American Murder: Where is Scott Peterson now?

With American Murder: Laci Peterson out now and Face to Face With Scott Peterson coming up, here’s what you need to know about the case and where he is now. 

As one of the biggest true crime cases in US history, there have been plenty of documentaries on the murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn child Conner over the years. But what’s unique here is that Netflix and Peacock are looking at it from completely different angles. 

While Netflix’s American Murder simply looks at the facts of the case while speaking with those close to it, including Scott’s girlfriend Amber Frey and Laci’s family and friends, Peacock’s upcoming docu-series is set to explore alternate theories while speaking directly to Scott. 

Which begs the question: where is he now? And, what’s happened since then? Warning: some may find this content distressing. 

Scott Peterson is behind bars… for now

Scott Peterson is currently serving a life in prison without parole sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in California. However, he’s fighting for a retrial. 

Despite the evidence against him, which led to a guilty conviction, Scott has maintained his innocence ever since his wife first disappeared in 2002. 

Earlier this year, it was reported that his case was picked up by the Los Angeles Innocence Project. It’s important to note that this is not affiliated with the Innocence Project. 

Even though both are nonprofits seeking to exonerate individuals who have been wrongly convicted, the main Innocence Project is a 501 legal organization. It shared a statement at the start of the year, noting that it’s not connected to the LA firm.

“On January 18, 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project filed motions seeking DNA testing and post-conviction discovery on behalf of its client, Scott Peterson,” it said. 

“Any and all inquiries about Mr. Peterson’s case should be directed to the Los Angeles Innocence Project, a non-profit organization wholly independent of the Innocence Project.”

As part of the case, the LA Innocence Project filed a request to have 14 items be tested or retested for DNA. But in May 2024, a judge in San Mateo County denied the request for all but one item – a piece of duct tape found on Laci’s pants. 

Although the tape was tested at the time, the DNA results were inconclusive. The nonprofit argued at a hearing that there’s insufficient DNA evidence to show Scott was guilty of the crime. 

However, as stated by David Harris, an original prosecutor from the trial (via ABC), “The defendant’s argument is that there’s a fundamental fairness request that requires this testing. The argument is flawed and legally incorrect.

“The defendant says that the prosecution should want to know, an attempt to shame us into agreeing to this test. The people know the truth – we know that Scott Peterson is guilty of, and has been convicted of, the murder of his wife and unborn son.”

The case is ongoing, and the test results are yet to come through. If they do come back with DNA that belongs to neither Laci nor Scott, it could lead to another trial. 

His role in the Laci Peterson case

Despite the lack of DNA evidence, there were numerous revelations that led to Scott receiving a murder conviction for his wife Laci and their unborn child, Conner. 

Laci was eight months pregnant with their first child when she was reported missing on Christmas Eve, 2002. That day, Scott claimed he’d gone fishing in the San Francisco Bay, around 90 miles from his home. 

This is despite the fact that he wasn’t a regular fisher, had secretly bought a boat and a fishing license just days before, and was searching for San Francisco Bay tides on his computer. 

Although there had been a burglary in the area around that time, those responsible for the crime were upfront about the fact that they had nothing to do with Laci’s disappearance, with Modesto PD detective Al Brocchini saying they were practically begging to take a polygraph to prove their innocence. 

When they did take the polygraph, they passed, whereas Scott turned down the opportunity to take the test.

But the biggest piece of evidence arrived when the authorities were contacted by a woman named Amber Frey. She had been Scott’s girlfriend, unaware that he had a wife, let alone that she was missing. 

Not only did Scott conceal the truth from Amber, but he failed to tell authorities this detail when Laci went missing. When Amber went to the police, she agreed to keep the act up so they could wiretap their phone conversations. 

During these chats, Scott repeatedly lied about the situation, even telling Amber that he was in Paris when he was actually at a vigil for Laci. Eventually, the police confronted Scott with a photo of him and Amber together. 

He tried to deny it at first, and shortly after called Amber to let her know the truth – that Laci had gone missing and he’d been married while they were together. 

What happened to Scott at the time?

In April 2003, when Laci and Conner’s bodies washed ashore just a few miles from where Scott had gone fishing, he was put on trial for murder. He was later sentenced to death, but this was overturned in 2020 and changed to life in prison without parole. 

On the day of his arrest, he was visiting family in San Diego, leaving the authorities worried as he was close to the Mexico border. 

After capturing him, they found he had dyed his hair the same dark blonde color as his brother’s – whose ID was discovered in Scott’s car, alongside nearly $15,000 in cash, knives, multiple credit cards and phones, and other survival equipment. 

In 2004, Scott was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of Conner. 

For more true crime, check out the top serial killer documentaries to watch right now, and read about what happened to Lou Pearlman, Melissa Witt, and Phil Spector.