Nearly 20 years after Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, two new documentary series have put the high-profile case back in the spotlight.
But only one of them, “Face to Face with Scott Peterson,” which premieres Tuesday on Peacock, touts Peterson, who hasn’t given an on-camera interview since 2003.
“I didn’t kill my family,” Peterson says during the opening moments of “Face to Face.” The three-part docuseries, directed by Shareen Anderson and Po Kutchins, premiered shortly after Netflix’s “American Murder: Laci Peterson,” which hit the streaming service last Wednesday.
Peterson, 51, has maintained his innocence since his arrest shortly after Laci Peterson's remains were discovered on the shore of San Francisco Bay in April 2003. “Face to Face,” after revisiting Laci's disappearance on Christmas Eve 2002, spends considerable time reexamining the police investigation and offering alternative theories that might exonerate her husband.
In video interviews from Mule Creek State Prison, Scott Peterson, who is serving a life sentence without parole, says he regrets not testifying at his trial and is now speaking out for his family.
“If I have the opportunity to show reality, if I have the opportunity to show people what the truth is and if they are willing to accept it, maybe that will take away some of the pain for my family,” Peterson says. “And that would be the most important thing I can accomplish right now.”
Both documentaries come after headlines earlier this year said the Innocence Project of Los Angeles had stepped in to represent Peterson. The nonprofit stated at the time that it was “investigating [Peterson’s] claim of actual innocence”.
In March, the Innocence Project of Los Angeles requested new forensic testing of about 15 pieces of evidence that it said could exonerate Peterson. A judge ruled in May that only one of those items collected 20 years ago — a piece of duct tape recovered from Laci Peterson’s thigh — could be retested for DNA.
“Face to Face” delves deeper into this possible evidence, offering clues that Peterson and his supporters say paint a different picture than the one used by prosecutors to secure Peterson's conviction. The documentary also suggests that the media hype surrounding the Modesto couple at the time of Laci Peterson's disappearance contributed to his conviction, despite what Scott Peterson and his allies say is a lack of evidence.
Peterson talks about his romance with Amber Frey
As the series notes, there was no direct evidence linking Peterson to the murders of his wife and unborn child, but a possible motive was established when it was revealed that Peterson was having an extramarital affair with Amber Frey.
Frey's testimony, as well as recordings of phone calls between her and Peterson, helped portray Peterson as a liar and a cheat in the eyes of the public.
“I was a complete jerk for having sex outside of our marriage,” Peterson says on “Face to Face” when asked about the affair. “During the call [police] “In the investigation, I did everything I could to bring my family home. And that included hiding from people that I had cheated on her with Frey. I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted the search to continue. I guess I understand why she tried to turn it into a relationship after the fact and claimed it was something more. But it just wasn’t.”
Still, she says she feels “ashamed and guilty” about it.
Peterson presents his theories about what really happened
In “Face to Face,” Peterson and his supporters, including his sister-in-law Janey Peterson, claim that police failed to adequately investigate leads that could have exonerated him during their initial investigation into Laci Peterson’s disappearance.
“There are a lot of cases where there was evidence that didn’t fit the detectives’ theory and they ignored it,” Scott Peterson said. “People want the answer they believed in to be the answer.”
Peterson alleges that because police had decided he was the prime suspect, they failed to follow up on certain leads and ruled out the possibility that Laci Peterson was abducted in connection with a robbery that occurred in her neighborhood.
The series also raises questions about the timeline of Laci’s disappearance, based on possible witness sightings as well as a stolen van that was set on fire about a mile from Peterson’s home. Inside the van was a mattress that an investigator said appeared to have blood stains on it, though a lab test showed no signs of blood.
In May, a judge denied Peterson's legal team's request to re-examine the mattress. Investigators interviewed in the documentary say they spoke to all credible witnesses.
Peterson says he still remembers his last morning with Laci
When Peterson is asked about his memories of what his life was like 20 years ago, before his wife disappeared, he replies: “Every moment is so real… and it’s still there.”
“I drove away hoping to come back that afternoon and spend our wonderful Christmas together after we had both had fun mornings. [but] “No, they were gone,” Peterson says. “I said goodbye to Laci and then my family left.”
