Scott Peterson, as seen in 2018 at San Quentin State Prison’s death row
Scott Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife Laci Peterson and their unborn child in 2004, has been seen in a new mugshot from death row at California’s San Quentin State Prison.
Laci’s case gripped the country when the bubbly young mom-to-be vanished in 2002. Scott would eventually be implicated in her murder after her body and the body of her unborn fetus washed up off the coast near Berkeley.
The now 45-year-old Scott has been sitting on San Quentin’s death row since his sentencing, where new mugshots are required every seven years. Scott was due a new photo and has no new reported crimes.
Scott was picked up by police three days after the discovery of his late wife’s body in April of 2003.
Cops found him in a parking lot where he claimed to be meeting his father and half-brother John for a round of golf.
At the time he was in possession of multiple cell phones, $15,000 in cash, 200 sleeping pills, his brother John’s ID, a dagger and a gun.
Scott, who was 30 at the time, also had a map to the workplace of his mistress and approximately 10 Viagra tablets.
In a rare death row interview that aired last year, Scott spoke about his mistress Amber Frey, and explained why he continued to speak with her after his wife was reported missing.
Laci Peterson (pictured with Scott) was eight-months pregnant when she was murdered in 2002. Scott was convicted in 2004 for the murder of Laci and their unborn child Connor
Scott was pictured being transported to San Quentin Prison death row after he was formally sentenced to death for the murder or his wife Laci and their unborn son
‘The overriding reason throughout it all was she starts giving media interviews, there is no more search for Laci and Conner,’ says Scott.
‘I’d just seen what happened to the search for Chandra Levy. There was no more search for her.’
He then adds: ‘Every hour I could buy to keep the search going is all solved if I bring Laci and Conner (his unborn son) home.’
Amber would eventually prove to be perhaps the most crucial witness in the case, providing the prosecution with their motive when she publicly announced that Scott had never told her that was married during their affair.
Both bodies were too decomposed to determine cause of death, which created a big hurdle given the lack of forensic evidence in the case.
‘There was no biological evidence, no forensic evidence, that pointed to the guilt of Scott Peterson whatsoever,’ argues a member of Scott’s legal team.
Scott goes even further, stating: ‘The police failed to find my family.’
The trial began in the summer of 2004 and Scott was sentenced to death by lethal injection in March of the following year.
An appeal of that decision was filed by his legal counsel soon after and is still pending after over a decade.
Scott recalls the moment he heard the verdict being read saying: ‘It was just like this amazing, horrible, physical reaction that I had. I couldn’t feel my feet on the floor. I couldn’t feel the chair I was sitting in. My vision was even a little blurry.’
He goes on to state: ‘And I just had this weird sensation that I was falling forward — and forward and down and there was going to be no end to this falling forward and down, like there was no floor to land on.
Scott and Laci are pictured on their wedding day with huge grins across their faces
‘I, I was staggered by it. I had no idea it was coming.’
The only forensic evidence that was found by police was a single strand of hair in a pair of pliers on his boat, which Scott had been on in the hours before he returned home to report his wife missing to police.
Witnesses claimed however that he spoke of his wife in the past tense and questioned his jovial and joking nature during the proceedings, where he could often be seen smiling and joking with his team.
Scott’s decision to dye his hair blond in the weeks before his wife’s body was found also perplexed many, who questioned how bereaved he really was for the missing woman.
The defense argued however that Laci’s death was likely connected to a burglary that occurred across the street from the house she shared with Scott.