Netflix true crime saga American Murder: Laci Peterson highlights a phone message Scott left to his wife on the day she went missing, but new details surrounding this call have also come to light.
The new documentary is a continuation of the American Murder true crime series, with the previous entry focusing on convicted murderer Chris Watts.
But rather than a feature-length episode, American Murder: Laci Peterson is split into three episodes, but for good reason – there are many moving parts to the case.
Although Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife Laci and his unborn son Conner in 2004 due to the substantial evidence against him, to this day he maintains his innocence and is currently fighting for a retrial.
After Scott reported Laci missing on Christmas Eve, 2002, Scott was initially interviewed by Modesto PD detective, Al Brocchini, where he claimed to have gone fishing that day. He handed over his mobile phone, showing he’d left Laci a message on the day she’d vanished.
In the recording, he said, “Hey beautiful. I just left you a message at home. It’s 2:15. I’m leaving Berkeley. I won’t be able to get to Vella Farms to get the basket for papa.
“I was hoping you would get this message and go on out there. I’ll see you in a bit, sweetie. Love you. Bye.”
Alongside this message, Scott’s cell phone records were raised in court – but it wasn’t the 2:15pm timestamp that concerned prosecutors.
According to Scott’s accounts, he left his Modesto home to go fishing at Berkeley Marina at approximately 9:30am on December 24.
But court documents show testimony indicating that cell tower records picked up Scott making a phone call from the area near his home at 10:08am.
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Why is this important? Because a neighbor gave a witness statement that they had seen the Petersons’ dog wandering alone at 10:18am that morning, suggesting Laci had already vanished.
This means there would have been just a 10-minute window for Laci to disappear after Scott left their house. The defense argued, however, that analyzing cell towers can be unreliable.
But the detail that goes unmentioned in the Netflix docu-series (though American Murder portrays the case in great depth) is that the 2:15pm voicemail Scott left Laci was the last time he called her cell phone.
Laci’s mobile was later found dead in her Land Rover, with records showing he hadn’t tried phoning it even when trying to search for the device – and Laci herself.
This has come into question over the years, with one Redditor sharing a chart of the call records while writing, “If Scott Peterson was innocent, he’d have called Laci’s cell phone looking for her.
“Before calling Sharon, or before calling 911, and certainly before calling dozens of Laci’s friends and going door-to-door.”
Right now, Scott is fighting to get a retrial after the LA Innocence Project picked up the case. In May 2024, a judge approved DNA testing on a piece of duct tape found on Laci’s body. The case is ongoing, meaning it’s currently unclear if a new trial will go ahead.
Until then, you can learn more by watching American Murder: Laci Peterson on Netflix. Peacock is also releasing a docu-series titled Face to Face with Scott Peterson on August 20. For more true crime, find out what happened to Lou Pearlman, Melissa Witt, and Phil Spector.