GUILTY CA - Laci Peterson, 27, pregnant, Modesto, 24 Dec 2002 #2

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I watched the Netflix documentary last night. I know quite a bit about this case as I’ve followed it from the beginning. During the search for Laci, I was dating a guy who lived in Modesto and was in the area often. I remember all the buzz and activity.
This documentary just solidified, again, that the right man is in jail for this crime. Scott is a monster and he deserves to be locked away the rest of his life. MOO
 
Okay thank you for stating your position. That being said, who do you think did it?
Should Scott get away with this crime just because he left no forensic evidence like blood or DNA? Maybe he was good at cleanup. Circumstantial cases can be just as strong as Direct Evidence, It's not a crime show. Affairs are often motives for murder, and Scott also didn't want to be a father. Also he told Amber on Dec. 9th that it'd be his first Christmas without his wife. (That's pre-meditation). Sharon Rocha didn't know about the affair when she sang his praises. As far as his "odd behavior"- it's Guilty behavior. He was getting ready to flee. The dyed Orange hair, the $10,000 cash and camping gear in his trunk. I used to live in San Diego. Torrey Pines Golf Course is about a 30 min. drive to the US-Mexico border. The Death Penalty overturn is a California thing. Our governor hasn't put anyone to death in years, so that's irrelevant. And I think the Innocence Project is fishing. The judge only granted DNA testing on one item of out many that they requested.
First off, thank you for being cordial and civil and not attacking me for having a different opinion. I appreciate that!!
I don't want to see ANYONE get away with this crime. I want whomever did this to Laci to spend the rest of their life in prison. Period. I just don't think it is Scott. It has also come to light that the actual investigation into what happened to Laci, specifically Scott, was not conducted properly with evidence being overlooked. I completely agree with you that there were behaviours and actions of his that would make anyone suspect him. But key word being there suspect him which is different than him actually being the killer. Let me just respond to a couple of your points:

Affairs are often motives for murder - Yes, they absolutely can be but in my opinion, with affairs unfortunately being such a common thing, to me it doesn't tell me anything. He had an affair, he's a liar and a cheat for sure, but a murderer? I am not convinced

Sharon Rocha didn't know about the affair when she sang his praises - You are absolutely right, she did not know about the affair at the time she gave those statements and press conference. But, as soon as the affair came out, she and the rest of Laci's family completely turned on Scott. And, I can understand why. Here it is, their daughter and her unborn child are missing and on top of that unimaginable stress and despair, they find out that their son-in-law was cheating on their daughter. With everything else they were dealing it, I can see how that would be enough for them to say he is guilty. The palpable anger they must have felt finding that out on top of their sadness.

I also fully agree with you that it appears he was intending to flee. But, if I was the prime suspect in a murder that I absolutely knew I was not guilty of and the police were honing in on me, it may be enough for me to be paranoid and scared and anxious and for me to want to get the hell out of there. I know it would be easy to say "well if someone isn't guilty than why are they fleeing?" but look at it from the perspective of, holy F, I didn't do this and I am terrified. I want to just run away.
 
First off, thank you for being cordial and civil and not attacking me for having a different opinion. I appreciate that!!
I don't want to see ANYONE get away with this crime. I want whomever did this to Laci to spend the rest of their life in prison. Period. I just don't think it is Scott. It has also come to light that the actual investigation into what happened to Laci, specifically Scott, was not conducted properly with evidence being overlooked. I completely agree with you that there were behaviours and actions of his that would make anyone suspect him. But key word being there suspect him which is different than him actually being the killer. Let me just respond to a couple of your points:

Affairs are often motives for murder - Yes, they absolutely can be but in my opinion, with affairs unfortunately being such a common thing, to me it doesn't tell me anything. He had an affair, he's a liar and a cheat for sure, but a murderer? I am not convinced

Sharon Rocha didn't know about the affair when she sang his praises - You are absolutely right, she did not know about the affair at the time she gave those statements and press conference. But, as soon as the affair came out, she and the rest of Laci's family completely turned on Scott. And, I can understand why. Here it is, their daughter and her unborn child are missing and on top of that unimaginable stress and despair, they find out that their son-in-law was cheating on their daughter. With everything else they were dealing it, I can see how that would be enough for them to say he is guilty. The palpable anger they must have felt finding that out on top of their sadness.

I also fully agree with you that it appears he was intending to flee. But, if I was the prime suspect in a murder that I absolutely knew I was not guilty of and the police were honing in on me, it may be enough for me to be paranoid and scared and anxious and for me to want to get the hell out of there. I know it would be easy to say "well if someone isn't guilty than why are they fleeing?" but look at it from the perspective of, holy F, I didn't do this and I am terrified. I want to just run away.
Would you bleach your hair before you innocently left?
 
Scott sold Laci's car while she was missing. He looked into listing the house. He turned the nursery into a storage room. Circumstantial evidence.

On the day Laci was reported missing, Scott was fishing in the exact location where the bodies were later found washed on shore. I think she was murdered the night before.

Scott mimicked two things that Laci did every morning. He watched Martha Stewart, and checked the internet for sunflower umbrellas and tennis bracelets. Laci did not open the curtains on December 24, and Scott didn't think to open them, like she did every morning.

Altogether, circumstantial evidence explains what happened. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts ~ Aristotle
In the recording where he talks about selling the house, he says that he is looking to put it on the market ASAP because "there's no way if Laci comes back that we're going to stay there" That is a direct quote. He clearly, with his tone, indicates in this response that with everything that has happened, he would want them to move somewhere else, a different home, for a 'fresh start'. Turning the nursery into a storage room (which he didn't do, he just stored things there, he did not clear it out and make it a storage room, specifically) could have been his way of dealing with the missing/loss of his unborn child. Distracting himself from the room and starting to use it for something else. People handle grief and extreme emotion in a myriad of ways.

Scott told the authorities directly where he was fishing. Why would Scott, if he was the murderer, tell police exactly where he was fishing, knowing that is where he disposed of her body and knowing that they would put two and two together? A murderer isn't going to tell police they were in basically the exact same area/waters where they disposed of a body. Scott was honest with them about where he was fishing and his location because he didn't murder her and he wasn't the one that disposed of her body.

I don't know how your last points are circumstantial evidence. Scott said he watched the Martha Stewart program with Laci and it was proven that the topics on the program, about the meringue that he tells investigators about, were in fact what that episode was about on that date. He could have easily gotten up with Laci that morning and took part in her morning and what she was doing before he left.
 
I believe the convicted murdering felon SP had confidence in where and how he had placed Laci (and unborn Conner) in that bay. And he did not expect the currents, bay elements, and time to cause portions of the remains to free themselves from their weights.

And that is why IIRC he confidently spoke as to where he had been that day to ‘fish’. He didn’t expect police investigators to readily find any remnants of the body. But it seems mother nature and time had other plans.

IIRC I seem to also remember concrete weights that were believed fashioned to weight the remains, and there were some matches and similarities to items and / or materials found at the Peterson residence? It’s been ~22 years so my recollection could be a tad fuzzy. MOO
 
In the recording where he talks about selling the house, he says that he is looking to put it on the market ASAP because "there's no way if Laci comes back that we're going to stay there" That is a direct quote. He clearly, with his tone, indicates in this response that with everything that has happened, he would want them to move somewhere else, a different home, for a 'fresh start'. Turning the nursery into a storage room (which he didn't do, he just stored things there, he did not clear it out and make it a storage room, specifically) could have been his way of dealing with the missing/loss of his unborn child. Distracting himself from the room and starting to use it for something else. People handle grief and extreme emotion in a myriad of ways.

Scott told the authorities directly where he was fishing. Why would Scott, if he was the murderer, tell police exactly where he was fishing, knowing that is where he disposed of her body and knowing that they would put two and two together? A murderer isn't going to tell police they were in basically the exact same area/waters where they disposed of a body. Scott was honest with them about where he was fishing and his location because he didn't murder her and he wasn't the one that disposed of her body.

I don't know how your last points are circumstantial evidence. Scott said he watched the Martha Stewart program with Laci and it was proven that the topics on the program, about the meringue that he tells investigators about, were in fact what that episode was about on that date. He could have easily gotten up with Laci that morning and took part in her morning and what she was doing before he left.
Scott's defence changed with the wind. Laci was wearing black tights, or tan pants. The van was white, tan or brown. Laci was abducted by burglars, satanists, or satanic burglars. Scott knew that Laci wanted him to sell her vehicle and house, or he was moving on after murdering her.

Scott reported that Laci was wearing black tights and a white t-shirt on the morning of Dec 24, 2002. Many people came forward to say that they knew Laci, and they saw her walking her dog that morning. That was Scott's proof that Laci alive on Dece 24. When Laci was found, she was wearing tan pants. That's a problem.

Scott's theory had to change. She walked the dog, went home, changed her clothing, and then she confronted the burglars. They abducted her. Their van was white, no tan, no, it was brown.

The burglars were satanists who were known to perform rituals at the Berkeley Marina. Laci confronted the burglars, rather than phone police, they decided to abduct Laci to perform a satanic ritual at the Berkeley Marina. After hearing Scott's alibi, they put the bodies in the marina. Mystery solved.

"DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, for weeks now we've been hearing from the defense team for Scott Peterson that theory that they floated that Laci Peterson was abducted and murdered by a satanic cult.

Turns out that theory dates back to a report made to Modesto police in December, on December 28, four days after Laci disappeared.

CNN has obtained the document revealing how a sexual assault counselor told police that a woman claimed she had been raped by two men and two women in a brown van. As part of this rape, the woman told the counselor a satanic ritual was conducted. And the group said something about a Christmas Day death, and that she would read about it in the paper."​


"ABRAMS: You have an whole chapter about satanic activity and the neighborhood. You quote from satanic manual, et cetera. You investigated and spent a lot of time working the whole satanic angle.

DALTON: I know from my investigation that several of these satanic cults were found in the Berkeley area. I know from my investigation that seven pregnant women have suddenly disappear in that area. That's an incredible number of people, of pregnant women, to disappear over a three-year period in that general area. That's incredible."​

 


*The transcripts for Scott's trial are available because a team of people pooled together and purchased them, sometimes costing hundreds of dollars for each day in court. They then spent hundreds of hours re-formatting them so they could be posted on the internet.

To those at PWC-SII.com who coordinated this project and to all the participants who gave their time and money, we thank you. Without the court transcripts, we would just be a family trying to convince you of what we heard in court, but thanks to you, people can read it for themselves.

 
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It’s wildly offensive to claim that everyone who loved Laci Peterson and think Scott is guilty is motivated to think that by the affair and nothing more.

I don’t understand how people who think Scott Peterson is innocent have the stones to bring up the Rochas as proof that SP is actually innocent and argue that but for the affair they'd still be on Scott Peterson’s side. I don’t understand how they have the sheer audacity to explain to everyone else what the Rocha’s were going through as though they have any idea.

They expect people to believe that Sharon Rocha knows nothing about the case against Scott Peterson after the affair was revealed. They reduce the Rochas to a bunch of petty grief stricken rubes and complain that it’s everyone else in this case who is being mean and uncivil. I can’t think of a worse position to take up than Laci Peterson’s family don’t know what they’re talking about and only think Scott Peterson murdered their daughter and grandson because they were mad at him for his affair and that’s it.

It isn’t as though the Rocha’s haven’t been watching the case go through appeals and never paid any attention to what Scott Peterson’s claims were and are now. The Rochas present their side and get ignored and reduced to some petty morons who don’t know better and whose opinions on the case can’t be trusted because of their grief over the loss of Laci and the claim that they were so mad at SP for an affair they chose to believe he was guilty just because of that.

Whereas the Rocha’s grief is used to invalidate their position, Scott Peterson’s grief is used to validate his. Weird.

I don’t even know if the people defending SP realize they’re being insulting and that they’re basically arguing the Rochas don’t actually care who killed Laci, they just wanted it to be Scott because they were mad at him. It’s weird to me that they endlessly give SP the benefit of the doubt but everyone else? Nope! They’re simpletons brainwashed by the media.
 
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*The trailer opens with an interview with an eye-grabbing declaration from Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha: “I remember, before I met Scott, Laci telling me all things about him. I remember saying, as a mother, ‘I hope he’s not filling her with crap.’ I’ve learned to go for my gut feeling.”

The series even includes an interview with Scott’s mistress, Amber Frey, and features voice recordings from the time of their affair.

“In coming forward to tell Laci’s story for a new generation, they might empower other women experiencing intimate partner violence to escape a similarly tragic fate,” read a synopsis of the Netflix doc.

Pregnant Laci Peterson, 27, vanished on Christmas Eve 2002. Scott claimed that she was killed sometime after he left their Modesto home to go fishing in the San Francisco Bay. He soon became a prime suspect following growing police and public suspicion. He was convicted of murder in 2004 and received a death sentence the following year, though it was later reduced to life in prison without parole.

The trailer for American Murder comes about a week after Peacock shared a teaser for Face to Face With Scott Peterson, a documentary series slated for Aug. 20 that reexamines Peterson’s case and features an interview with Scott.

Face to Face includes interviews with his sister-in-law Janey Peterson, detectives from the Modesto Police Department, and his former defense attorney Lara Yeretsian. Both docu-series come several months after the Los Angeles Innocence Project took on the case in January, telling NBC LA that it was “investigating his claim of actual innocence.”
 
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<respectfully snipped for emphasis>
Sharon Rocha didn't know about the affair when she sang his praises - You are absolutely right, she did not know about the affair at the time she gave those statements and press conference. But, as soon as the affair came out, she and the rest of Laci's family completely turned on Scott. And, I can understand why. Here it is, their daughter and her unborn child are missing and on top of that unimaginable stress and despair, they find out that their son-in-law was cheating on their daughter. With everything else they were dealing it, I can see how that would be enough for them to say he is guilty. The palpable anger they must have felt finding that out on top of their sadness.
I have to agree with @SoWhat. It is reductionist to accuse Laci's family of suspecting Scott of murder based on his romantic relationship with Amber.

The first suspicious point that Laci's family emphasized is that Scott phoned Sharon at roughly 5 P.M. on Dec 24, 2002 and announced that Laci is missing. He didn't ask whether they had spoken that day, or whether Laci was already at Sharon's house for the planned family dinner. He said "missing". When asked where he was that day, first he told people he was golfing, then he changed it to fishing. It was a long gradual process of supporting Scott, out of respect for Laci, to the understanding that Laci was not coming home.

After learning that Scott lied to them about having a girlfriend, they publicly stated that they could no longer support the liar.
 
1724607383775.jpegA memorial service was held for Laci Peterson and her unborn son at the Worship Center of the First Baptist Church in Modesto on May 4, 2003.

*On Jan. 6, 2003, Scott Peterson phoned his mistress, Amber Frey, to inform her of his wife's disappearance. What he did not know was that Frey was cooperating with authorities and Modesto police were recording their conversation. Below is a transcript of their call.
 
Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States.

 

scott peterson




*Husband ordered to stand trial for murder
A judge ruled that prosecutors have enough evidence to try Scott Peterson for the murder of his pregnant wife and unborn son.

Prosecutor points to circumstantial evidence

Scott Peterson's long-awaited capital murder trial got under way with a prosecutor meticulously listing lies, caddishness and suspicious behavior he said implicated the fertilizer salesman in the death of his pregnant wife.

Defense: Two-timer, yes, but no murderer

Scott Peterson's lawyer conceded Wednesday that his client was a cad who two-timed his pregnant wife, but he insisted the fertilizer salesman was "stone cold innocent" of the mother-to-be's murder.

Father-in-law rips fishing story

Laci Peterson's stepfather testified that within a day or two of her disappearance, he had concluded his son-in-law's alibi was bogus and suspected he might be carrying on an affair with another woman.

Scott Peterson's ex-mistress testifies

Scott Peterson's former mistress, Amber Frey, took the stand at his capital murder trial and portrayed the fertilizer salesman as an attentive, but deceitful lover who wooed her with over-the-top romantic gestures while concealing his marriage from her.

Defense suggests transients involved

Scott Peterson's lawyer hinted that the body of the double-murder defendant's pregnant wife was dumped into a narrow canal in the San Francisco Bay by transients.

Jurors find Scott Peterson guilty of murder

After seven days of tumultuous deliberations that saw the removal of two jurors and a mutiny against the foreman, a jury convicted Scott Peterson of first-degree murder in the slaying of his pregnant wife.

Key players in the trial

Here is some background information on some of the key players in the Laci Peterson case and trial.

What the jury didn't hear

During Scott Peterson's 21-week trial, jurors heard from 184 witnesses and reviewed hundreds of exhibits. They saw a lot, but they didn't see everything.
 
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Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States.

When pregnancy ends in murder

Laci Peterson's case grabbed national headlines, but countless other husbands and boyfriends stand accused of the same crime in courtrooms across the country.
 
*Includes transcripts for all witnesses, hearings, and rulings from the Preliminary Hearing, Pre-Trial Hearing, Trial, and Sentencing. Some witnesses appeared more than once. The index is alphabetical. For a chronological review, with short summaries and other related developments, go to the following sections of the Timeline:
 

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