Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The case of Scott Peterson, who murdered his wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son, has become the subject of hit documentaries and movies. On Christmas Eve 2002, Scott’s pregnant wife went missing. Months later, her body was washed ashore in San Francisco Bay, a mile from where the fetus was found. At the time, all evidence incriminated Scott, who stood trial in the double murders.
Reportedly, a jury convicted Scott Peterson on two counts of murder in 2004, reported CNN. The following year, he received a death sentence. Later, in 2020, the Supreme Court in California overturned Scott’s death sentence, handing him life in prison without parole. Now, the Los Angeles Innocence Project, a non-profit that works to exonerate those wrongly convicted, has taken up the case. The organization is representing him in light of new evidence that can prove his innocence.
Scott Peterson’s case marked a turning point in popular culture as hit documentaries and movies covered it extensively. Popular documentaries include The Murder of Laci Peterson and Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery. A few other movies are The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story and Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution.
The Murder of Laci Peterson
One of the top documentaries chronicling Scott and Laci Peterson’s case, the six-part series premiered in 2017. Episode by episode, the limited series examines the infamous case from the beginning with Laci’s disappearance. Each part follows the case as it progresses including the discoveries of the missing mother-to-be’s body and her fetus.
The documentary series also looks into Scott, who becomes “the most hated man in America” once accused of the murder. Additionally, it sheds light on the sensational trial and the theories that surfaced after the controversial conviction.
The Murder of Laci Peterson is now streaming on Hulu, Channel 4, and A&E.
Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery
ID’s Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery is another of the case’s explosive documentaries. It premiered in late 2017 and offers detailed insights into Scott’s sensational media trial. The film, which was developed 15 years after the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, reexamines “key players” in the controversial case, per the IMDb synopsis.
Scott Peterson: An American Murder Mystery is available to watch online on Discovery+, Max, and other platforms.
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story
The hit thriller mystery movie premiered in 2004 when the case against Scott Peterson in his wife’s murder was still unraveling. Dean Cain stars in the lead role as Scott in Roger Young’s film that covered the case during its early stages. It chronicles how detectives, throughout their investigation into Laci’s disappearance, discovered critical evidence that led them to Scott as the primary suspect.
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story also stars Tracy Middendorf as Amber Frey, Scott Peterson’s then-girlfriend. Frey proved crucial to the case as she secretly recorded calls between her and Scott. These call recordings were substantial in Scott’s conviction. Frey was also the prosecution’s star witness in the sensational murder trial.
Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution
In the 2005 mystery thriller movie, Moloney plays Amber Frey, who was Scott Peterson’s girlfriend when Laci Peterson went missing. Frey, provided essential information during the murder investigation that helped detectives build a case against Scott. She also offered detailed testimony at his 2004 trial as the prosecution’s star witness. Peter Werner directs the film alongside producer Robert F. Phillips.
According to the California Department of Corrections, Scott Peterson is now incarcerated in the Mule Creek State Prison.
