In his first jailhouse interview since his arrest 20 years ago, Scott Peterson speculates that burglars were responsible for his wife Laci's death.

Scott Peterson claimed that the police did not follow leads and withheld evidence that could have cleared him.

In his first jailhouse interview since his arrest 20 years ago, Scott Peterson speculates that burglars were responsible for his wife Laci's death.
In his first jailhouse interview since his arrest 20 years ago, Scott Peterson speculates that burglars were responsible for his wife Laci's death.

Scott Peterson, convicted of his wife's murder twenty years ago, maintains his innocence and shares his theory on what really happened to his pregnant wife in his first on-camera interview.

""I regret not testifying, and I want to speak to show the truth and accomplish the biggest thing I can right now because I didn't kill my family," Peterson said in Face-to-Face with Scott Peterson."

Laci Peterson, 27, disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002, eight months pregnant, and her body, along with that of her unborn child Conner, was found four months later near Peterson's fishing spot.

(L to R) Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson
Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson in a still photo appearing in the docuseries, "American Murder: Laci Peterson." (Courtesy of Netflix)

Prosecutors uncovered a wealth of evidence against the man who was arrested at the Mexico border with bleached hair and his brother's passport. A police K9 unit discovered Laci's scent at a Berkeley boat ramp, where Peterson claims he went fishing, and found the woman's hair in the teeth of a pair of needle-nose pliers on Peterson's boat.

In 2004, Peterson was convicted of Laci's murder, but he returned to headlines after the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced it would take on his latest appeal for a new trial.

"Peterson stated via video call from Mule Creek State Prison that there was a burglary across the street from their home and he believes Laci went over there to investigate, resulting in her disappearance."

The burglary near the Peterson home occurred around the time Laci disappeared, but one of the convicted burglars claimed that the break-in took place on December 26, 2002, not on December 24 when Laci went missing.

Scott Peterson in court
Scott Peterson listens to Stanislaus County Deputy District attorney Dave Harris speak during a hearing at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City, California, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Peterson appeared in San Mateo Superior Court for the first time since he was sentenced to death there more than 17 years ago for the murders of his wife Laci and their unborn son Conner. (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Legal experts and journalists who were interviewed in the docuseries stated that witnesses reported seeing a suspicious van near Peterson's Modesto home on December 24, with one witness claiming they saw a pregnant woman being forced into the van.

The trial of Peterson in 2004 did not mention the burglary, and the convict claims this as proof that the police did not turn over evidence during the discovery process that could have cleared him.

Peterson emphasized that there were numerous cases where the evidence didn't align with the detectives' theory, which led them to disregard it.

Detectives on the case assumed that Peterson was guilty from their initial inspection of his home.

"Peterson claimed in his jailhouse interview that when Modesto Detective Al Brocchini and the other officers took their first walk through the house, they didn't know he was near them when they said "we know what's going on here - it was the husband." After realizing Peterson was there, they turned around."

Scott Peterson and Amber Frey pictured in a car
Scott Peterson and Amber Frey pictured at a Christmas party on Dec. 14, 2002, before the murder of Laci Peterson and before Frey knew Scott Peterson was a married man.  (Superior Court of California, San Mateo County)

Filmakers were informed by Brocchini and former Modesto Police Officer Jon Buhler that they did not investigate leads or withhold evidence in the case.

"Peterson appeared nonchalant and lacked urgency during their first meeting, which Brocchini found suspicious, according to his statement."

Peterson, with his history of extramarital affairs, was quickly suspected in his wife's disappearance.

Brocchini stated that the voicemail Peterson left for his wife at 2:15 p.m. on December 24, 2022, was intended to cover his tracks after killing Laci and dumping her in the San Francisco Bay. According to Brocchini, the voicemail was "gooey."

Laci's heartfelt messages were typical in Peterson's relationship with her, and he suggested that police who questioned the sincerity of the voicemail must have had "really sad marriages."

""We were great friends and enjoyed one another," he stated in his jailhouse interview."

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Scott Peterson's yellow-gripped pliers, where police said they recovered hairs from his murdered wife
Prosecutors said police recovered Laci Peterson's hair from the teeth of these needle-nosed pliers, which they found on her husband and convicted killer Scott Peterson's boat. (Superior Court of California, San Mateo County)

"Peterson described his final memories with his wife as being so tactile, with the lingering smells, lighting, and sounds of their last moments together. He remained present in those memories, feeling the weight of his wife's absence and the emptiness left by his family's departure."

When Amber Frey discovered Laci Peterson's disappearance, she went to the police after learning that Peterson, whom she believed to be her boyfriend, had previously stated he was never married but later changed his story and claimed to be a widower.

The forensic pathologist determined that Laci's body likely came apart due to the marine conditions after being anchored down, despite not being dismembered.

The prosecutors contended that the homemade concrete anchor used by Peterson for his boat could be easily replicated. They proposed that he made additional ones and employed them to attempt to keep his wife's body submerged in the sea.

Scott Peterson smiling at vigil
Prosecutors said these photographs a smiling Scott Peterson were taken during a vigil for Laci Peterson on New Year's Eve in 2002. Jurors found at the end of his trial in 2004 that he killed her days later. She was more than 8 months pregnant with their son Conner. (Superior Court of California, San Mateo County)

In an attempt to aid law enforcement, Frey recorded phone conversations with Peterson following Laci's disappearance, during which Peterson claimed his wife was alive and pregnant, but had gone missing.

For the first time, conversations recorded last week were featured in a new Netflix documentary, American Murder: Laci Peterson.

In one of the recordings, Frey asked Peterson, "So what, do you want to be with me?"

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I believe we could take care of each other for the rest of our lives, Peterson stated.

In May, Peterson's defense team requested DNA testing on a blood-stained mattress found in a burned-out van near Peterson's Modesto home the day after Laci disappeared. Previously, only a sample of the mattress was tested. Now, the LA Innocence Project wants the entire mattress tested, stating that advancements in DNA technology could find DNA that supports their client's claim.

In May, a judge ruled that a piece of duct tape found on Laci's body could be retested, along with a dozen other pieces of evidence. However, it is uncertain whether the mattress will be among the items to be tested.

Lara Yeretsian, one of Peterson's lawyers from his first trial, maintains hope that her client will be cleared.

"This is not the end of it," she said in the docuseries. "It's just the beginning, and we've got one win."

by Christina Coulter

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