What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

As a seasoned legal analyst with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the Scott Peterson case has always been one that piqued my curiosity. Having followed this saga since its inception, I have formed an opinion that is based on my understanding of the law and the evidence presented.


Regarding the disappearance of his wife Laci Peterson, Scott Peterson proposes an explanation for what actually transpired.

In this initial television interview since his 20-year-old conviction for murdering her and their unborn son Conner (who she was carrying for over eight months), Scott offers a potential explanation of who else might be culpable for her death, assuming it wasn’t himself.

In Peacock’s latest series, Face to Face With Scott Peterson, I shared my perspective. I had a burglary occur right across the street from our house, and it struck me that Laci might have gone over there to investigate. That’s when I believe she was taken.

Despite a burglary allegedly happening close to the Peterson’s residence around when Laci disappeared, authorities have refuted these claims by referring to a convicted burglar’s assertion that the break-in transpired on December 26 instead of the defense’s claimed date of December 24, 2002.

On the other hand, during the course of this series, journalists and legal experts have pointed out that there are individuals who informed the police about a suspicious van spotted near the burglarized house on December 24th. One witness even asserted that they witnessed a pregnant woman being pushed into a van.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

However, the burglary incident wasn’t discussed at Scott’s court trial. In the documentary, he argues that this might indicate the police withheld evidence that could have cleared his name during the discovery phase, as required by law.

According to Scott’s claim, there were numerous cases where the evidence didn’t align with the detectives’ hypothesis, which they chose to disregard.

The Modesto Police department is swiftly dismissing these accusations. In the series, two retired detectives from the department, Jon Buehler and Al Brocchini, assert that they never withheld evidence or neglected to explore potential leads during the investigation. They also state that nothing they’ve learned in the past 20 years since Scott’s conviction has changed their belief regarding his guilt.

Despite Scott being found guilty of murdering Laci and Conner, there are numerous individuals, such as his sister-in-law Janey Peterson, who continue to assert his innocence. Intriguingly, the Los Angeles Innocence Project recently assumed his case, petitioning to retest certain evidence from the initial investigation for DNA analysis.

Among several significant aspects explored, this three-part series focuses on just one of them. If you’re curious about the numerous tense scenes found in “Face to Face with Scott Peterson“, continue reading.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

It’s undisputed that Scott Peterson left a voicemail for his wife, Laci Peterson, at 2:15 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2002, expressing love and promising to see her soon. However, investigators claim that he made this call as a means of disguising the fact that he had murdered Laci and discarded her body in San Francisco Bay several hours earlier.

As someone who was deeply involved with the Peterson case, having testified for the prosecution during his trial, I couldn’t help but feel that the voicemail in question was particularly significant and intended for me. This is how I described it when discussing the matter in Peacock’s Face to Face With Scott Peterson.

Scott said that sort of sentiment was normal for him and Laci.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase it as follows:

He implied that those officers who criticized his communication must have been going through very troubled marriages, as they assumed he was pretending on the call.

On a unusual occasion discussing their private life, Scott mentioned that they often shared a single cereal bowl in the morning, which happened to be the day Laci vanished.

As the story progressed, he remarked, “Each moment feels so tangible. I’m still here, and the scents and the ambiance, the sound of me bidding farewell to Laci. And then my family vanished.”

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

Initially unsympathetic detectives, even those who disliked Scott, were taken aback when they discovered he was having an extramarital affair, as revealed in the Peacock series, with regard to Laci’s marriage.

In the show, ex-Modesto Police Detective Jon Buehler (who worked on the case with Brocchini) expressed his astonishment, stating, “That truly caught me off guard.” He reminisced about that moment, saying, “At last, things were becoming clearer.”

Scott has no great explanation for why he was cheating on his pregnant wife (“Childish, lack of self-esteem, selfish,” he said in suggesting a few reasons driving his decision), but he said he “certainly” regretted it.

He found the suggestion that he murdered Laci purely because he didn’t desire to be a husband or a father to be incredibly revolting and appalling.

When asked about continuing to converse with Amber in a romantic manner even after Laci disappeared, according to the series, Scott stated he aimed to maintain the focus of the police on locating his missing wife.

In my professional opinion, I’d advise you, Shareen, to maintain communication with Amber. That way, she won’t find herself unwittingly entangled in this situation, potentially making it more complex or jeopardizing our ongoing investigation.

He called the prospect of police finding out about his affair “a time bomb.”

When people learned about it, Scott expressed that he felt like a person who was acting inappropriately by engaging in extramarital affairs.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

During Scott’s trial, information wasn’t presented about a private investigator hired by his family who found individuals (two of whom appeared in the Peacock series) claiming they spotted a woman resembling Laci walking a Golden Retriever after 10:18 a.m. on December 24, 2002.

Based on information from the Modesto police, it was the last known instance when Karen Servas, the Peterson’s neighbor, reported seeing Laci and Scott’s dog unattended outside their enclosed yard, still wearing its leash, according to what Karen shared with the authorities.

Learning that there were individuals who claimed to have seen Laci after the police believed she was already missing was “shattering,” Scott expressed in the series.

As a lifestyle expert, I would rephrase it as: In my professional opinion, when I served as one of Scott’s defense attorneys during the trial, we chose not to call any of the alleged dog-walking witnesses to testify. By that point, the police had effectively discredited their accounts through their thorough investigation.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

Shareen inquired from Scott about several interviews he conducted prior to when Laci’s body was discovered and he was taken into custody, specifically his conversation with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer that was broadcasted on January 28, 2003.

He told Diane that Laci knew he’d had an affair and wasn’t that upset, saying, “No one knows our relationship but us.”

In the interview, he stated that he informed the police about Amber “right away” on December 24th. However, as reported during the news broadcast, he later contacted ABC News to clarify that he had not, in fact, shared any details about the affair with the police.

In the Peacock series, Scott stated that none of those discussions would accurately depict or reflect the true nature of the situation.

At the time, he said, he was getting death threats and had been spit on at the gas station.

He confided in Shareen, “I wish I could claim I’m stronger, but everything that happened certainly wore me down.” He recalled feeling utterly frantic as he struggled to cope with the wellbeing of Conner and Laci while encountering what felt like a lackadaisical response from the police department.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

In the Peacock series, Scott portrayed his family as individuals who took action rather than discussed matters during difficult times. By activities, he meant actions they undertook. This is why he was traveling to Torrey Pines in La Jolla – approximately 430 miles from Modesto – to play golf on April 18, 2003. A few days prior, the police had disclosed a woman’s body was discovered a few miles up the coast from the Berkeley Marina, where Scott often went boating, which coincided with the day Laci disappeared.

Scott expressed doubt to Shareen that the discovered body might not have been Laci’s, suggesting there could be other possibilities.

In my line of work, I often find myself observing and analyzing various lifestyle choices – and this particular instance is a prime example of why vigilance is crucial. As I trailed Scott towards Torrey Pines, his driving was far from ordinary, leading me to believe he suspected he was being followed (he later mentioned it could have been reporters). To prevent any potential mishap, I had to intervene and make an arrest before things escalated further.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

As a lifestyle expert, I’d like to clarify some recent rumors that have been circulating. Concerning Scott, who sported a new hair color and grew a goatee, the stories suggesting he was apprehended near the Mexican border with a counterfeit ID and large sums of cash, or casually dined at In-N-Out while handcuffed are misleading, as per his account and that of his sister-in-law, Janey Peterson.

1. In the show, Scott mentioned using his brother’s ID to secure a discount at Torrey Pines, which essentially means he was trying to pull off a small scam at the golf course.

Janey, a persistent supporter of her brother-in-law’s innocence, mentioned on the show that Scott possessed large amounts of money because his brother was actually purchasing Scott’s truck and had recently paid him for it. Furthermore, she pointed out that they had relatives residing in San Diego, which is near the Mexican border, as an explanation for this supposed closeness.

Janey mentioned that Scott was in custody for several hours before he decided to eat, though it seemed as if he’d only just learned that his wife and son had passed away and requested a cheeseburger.

When the detectives shared the devastating news about my wife, I experienced a profound physical shock. Yet, another part of me instinctively protested, whispering in my mind, “This can’t be true.”

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

Eager to leave prison, given his belief that there was insufficient proof linking him to the crime, Scott expressed a desire for the court proceedings to conclude swiftly within the show.

Reflecting on the events that have transpired, he mused, “I can’t help but question, oh dear, whether being more cautious, or perhaps waiting a bit longer, might have led to a different outcome.”

In the role of a lifestyle expert speaking in first person, On November 12, 2004, I was convicted for the tragic loss of lives – Laci and her unborn son Conner. Following the verdict, the court proceedings moved towards sentencing, culminating on December 13, 2004, with a jury’s recommendation for the death penalty. On March 16, 2005, this recommendation was formalized by a judge, sealing my fate.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

In October 2020, Scott’s death penalty verdict was reversed, leading to a new sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, attempts to vacate the conviction have not been successful up until now.

Recently, his legal team has been investigating a burglary that took place close to the Peterson residence as a potential key evidence in understanding Laci’s disappearance. However, authorities have challenged this by emphasizing that one of the convicted burglars stated the break-in occurred on December 26 instead of the defense’s claimed date of December 24, 2002.

Experts in journalism and law, who find credibility in the defense’s theory, have highlighted in the series that there were witnesses who reported observing a suspicious van near the burglarized house on December 24th, as well as at least one witness who claimed they saw a pregnant woman being compelled to enter a van.

In the show, I mentioned an incident of burglary happening just beyond our residence. I strongly suspect Laci felt compelled to investigate the situation, which unfortunately led to her disappearance.

At his trial, the subject of the burglary was not discussed. However, Scott repeated his conviction that the police failed to provide the defense with crucial evidence that could have cleared him, as required during the discovery phase.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

In my fervent enthusiasm, I can’t help but point out that there were countless moments when facts contradicted the detectives’ hypothesis, yet they chose to overlook them, as I believe I’ve observed.

As a seasoned lifestyle advisor reflecting on this case, I can personally attest to the unwavering conviction of former detectives Buehler and Brocchini regarding Scott’s alleged guilt. Over the past two decades, nothing they’ve encountered has swayed their belief one iota. Moreover, throughout the course of their investigation into this matter, these esteemed professionals have never intentionally withheld evidence or neglected to pursue leads that came their way.

What Scott Peterson Believes Happened to Laci Peterson 20 Years Later

In response to the Los Angeles Innocence Project’s 2024 motion to retest over a dozen pieces of evidence from Scott’s initial trial using DNA analysis, Buehler commented that it wasn’t entirely surprising.

In my opinion, when Brocchini claimed he had no response, I firmly disputed his words. To me, there was absolutely no room for ambiguity. He was the one who committed the act. The jury made the correct decision.

In May, it was decided by the judge that just one object – a fragment of duct tape discovered near Laci’s remains – could undergo further testing.

But, Scott’s supporters remain optimistic. 

In the series, Lara Yeretsian, one of Scott’s initial attorneys, stated that this isn’t the final chapter, but rather a new start. At least, they’ve managed to secure one victory.

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2024-08-20 18:50