Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 for murdering his pregnant wife and unborn child, maintains his innocence in a new interview. He alleges that his wife was abducted during a nearby burglary, citing withheld evidence and biased detectives.
Scott Peterson, the man convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Laci Peterson in 2002, has broken his silence in an exclusive interview, maintaining his innocence and presenting a new theory about his wife's disappearance.
Peterson, now 58, spoke with Peacock's new three-part series, "Face-to-Face with Scott Peterson," for his first on-camera interview since his conviction. In the interview, he expressed regret over not testifying in his trial, stating, "I regret not testifying. I have a chance to show people what the truth is, and if they're willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing I can accomplish right now - because I didn't kill my family."
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
Laci Peterson, who was 27 and eight months pregnant at the time, vanished on Christmas Eve in 2002. Peterson reported her missing after claiming he returned from a solo fishing trip to find their Modesto home empty. Four months later, Laci's body, along with the body of her unborn child, Conner, washed ashore near Peterson's fishing spot.
Peterson was arrested at the Mexico border with bleached hair and his brother's passport. Prosecutors presented a substantial amount of evidence against him, including a police K9 unit detecting Laci's scent at a boat ramp where Peterson claimed he went fishing and finding her hair in the teeth of a pair of needle-nose pliers on Peterson's boat.
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
Convicted of Laci's murder in 2004, Peterson's case gained renewed attention when the Los Angeles Innocence Project agreed to take on his latest appeal for a new trial. "There was a burglary across the street from our home," Peterson told filmmakers in a video call from Mule Creek State Prison. "And I believe that Laci went over there to see what was going on, and that's when she was taken."
A burglary was indeed committed near the Peterson home around the time Laci went missing, but one of the convicted burglars testified that the break-in occurred on December 26, 2002, not on December 24, when Laci disappeared.
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
Peterson and his defense have consistently alleged that police withheld evidence and failed to investigate leads that could have exonerated him. They point to several instances where witnesses reported seeing a suspicious van in the area of the Peterson home on December 24, with one witness claiming they saw a pregnant woman being forced into a van.
Peterson also claims that detectives on the case assumed he was guilty from the outset. "When [Modesto Detective Al Brocchini] took a first walk through the house with the other officers, I don't think they knew that I was near them when they said 'we know what's going on here - it was the husband,'" Peterson alleged.
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
However, Brocchini and former Modesto Police Officer Jon Buhler maintained that they did not withhold evidence or fail to investigate leads. "He was kind of just nonchalant - he didn't have any urgency about him," Brocchini said of his initial encounter with Peterson. "To me, that was suspicious."
Peterson, who was involved in multiple extramarital affairs, quickly became the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Brocchini cited a voicemail Peterson left for Laci at 2:15 p.m. on December 24, 2022, telling her he loved her and would see her "in a bit," as an attempt to cover his tracks after killing Laci and dumping her body in the San Francisco Bay. "To me, it was really meant for me to hear it," Brocchini explained.
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
Peterson, on the other hand, maintains that such heartfelt messages were common in his relationship with Laci and suggests that police who cast doubt on the intention of the voicemail must have "really sad marriages." "We loved one another, we enjoyed one another," he stated. "We were great friends."
Peterson's defense team has requested DNA testing on a blood-stained mattress found in a burned-out van located near Peterson's home the day after Laci disappeared. In the past, only a sample of the mattress was tested. The defense believes that advancements in DNA technology could potentially uncover DNA that would support their client's claim.
Scott Peterson Claims Innocence, Seeks New Trial After 20 Years in Prison
A judge recently ruled that a piece of duct tape found on Laci's body and a dozen other pieces of evidence could be retested, but it is unclear whether the mattress will be among them. Lara Yeretsian, one of Peterson's lawyers from his first trial, remains hopeful that her client will be exonerated. "This is not the end of it," she said. "It's just the beginning, and at least we've got one win."
