Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Scott Peterson’s ex-girlfriend, Amber Frey, played a key role in his high-profile murder trial for the deaths of his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, Conner. Frey, who had previously recorded phone calls between her and Scott as a police informant, testified at his 2004 trial, which eventually resulted in his conviction. Prosecutors alleged that the defendant killed his wife because of his affair with Frey, per People Magazine. They alleged that he wanted to escape his marriage and forthcoming fatherhood.
Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant when she went missing on Christmas Eve in 2002. Four months later, her body washed ashore in San Francisco Bay, a mile from where the fetus was found. ABC News reported that Scott was the last person to have seen the 27-year-old alive that morning. He claimed that an unknown assailant killed his pregnant wife as she walked their dog. He further alleged that he left to go on a solo fishing trip that morning.
In November 2004, a jury convicted Scott Peterson of first-degree murder in Laci’s death and second-degree murder in Conner’s death. The following March, he received a death sentence, but California’s Supreme Court overturned his sentence in 2020. A judge then sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
However, earlier this year, the Los Angeles Innocence Project took up Scott’s case and is now “investigating his [Scott’s] claim of actual innocence.” The organization stated that newly discovered evidence may prove his innocence while linking Laci Peterson’s murder to a robbery.
Where is Scott Peterson’s ex-girlfriend Amber Frey today?
In her testimony, Scott Peterson’s ex-girlfriend Amber Frey alleged that he lied to her when their affair began in November 2002. According to CNN, Scott had told Frey, a Fresno massage therapist, that he was single when they began seeing each other. She came to authorities and told them about their extramarital affair on January 24, 2003, a month after Laci Peterson went missing.
Frey proved crucial to the case for acting as a police informant as they investigated Laci’s disappearance, reported CNN. She secretly recorded phone conversations between her and Scott after his wife went missing. In the call, Scott pretended to be calling from France, faked bad international connections, and complained about the time difference while being in Modesto.
Reportedly, Amber Frey later testified at Scott Peterson’s 2004 murder trial that the defendant had told her he was a widower. She alleged that Scott also lied to her about where he lived and where he traveled. Frey also testified that on December 23, 2002, the day authorities believed Scott killed his pregnant wife, he told his then-girlfriend about wanting to meet with a doctor to discuss a vasectomy.
ABC News reported that Frey spoke to 20/20 over a decade after Scott’s conviction. She not only talked about the case but also discussed the wiretapped calls. Frey claimed that she feared but took the risks to help law enforcement and expose the crime of her then-lover. She said, “[S]eeing this woman [Laci Peterson], knowing she’s missing [and] she’s pregnant. Being a mother … at that point, it wasn’t about me. It was about finding this woman.”
Scott Peterson’s ex-girlfriend, Amber Frey, was a single mother when they first met on November 20, 2002. At the time, Scott was a 30-year-old fertilizer salesman and they met through a mutual friend. Frey stated, “[H]e was good looking, he was nice, he was funny and attentive to me. All the things any woman would want.” She claimed to have only learned about Scott’s marriage after Laci Peterson went missing.
According to The U.S. Sun, Frey now lives in Fresno, California, and has two children—Ayiana Frey and Justin Dean Markovich. Distractify further stated that she once owned a spa in central California called Euphoria Day Spa. In January 2005, not long after Scott Peterson’s conviction, Frey published her book Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson. Then, in 2006, she married a police officer, Robert Hernandez. The couple divorced two years later.
Per The U.S. Sun’s December 2021 report, Frey was an ambassador for the pre-workout, supplement, and energy drink company Bucked Up. At the time, she was in a relationship with Bradley Buffan.
In December 2022, Amber Frey provided Fox News Digital with a statement via her attorney after a judge denied Scott Peterson’s bid for a retrial. Frey said, “It’s relieving to hear Scott Peterson will not get a new trial.” The ex-girlfriend claimed she “would have been willing to testify again. However, I am relieved that my testimony will not be necessary. If I were called to testify, I would give truthful testimony again, for the truth doesn’t change over time.”
Scott continues to serve his sentence in California’s Mule Creek State Prison as the Los Angeles Innocence Project re-investigates the case. Recently, on March 12, he made a virtual court appearance two decades after his conviction, reported USA Today. A judge has set two more hearings on April 16 and May 29. The convicted murderer will once again make virtual appearances for both.
Documentaries such as The Murder of Laci Peterson and Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery have previously chronicled the case.
