O'Neill was asked to comment on Scott's claim that he had used a 90-pound bag of cement to make a single anchor and pave his driveway. O'Neill said that the material in the anchor did not match a sample of concrete from the driveway<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> because the driveway sample featured large, gravel-like chunks. Conversely, for the defense, Steven Gabler, a concrete expert, testified that the samples were consistent. Gabler said that the gravel chunks had adhered to the driveway's concrete because the concrete was poured on top of those chunks.<ref name=AP10.18.04/> Scott's defense attorney, Mark Geragos, also pointed out that no such anchors were found after a search of the floor of San Francisco Bay with sonar equipment accurate enough to locate objects as small as a tin can. But Geoffrey Baehr, who helped lead more than 15 diving expeditions off the Berkeley Marina to search for Laci, testified that thick mud, strong currents, dark waters, and a strong surge can make it "virtually impossible" for such equipment to locate an object even when the target is known, and that this is why they did not find Laci's body or any anchors. To emphasize this point, Baehr related that when his crew accidentally dropped the underwater sonar device into the water, it took four diving trips to locate it, even though the crew knew precisely where it had landed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ralph Cheng, a hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey and an expert witness on tides of the San Francisco Bay, testified as a witness for the prosecution. He suggested that Laci may have been dumped near where Scott had said he was fishing. During cross-examination, Cheng admitted that his findings were "probable, not precise".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Scott's defense lawyers based their case on the lack of direct evidence, and played down the significance of circumstantial evidence.<ref name=CourtTV2>Template:Cite web</ref> They also questioned whether the investigation was thorough, since Modesto Police Detective Mike Hermos admitted he did not check the alibi of a prostitute who was accused of stealing checks from Scott's mailbox. Hermos did not indicate that the woman was ever a suspect, and prosecutor Dave Harris noted that the checks were stolen after Laci vanished, precluding the woman from involvement in her disappearance. A police community-service officer testified that the playback of an interview with Scott had no sound because no batteries had been placed in the tape recorder that was used to record it. Other detectives were called to testify about the extensive search for evidence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The defense suggested the fetal remains were of a full-term infant and theorized that someone kidnapped Laci, held her until she gave birth and then dumped both bodies in the bay. The prosecution's medical experts contended that the fetus was not full-term and died at the same time as his mother.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As to this matter, Dr. Charles March, a fertility specialist, was expected to be a crucial witness for the defense. March said that the Petersons' unborn fetus could not have died any earlier than December 29, 2002. Under cross-examination, March said he had based his finding on a report by one of Laci's friends, who said that Laci had told her that a June 9, 2002, at-home pregnancy test had produced a positive reading. But the prosecution criticized March for having relied on a friend's report. After prosecutors criticized March for a typo in his report, he remarked, "Cut me some slack."

Verdict and sentencing

One juror was removed and replaced during deliberations due to misconduct, after she conducted independent research on the case. The jury foreman (an attorney) requested his own removal, most likely because his fellow jurors wanted to replace him as foreman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Marshall, Carolyn (November 11, 2004). "Judge Dismisses Foreman from Peterson Jury" Template:Webarchive. The New York Times.</ref> Geragos told reporters that the foreman had mentioned threats he received when he requested to be removed from the jury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The foreman was replaced by an alternate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On November 12, 2004, the jury convicted Scott of two counts of murder: first-degree murder with special circumstances for killing Laci, and second-degree murder for killing the fetus (i.e. Connor) she carried.<ref name=CNNFastFacts/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The penalty phase of the trial began on November 30, and concluded December 13, when the jury rendered a sentence of death. On March 16, Judge Delucchi followed the jury verdict,<ref name=CNNFastFacts/> sentencing Scott to death by lethal injection and ordering him to pay $10,000 toward the cost of Laci's funeral.<ref name=CNN3.17.14>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=FoxTimeline>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He described the murder of Laci as "cruel, uncaring, heartless, and callous".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In later press appearances, members of the jury stated that they believed Scott's demeanor—specifically his lack of emotion and the phone calls to Frey in the days following Laci's disappearance—indicated his guilt. Juror No. 1, Greg Beratlis, and two other jurors, said they based their verdict on "hundreds of small 'puzzle pieces' of circumstantial evidence that came out during the trial, from the location of Laci's body to the myriad lies her husband told after her disappearance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On October 21, 2005, a judge ruled that proceeds from a $250,000 life insurance policy Scott took out on Laci would go to Laci's mother. This was reaffirmed by the Fifth District Court of Appeal on October 31, 2007.<ref name=CNNFastFacts/>

Scott arrived at San Quentin State Prison in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 17, 2005. He was reported not to have slept the night before, being too "jazzed" to sleep.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He joined the more than 700 other inmates in California's sole death row facility during the appeals process.<ref name=CNN3.17.14/><ref name=TheAtlantic>Template:Cite web</ref>

Appeal and post-conviction action

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San Quentin State Prison, where Scott was incarcerated while on death row

Direct appeal

Scott's automatic appeal of his death sentence was filed in the Supreme Court of California on July 5, 2012.<ref name=CNNFastFacts/><ref name=ModBee8.25.20>Template:Cite web</ref> The next day, Scott's attorney, Cliff Gardner, filed a 423-page brief contesting the sentence, arguing that the publicity surrounding the trial, incorrect evidentiary rulings, and other mistakes deprived Scott of a fair trial.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The State Attorney General's office filed their response brief on January 26, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The defense filed a response to the State's brief in July 2015, claiming that a certified dog that detected Laci's scent at Berkeley Marina had failed two-thirds of tests with similar conditions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2020, the California Supreme Court heard argument on Scott's direct appeal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn The defense argued that prospective jurors were improperly excused; that the trial judge improperly allowed two jurors onto Scott's boat; that the judge erred in insisting the prosecution be present during defense testing of the boat; and that the motion to move the trial to another county should have been granted due to juror questionnaire results showing almost half of the prospective jurors had already concluded Scott was guilty prior to the trial. The prosecution countered that the California Supreme Court should overturn the verdict only if it were to find that a prospective juror was improperly dismissed, and that "there was 'no credible claim' that any of the 12 jurors who decided [Scott's] fate were unfair or partial."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On August 24, 2020, in a 7–0 decision, the Supreme Court of California upheld Scott's conviction but overturned his death sentence; the court found that Scott's trial judge<ref name=SFChronicle/> had improperly dismissed jurors who opposed capital punishment without asking them whether they could put their views aside. Justice Leondra Kruger explained that, per Supreme Court rulings since 1968, "Jurors may not be excused merely for opposition to the death penalty, but only for views rendering them unable to fairly consider imposing that penalty in accordance with their oath. This is the meaning of the guarantee of an impartial jury."<ref name=SFChronicle/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prosecutors initially stated that they would retry the penalty phase, but subsequently reversed that decision in June 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On September 22, 2021, California Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo ruled that Scott would be re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following month, Massullo scheduled a hearing on that matter for December 8.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On December 8, Massullo re-sentenced Scott to life in prison without the possibility of parole, for the first-degree murder of Laci, and a concurrent sentence of 15 years to life for the second-degree murder of Conner.<ref name=CNN12.8.21/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2022, following several delays, Scott was transferred from San Quentin's death row to Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California to serve his new life sentence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Habeas petition

In November 2015, Scott filed a habeas corpus petition.<ref name=KGTV>Template:Cite news</ref> While the direct appeal could only challenge errors made by the trial judge, Scott's habeas petition could include new evidence.<ref name=ModBee8.25.20/> Among other bases for relief, Scott contended that a juror lied on her jury application and that there was evidence that neighbors saw Laci alive after Scott left home.<ref name=KGTV/>

On August 10, 2017, the State Attorney General filed a 150-page response arguing that the habeas petition ignored "overwhelming evidence" that Scott murdered Laci. Supervising Deputy Attorney General Donna Provenzano discounted eyewitness spotting of Laci, saying that such sightings "were legion", while noting 74 reported sightings in 26 states and overseas, most of which she stated, were neither viable nor corroborated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2018, Scott's legal team filed their reply, emphasizing six claims of "deficient performance" by trial attorney Mark Geragos, such as failing to call experts in fetal growth, dog scent, how bodies move in water, stating that he would call witnesses but failing to follow through, and failing to properly address burglary evidence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 2020, the California Supreme Court, in response to the habeas petition,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> issued a show-cause order instructing the lower court to consider the question of juror misconduct.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On December 20, 2022, Judge Massullo denied Scott's habeas petition,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which had been based, in part, on the allegation that a juror committed misconduct when she lied about her own history of domestic abuse during jury selection. Scott's appeal said that her history had tainted the jury. Massullo concluded that there was no evidence to support this accusation, explaining that the juror did not intentionally conceal this information with the motive to stay on the jury, nor did she appear vengeful toward Scott in letters she later wrote him in the prison. Massullo wrote, "The Court concludes that Juror No. 7's responses were not motivated by pre-existing or improper bias against [Scott], but instead were the result of a combination of good faith misunderstanding of the questions and sloppiness in answering." Scott still had the legal option of appealing her ruling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

LA Innocence Project

On March 12, 2024, Scott attended a status hearing in Redwood City that had been granted by a San Mateo County judge in response to a request by LA Innocence Project (LAIP), a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that accepted Peterson's case two months prior. The Project said it had new evidence from the trial, which the Project said supported Peterson's claims of innocence.<ref name=ABCNews3.5.24/><ref name=NBCNews3.23.24/>

On April 23, the prosecution responded to the new push for DNA testing, describing it as "unnecessary". He noted that Scott Peterson had lied about the circumstances surrounding his wife's murder and that such DNA testing was already done in 2013 and again in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2024, a judge granted Peterson's motion to allow DNA testing on one single item of evidence - a piece of duct tape found on Laci's pants during her autopsy - while rejecting all other requests for further testing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On October 7, 2024, a judge granted Peterson's request for post-conviction discovery, allowing his defense team to access evidence held by the authorities which they claim was withheld at Peterson's trial.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On June 2, 2025, the appeals court denied the LAIP's 140-page petition for writ of habeas corpus, filed in April, which claimed exculpatory evidence had been destroyed or suppressed by the court that would have changed the jury's verdict.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Burials and tributes

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Unborn Victims of Violence Act Signing ceremony at the White House, April 1, 2004. Sharon Rocha is standing behind President George W. Bush and her long-term partner Ron Grantski is standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder.

Laci and Conner, her unborn son, were buried at Burwood Cemetery on August 30, 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The funeral cost $10,000, which a judge later ordered Scott to pay for. Their headstone omits the surname Peterson, per the request of Laci's mother and stepfather, thus Laci is named under her maiden name of Rocha while Conner has no surname listed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The deaths of Laci and Conner Peterson led to the passage of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which is also known as Laci and Conner's Law. On April 1, 2004, Sharon Rocha and her long-term partner Ron Grantski were in attendance at the White House when President George W. Bush signed the bill into law. The Act provides that, under federal law, any person who causes death or injury to an unborn child during the commission of a crime upon a pregnant woman will be charged with a separate offense.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On October 21, 2005, Stanislaus County, California, Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne ruled that Scott was not entitled to collect on Laci's $250,000 life insurance policy, as he had been convicted of her murder. Under California state law, criminals may not profit from insurance policies. On December 19, 2005, the money was given to her mother, Sharon Rocha, as the executor of her estate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The California Fifth District Court of Appeals in Fresno later affirmed the trial court's decision on October 31, 2007.<ref>Principal Life Ins. Co. v. Peterson (Rocha), 156 Cal. App. 4th 676. Superior Court of Stanislaus County. October 31, 2007.</ref><ref>Egelko, Bob (November 2, 2007). "Appeals court denies Scott Peterson Laci's life insurance money". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2019.</ref> A $25 million wrongful death lawsuit was later filed against Scott Peterson by Laci's mother and stepfather, but was dropped in April 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2006, former US congressman William E. Dannemeyer (R-CA) sent a letter to the California Attorney General and other officials arguing that Laci had been killed by members of a Satanic cult, not by Scott.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2006, Sharon Rocha published For Laci: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Justice, her biography and memoir about Laci's life and death. All proceeds are used to fund the Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund, which she had founded. On January 29, 2006, it was listed at No. 1 on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Laci's stepfather, Ron Grantski, died in his sleep at his Modesto home on April 8, 2018, at age 71. This followed a lengthy period of failing health. He was buried next to Laci and Conner in Burwood Cemetery.<ref name=ModBee4.10.18/> Laci's father, Dennis Rocha, died December 9, 2018, at the age of 72. He was buried in Lakewood Memorial Park.<ref name=ModBee2.10.19/>

Depiction in media

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See also

Notes

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References

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Further reading

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