>> THIS WAS A PERFECT TRUE-CRIME CASE.
IT HAD MYSTERY, MURDER, SEX, MEDIA OBSESSION.
>> HEY, SCOTT, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL THESE CAMERAS POINTED
AT YOU?
>> I'M JACK LEONARD.
I'M SENIOR EDITOR OF INVESTIGATIONS AT THE
"LOS ANGELES TIMES."
>> POLICE IN MODESTO, CALIFORNIA, HAVE VERY FEW LEADS
IN THE SEARCH FOR LACI PETERSON, A 27-YEAR-OLD PREGNANT WOMAN
WHO VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE ON CHRISTMAS EVE.
>> WHOEVER HAS HER, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET HER GO,
BRING HER BACK.
>> Reporter: IT'S ONE OF THE MOST SENSATIONAL MURDER CASES IN
YEARS-- SCOTT PETERSON ACCUSED, CONVICTED, AND SENTENCED TO
DEATH FOR KILLING HIS PREGNANT WIFE AND DUMPING HER BODY
IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
BUT NOW, THERE'S A NEW TWIST.
>> CALIFORNIA'S HIGHEST COURT OVERTURNED THE DEATH PENALTY
FOR SCOTT PETERSON, WHO WAS CONVICTED OF MURDERING HIS WIFE.
>> THE VERDICT DID NOT CLEAR UP ANYTHING.
THERE'S NO SMOKING GUN IN THIS CASE.
THIS MAN MURDERED LACI PETERSON.
>> THE PROSECUTION COULDN'T TELL YOU WHEN IT HAPPENED, THEY
COULDN'T TELL YOU WHERE IT HAPPENED, THEY COULDN'T TELL YOU
HOW IT HAPPENED, AND THEY COULDN'T TELL YOU WHY IT
HAPPENED.
>> SCOTT, IF YOU COULD SEND A MESSAGE TO YOUR WIFE NOW...
>> THIS WAS SUCH A FAMOUS CASE.
EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT.
CHRISTMAS EVE, 2002.
YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN, LACI PETERSON.
SHE'S EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT.
SUDDENLY, SHE VANISHES.
>> WE'RE SEARCHING, WE'RE LOOKING, AND WE'RE GOING TO FIND
YOU.
>> HER FAMILY IS DISTRAUGHT, BUT, AS THE REPORTERS SHOW UP,
THEY SAY THAT HER HUSBAND, SCOTT PETERSON, IS NOT SHOWING
THAT KIND OF EMOTION.
PEOPLE WONDER, "WHAT IS HE HIDING?"
>> WHILE INVESTIGATORS ARE FOCUSING ON LACI'S HUSBAND,
THEY ARE NOT CALLING HIM A SUSPECT.
>> IT TURNS OUT SCOTT PETERSON WAS HIDING SOMETHING.
HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND...
>> SCOTT TOLD ME HE WAS NOT MARRIED.
>> ...AMBER FREY.
>> WE DID HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP.
>> AND SUDDENLY, YOU HAD SCOTT PETERSON DECLARED AS THE MOST
HATED MAN IN AMERICA.
>> NOBODY BELIEVES YOU.
NOBODY I'VE RUN INTO BELIEVES ANY PART OF YOUR STORY.
>> IT WAS A CIRCUS THERE.
IT WAS A FULL-ON MEDIA FEEDING FRENZY.
>> GUESS WHAT, SCOTTY?
>> SAN QUENTIN'S YOUR NEW HOME.
>> THIS CASE SPAWNED MADE-FOR-TV MOVIES AND A BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE,
"GONE GIRL."
>> 20 YEARS LATER, THIS CASE STILL HOLDS A LOT OF INTEREST,
MOSTLY BECAUSE IT REMAINS AN ENDURING MYSTERY.
>> SCOTT DID NOT GET A FAIR TRIAL.
>> I JUST DON'T BELIEVE A PERSON CAN COMMIT A MURDER AND
TRANSPORT A BODY 90 MILES AND NOT LEAVE SOME TRACE OF
EVIDENCE.
>> Reporter: YOU THINK THIS IS ENOUGH TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
MY NAME IS JANEY PETERSON.
I AM SCOTT AND LACI PETERSON'S SISTER-IN-LAW.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT THE POLICE NEVER MADE A FOLLOW-UP
VISIT WITH THEM.
WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING TO GET TO THE TRUTH.
EVERYTHING ON THIS BOARD IS A FACT.
>> THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S COME OUT THAT'S MADE ME CHANGE MY
VIEW THAT SCOTT GOT A FAIR TRIAL AND THAT SCOTT IS THE ONE
WHO KILLED LACI.
>> THE WRONG PERSON'S IN PRISON, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
>> WELL, I GUESS IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL
PEOPLE THAT BELIEVE THE EARTH IS FLAT, TOO.
Captioning sponsored by CBS >> Reporter: THAT'S THE INFAMOUS
SAN QUENTIN PRISON, THE LAST STOP FOR MEN ON DEATH ROW HERE
IN CALIFORNIA AND WHERE OUR STORY BEGINS, BECAUSE THAT'S
WHERE SCOTT PETERSON REMAINS BEHIND BARS.
>> NOBODY BELIEVES YOU.
NOBODY I'VE RUN INTO BELIEVES ANY PART OF YOUR STORY.
>> Reporter: FOR YEARS, I'VE HEARD ABOUT THE PETERSON STORY,
A MURDER MYSTERY THAT CAPTIVATED AMERICA.
>> LACI AND HER UNBORN CHILD DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE.
>> Reporter: PETERSON WAS ULTIMATELY CONVICTED OF
MURDERING HIS PREGNANT WIFE, LACI, AND THEIR UNBORN CHILD,
CONNER.
HE WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH.
>> SCOTT PETERSON, GUILTY OF A CRIME OF A MURDER.
[ CHEERING] >> Reporter: BUT SCOTT
PETERSON'S DEATH SENTENCE HAS SINCE BEEN THROWN OUT, AND
SEVERAL QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE HE IS INNOCENT, THAT HE WAS
RAILROADED, EVEN FRAMED.
OTHERS SAY THERE IS NO QUESTION HE IS GUILTY.
IT WAS JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS SAME BAY NEARLY 20 YEARS
AGO, THE BODIES OF LACI PETERSON AND HER UNBORN CHILD, CONNER,
WASHED UP ON SHORE.
CHRISTMAS EVE, 2002.
LACI PETERSON WAS FIRST REPORTED MISSING BY HER FAMILY.
>> POLICE IN MODESTO, CALIFORNIA, HAVE A MYSTERY ON
THEIR HANDS.
A WOMAN WHO IS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE
TUESDAY, WHEN SHE LEFT HOME TO TAKE HER DOG FOR A WALK.
>> Reporter: IT HAPPENED IN THE CITY OF MODESTO IN CALIFORNIA'S
CENTRAL VALLEY.
SCOTT AND LACI PETERSON LIVED HERE ON A QUIET RESIDENTIAL
STREET.
>> CHRISTMAS DAY MORNING, ABOUT 9:00, I GET A CALL.
I WAS A POLICE DETECTIVE AT MODESTO POLICE DEPARTMENT.
>> Reporter: DETECTIVE JON BUEHLER WORKED THE CASE FROM THE
BEGINNING.
>> LACI WAS AS ABOUT AS PURE A VICTIM AS YOU CAN GET.
>> Reporter: SHE WAS ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT WHEN SHE
DISAPPEARED.
>> WE WENT OVER TO THE PETERSON HOUSE, WHICH IS WHEN I FIRST MET
SCOTT.
>> Reporter: AND THE DETECTIVE REMEMBERS NOTICING SOMETHING ODD
ABOUT SCOTT'S BEHAVIOR.
>> HE WAS A LITTLE BIT-- HE JUST DIDN'T SEEM INTERESTED.
>> Reporter: BEFORE THE SUN ROSE ON CHRISTMAS DAY, POLICE
INTERVIEWED PETERSON.
>> YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE LACI IS?
>> I DO NOT.
>> YOU GUYS DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS?
MARRIAGE PROBLEMS?
>> NO.
>> EVERYTHING'S GOOD?
>> MM-HMM.
>> Reporter: SCOTT TOLD POLICE THAT CHRISTMAS EVE DAY HE LEFT
LACI ALONE AND WENT OFF A FISHING TRIP.
HE SAID WHEN HE GOT HOME LACI WASN'T THERE; ONLY THEIR DOG,
MACKENZIE.
>> MACKENZIE'S THERE IN THE FRONT YARD AREA, THE STREET
AREA, WITH A LEASH ON THAT'S KIND OF MUDDY.
AND HE'S THINKING THAT THIS IS KIND OF STRANGE.
WHY WOULD THAT BE?
HIS THEORY WAS THAT SHE HAD GONE DOWN INTO THE PARK AND HAD BEEN
WALKING THE DOG, AND SOMETHING HAPPENED DOWN THERE-- ABDUCTION
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> Reporter: POLICE IMMEDIATELY STARTED A SEARCH.
>> OFFICERS RETURNED IN FORCE THIS MORNING, COMBING THE PARK
AND CREEK BANK ON FOOT AND ON HORSEBACK.
RELATIVES, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS JOINED IN DISTRIBUTING FLIERS
AND SEARCHING THE PARK.
>> YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
>> Reporter: BUT BUEHLER SAW NO SENSE OF URGENCY FROM SCOTT
PETERSON.
>> NO, I MEAN, I'VE ASKED YOU A COUPLE TIMES WHAT TO DO, UM,
SO I HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT.
>> OFTENTIMES, A VICTIM WHO'S LEFT BEHIND IS FIRING TONS OF
QUESTIONS AT US, AND WE DIDN'T GET ANY OF THAT FROM HIM.
>> Reporter: THE RESPONSE FROM EVERYONE ELSE CLOSE TO LACI WAS
VERY DIFFERENT.
>> WE'RE SEARCHING, WE'RE LOOKING, AND WE'RE GOING TO
FIND YOU.
>> EVERYBODY WAS GOING CRAZY.
EVERYBODY WAS IMPATIENT.
>> WHOEVER HAS HER, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET HER GO.
BRING HER BACK.
>> [ CRYING]: PLEASE, LET US HAVE HER BACK.
>> Reporter: FAMILY, FRIENDS, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY MOBILIZED
IMMEDIATELY TO JOIN THE SEARCH FOR LACI.
>> WE'RE ASKING THAT YOU LOOK FOR WOMEN'S CLOTHING.
>> SHARON ROCHA, LACI'S MOM; HER HER STEPDAD, RON GRANTSKI; HER
FRIENDS; HER BROTHER, BRENT; HER SISTER, AMY-- THEY JUST SAW THIS
WHOLE WORLD COMING DOWN.
THEY WERE ALWAYS STRUGGLING TO HOLD BACK TEARS.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TO SCOTT, HE ALWAYS WOULD HOLD BACK A LITTLE
BIT.
HE WOULDN'T SHOW YOU ALL OF HIS CARDS.
>> OFFICERS BEGAN A SEARCH OF THE COUPLE'S HOME LATE LAST
NIGHT.
>> WE KNEW WE HAD TO FOCUS ON HIM FROM THE START BECAUSE
THAT'S THE WAY YOU WORK A HOMICIDE.
>> NOBODY'S BEEN RULED OUT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW.
BECAUSE GENERALLY THERE'S GOING TO BE SOMEBODY WITH MOTIVE, AND
GENERALLY THE MOTIVE IS GOING TO BE SOMEBODY CLOSE.
>> Reporter: ON THE MORNING OF LACI'S DISAPPEARANCE, SCOTT TOLD
POLICE HE DROVE TO THIS BOAT LAUNCH, ABOUT 90 MILES AWAY
FROM HIS HOME.
HE SAID HE WANTED TO TAKE HIS BRAND-NEW BOAT OUT ON THE WATER
TO GO FISHING FOR STURGEON, BUT HE NEVER CAUGHT A SINGLE FISH.
AS HE DROVE HOME, HE CALLED LACI AND LEFT A MESSAGE ON HER PHONE.
>> HEY, BEAUTIFUL.
I JUST LEFT YOU A MESSAGE AT HOME, 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.
>> IT SEEMED LIKE A VERY SCRIPTED MESSAGE.
IT JUST, IT SEEMED PHONY TO ME.
>> Reporter: SKEPTICAL DETECTIVES ALSO WONDERED WHY
SCOTT WOULD HAVE GONE FISHING IN THE FIRST PLACE; IT WAS
CHRISTMAS EVE, AND HIS WIFE WAS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT.
PETERSON TOLD INVESTIGATORS HE HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO GOLF
THAT DAY, BUT DECIDED TO GO FISHING BECAUSE OF THE CHILLY
WEATHER.
IT SEEMED TOO COLD TO PLAY GOLF AT THE CLUB SO...
>> YOU GOT A GUY WHO CHANGES HIS ALIBI FROM GOLF TO FISHING
BECAUSE HE SAID IT WAS TOO COLD TO GOLF, BUT IT AIN'T TOO COLD
TO GO FISHING?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
>> Reporter: DAY AFTER DAY...
>> SIR, DO YOU MIND IF I GIVE THIS TO YOU?
>> Reporter: THE SEARCH WIDENED...
>> THAT'S LACI PETERSON.
>> WHOEVER HAS LACI, THE REWARD IS $500,000.
TAKE THE MONEY, BRING MY DAUGHTER BACK SAFE, AND TAKE THE
MONEY AND GO GET AWAY FREE.
>> Reporter: ...AND THE STORY SPREAD.
>> FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAD AN ATTRACTIVE-LOOKING COUPLE.
AND, WHY WOULD A PREGNANT WOMAN SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR WHEN SHE'S
GOT PLANS TO BE WITH HER FAMILY?
AND IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE, SO THERE'S NOTHING ELSE GOING ON IN
THE NEWS.
SO, THIS ATTRACTED ATTENTION FIRST OF ALL FROM LOCAL NEWS,
AND THEN NATIONAL, AND THEN IT WENT GLOBAL.
>> Reporter: BUT HOPES FOR FINDING LACI PETERSON ALIVE
WERE FADING.
>> WE STILL DON'T HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANT LEAD INTO FINDING
LACI PETERSON.
>> PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP ON US.
>> PLEASE SEND LACI BACK TO US.
>> Reporter: AND POLICE CONTINUED TO PLAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO SCOTT PETERSON.
>> OUR DISCOVERIES DURING THE INVESTIGATION HAVE NECESSITATED
THE REVISITING OF THE PETERSON RESIDENCE WITH A SECOND SEARCH
WARRANT.
>> Reporter: THEY ALSO ASKED HIM TO TAKE A POLYGRAPH.
HE REFUSED.
>> SCOTT TOLD US THAT HE WOULDN'T TAKE THE POLYGRAPH, AND
SO THAT ARCHED OUR EYEBROWS A LITTLE BIT, THAT HE WOULDN'T
TAKE THIS THING.
>> RECENTLY, INVESTIGATORS RELEASED PHOTOS OF PETERSON'S
PICKUP AND BOAT, HOPING SOMEONE COULD BACK UP HIS STORY.
>> GOT A QUICK COMMENT?
>> Reporter: BOTH SCOTT AND LACI'S FAMILY STOOD WITH HIM.
>> I MEAN, SCOTT, THERE IS NO WAY IN GOD'S GREEN EARTH THAT HE
IS, YOU KNOW, EVEN REMOTELY INVOLVED IN THIS THING.
>> WE FEEL SCOTT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR LACI, AND WE'RE GOING TO FIND HER.
>> Reporter: THEN, IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A BREAK IN THE
CASE.
>> WE RECEIVED A TIP YESTERDAY.
>> Reporter: DETECTIVES DISCOVERED THERE HAD BEEN
BURGLARY RIGHT HERE, JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PETERSON
HOME.
ONE WITNESS TOLD POLICE SHE BELIEVED THAT BURGLARY HAPPENED
THE SAME MORNING LACI DISAPPEARED.
BUT POLICE QUICKLY PUT THAT CLUE TO REST.
>> WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE HAVE THE PEOPLE IN CUSTODY FOR THE
BURGLARY, AND THEY ARE NOT CONNECTED WITH THE MISSING OF
LACI PETERSON.
>> Reporter: THEN, ABOUT A MONTH AFTER LACI WENT MISSING...
>> SHE IS PREPARED TO GIVE A STATEMENT.
>> Reporter: ...THIS CASE TOOK A DRAMATIC TURN.
>> THE FIRST BIG BREAK WE GOT IN THE CASE WAS, OF COURSE, AMBER
COMING FORWARD.
>> WE DID HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP.
>> I WANTED TO CALL YOU.
>> THANK YOU!
>> HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BE WITH, SOMEONE TO SPEND THE
REST OF HIS LIFE WITH.
>> Reporter: AMBER FREY HAD NO IDEA HER BOYFRIEND, SCOTT
PETERSON, WAS MARRIED WITH A PREGNANT WIFE.
SHE TOLD "INSIDE EDITION" ALL ABOUT THEIR LOVE AFFAIR.
>> YOU KNOW, I WAS AT A POINT IN MY LIFE THAT I WAS READY TO MEET
SOMEONE, TOO.
>> Reporter: AMBER WAS 27 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE MET PETERSON.
IT WAS NOVEMBER 2002, A MONTH BEFORE LACI WENT MISSING.
AMBER SAYS SCOTT TOLD HER HE WAS A WIDOWER.
THEY DINED ON STRAWBERRIES AND CHAMPAGNE, AND SHE WAS BEGINNING
TO FALL FOR HIM.
>> IT WAS REAL FOR ME, AND IT FELT REAL FOR HIM, TOO.
>> A WOMAN WHO IS EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE
TUESDAY...
>> Reporter: BUT AFTER A FRIEND SAW THE PETERSON STORY IN THE
NEWS, HE TOLD AMBER, AND AMBER CALLED THE POLICE.
DETECTIVE BUEHLER AND HIS PARTNER RACED DOWN TO AMBER'S
HOME.
>> HER RECALL WAS FANTASTIC.
IT WAS ALMOST LIKE IT WAS A SCRIPT FROM A HALLMARK TV SHOW
OR SOMETHING.
SHE COULD REMEMBER RESTAURANTS THEY WENT TO AND WHAT THEY ATE.
SHE COULD REMEMBER WHAT SCOTT WAS WEARING.
SHE WOULD REMEMBER WHAT SHE WAS WEARING.
>> Reporter: AND AMBER HAD PICTURES.
>> YOU KNOW, SCOTT'S IN A TUX.
AMBER'S IN THAT RED DRESS.
THEY'RE GETTING READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARTY.
>> Reporter: THAT CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS JUST A WEEK AND A HALF
BEFORE LACI WOULD GO MISSING.
THE DETECTIVES WERE STUNNED.
>> WE HAD A GUY WHO LOOKED LIKE THE GUY YOU WANT TO MARRY YOUR
YOUNGER SISTER.
BUT NOW, WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS THAT CHINK IN THE ARMOR.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE KILLED LACI, BUT WHAT IT MEANT TO US
IS, THERE WAS ANOTHER SIDE TO HIM THAT HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED
BEFORE.
>> Reporter: INVESTIGATORS SAW AN OPPORTUNITY--
MAYBE AMBER COULD HELP THEM FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO LACI.
>> THEY ASKED HOW I FELT ABOUT TAPE-RECORDING CONVERSATIONS
WITH SCOTT, AND I SAID YES.
>> SHE HAD AN INVESTMENT, AN EMOTIONAL AND A BUDDING
ROMANTIC INVESTMENT IN THIS GUY.
I THINK SHE SAW IT CRUMBLING IN FRONT OF HER.
>> Reporter: THE RECORDINGS WOULD BECOME PART OF A DAMNING
CASE AGAINST SCOTT, BUT, FIRST, AMBER ADDRESSED THE QUESTIONS
ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP.
>> SCOTT TOLD ME HE WAS NOT MARRIED.
I AM VERY SORRY FOR LACI'S FAMILY AND THE PAIN THAT THIS
HAS CAUSED THEM.
>> HEY, SCOTT, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY?
>> Reporter: LACI'S FAMILY TURNED ON HIM.
>> I WOULD LIKE SCOTT TO KNOW THAT I TRUSTED HIM.
HOWEVER, SCOTT HAS NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING WITH INFORMATION
REGARDING MY SISTER'S DISAPPEARANCE, AND I AM ONLY
LEFT TO QUESTION WHAT ELSE HE MAY BE HIDING.
>> IT WAS HUGE, IT WAS WILD, AND IT MADE THE CASE EVEN
BIGGER.
YOU REALLY HAD THE RISE OF THE 24-HOUR CABLE NEWS.
YOU HAD LARRY KING ON THERE INTERVIEWING LEGAL EXPERTS,
INCLUDING NANCY GRACE.
ALMOST FROM THE BEGINNING, SHE WAS ZEROING IN ON SCOTT.
>> WHY DID HE LEAVE HIS WIFE ALONE, EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT, ON
CHRISTMAS EVE?
>> Reporter: SCOTT GAVE AN INTERVIEW TO ABC'S DIANE SAWYER
WHILE LACI WAS STILL MISSING.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE MARRIAGE, HE APPEARED TO REFER TO LACI IN
THE PAST TENSE.
>> WE TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER VERY WELL.
SHE WAS AMAZING... IS AMAZING.
>> YOU EVER HEARD THE PHASE, "A SLIP OF THE TONGUE"?
>> Reporter: AND THERE WAS ANOTHER INTERVIEW SCOTT GAVE
WITH THEN-CBS REPORTER GLORIA GOMEZ.
>> WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE LACI ALONE TO GO FISHING ON CHRISTMAS
EVE?
>> OKAY.
>> Reporter: SCOTT EXPLAINS THAT, AS A COUPLE, THEY HAD
DIFFERENT INTERESTS.
>> WE HAVE SEPARATE PURSUITS.
AND BEING, YOU KNOW, SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS PREGNANT, SHE'S NOT
GOING TO WANT TO GO OUT IN A BOAT.
>> Reporter: BUT CRITICS OF SCOTT SAY THE MOST SURPRISING
MOMENT MAY BE WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SCOTT'S PHONE BEGAN TO RING
DURING THE INTERVIEW.
>> SO I...
[ PHONE RINGING] >> Reporter: LACI WAS MISSING,
AND SCOTT DOESN'T PICK UP THE PHONE.
>> YOU WANT ME TO TURN THAT OFF?
>> YEAH, WHAT IS THAT?
>> THAT'S MY PHONE, UNFORTUNATELY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS OFF.
YEAH, IT'S KIND OF GOING CRAZY, ISN'T IT?
>> HE DIDN'T HESITATE TO TURN IT OFF.
AND SOME WOULD SAY THAT, IF YOU'RE A CONCERNED HUSBAND, IF
YOUR WIFE IS MISSING, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE THAT CELL PHONE
CLINGING TO YOU, AND EVERY CALL WOULD BE AN URGENT CALL.
>> Reporter: AND THEN, MORE THAN THREE MONTHS AFTER LACI
DISAPPEARED HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY, OVER HERE, THE
BODIES OF LACI AND CONNER WASHED UP, ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY FROM
WHERE SCOTT PETERSON SAID HE WAS FISHING.
WITH THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES, DETECTIVES DECIDED TO
MOVE QUICKLY.
>> OUR CONCERN WAS, MAYBE HE'S GOING TO HEAD FOR THE BORDER.
>> Reporter: AUTHORITIES FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH SCOTT AT A SAN
DIEGO GOLF COURSE.
HE TOLD THEM HE WAS SUPPOSED TO PLAY A ROUND WITH HIS FATHER.
HE ALSO HAD ABOUT $15,000 IN CASH, AND HIS HAIR WAS DYED
BLOND.
>> HE HAD HIS BROTHER'S DRIVER'S LICENSE IN THE CAR WITH HIM, TWO
OR THREE CELLPHONES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, NOT THE NORMAL STUFF YOU HAVE IF YOU'RE GOING
DOWN TO THE LOCAL WINN-DIXIE TO GET GROCERIES.
>> SCOTT PETERSON HAS BEEN ARRESTED.
HE IS IN THE CUSTODY OF MODESTO POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVES.
>> Reporter: JUST OVER A YEAR LATER, HERE IN REDWOOD CITY,
CALIFORNIA, SCOTT PETERSON WENT ON TRIAL.
THE TRIAL HAD BEEN MOVED ABOUT 90 MILES FROM MODESTO BECAUSE OF
THE HUGE AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY.
>> THIS IS A CAPITAL CASE.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT MY CLIENT'S LIFE.
>> Reporter: PETERSON HAD A HIGH-PRICED HOLLYWOOD DREAM TEAM
OF ATTORNEYS, LED BY MARK GERAGOS, FAMOUS FOR DEFENDING
CELEBRITIES LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON.
>> IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN REDWOOD CITY.
>> Reporter: WHAT DID THE STATE SAY THEY BELIEVED HAPPENED?
>> WHICH PART OF THE TRIAL?
[ LAUGHS] THEY CHANGED THEIR STORY A
COUPLE TIMES.
>> Reporter: ATTORNEY MICHAEL CARDOZA ALSO WORKED ON SCOTT
PETERSON'S CASE, AND, THOUGH HE WAS NOT PART OF THE COURTROOM
DEFENSE TEAM, HE SAYS THE PROSECUTORS' THEORY OF WHAT
SCOTT DID TO LACI WAS CONFUSING.
>> FIRST, IT WAS, HE KILLED HER THE NIGHT BEFORE, PUT HER IN THE
RUG, PUT HER IN THE TRUCK, TOOK HER TO THE WAREHOUSE, TOOK HER
TO BERKELEY AND DUMPED HER IN THE BAY.
THEN, LATER, IT WAS, "YEAH, I GUESS WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHEN
SHE WAS KILLED, WHERE SHE WAS KILLED, BUT WE DO KNOW HE DID
IT."
WELL, COME ON, GUYS, MAKE UP YOUR MIND.
>> Reporter: BUT THE CASE AGAINST SCOTT WOULD GET A LOT
CLEARER WHEN PROSECUTORS STARTED PLAYING THOSE RECORDINGS, THE
ONES AMBER FREY MANAGED TO SECRETLY MAKE.
[ PHONE RINGING]
>> Reporter: JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WHO WAS INSIDE THIS COURTHOUSE
AT THE TIME AGREES IT WAS THE TAPE-RECORDED PHONE CALLS
BETWEEN AMBER FREY AND SCOTT PETERSON THAT REALLY GRABBED THE
JURY.
TAKE A LISTEN TO THIS.
>> Reporter: THAT'S SCOTT PETERSON, ONE WEEK AFTER LACI
WENT MISSING, ON THE PHONE WITH AMBER, PRETENDING HE'S CALLING
FROM PARIS, WHEN AUTHORITIES SAY HE WAS REALLY IN MODESTO WHILE
THE SEARCH FOR LACI WAS STILL GOING ON.
>> DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE DISAPPEARANCE OF LACI
PETERSON?
>> AMBER FREY.
SIMPLY.
THAT'S WHAT TURNED THAT TRIAL.
IT WAS THE PRETEXT PHONE CALLS THAT AMBER FREY MADE TO SCOTT
PETERSON.
>> Reporter: THEY WERE PRETTY DAMNING.
>> THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT'S WHAT CHANGED THIS TRIAL.
>> Reporter: AS JURORS LISTENED, AMBER CONFRONTS PETERSON ABOUT
LACI.
>> I DESERVE TO UNDERSTAND AN EXPLANATION OF WHY YOU TOLD ME
YOU LOST YOUR WIFE AND THIS WAS THE FIRST HOLIDAYS YOU'D SPEND
WITHOUT HER?
THAT WAS DECEMBER 9.
YOU TOLD ME THIS, AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN YOUR WIFE'S MISSING?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
>> I NEVER CHEATED ON YOU.
I NEVER DID.
>> YOU'RE MARRIED!
HOW DO YOU FIGURE YOU NEVER CHEATED ON ME?
EXPLAIN THAT ONE TO ME.
>> Reporter: AFTER THE JURY HEARD THOSE CALLS WITH AMBER,
ATTORNEY CARDOZA SAYS EVERYTHING CHANGED.
SO, YOU'RE SAYING THE EMOTION, THE HIGH EMOTION HERE DROWNED
OUT THE FACTS THAT WERE INTRODUCED BY THE DEFENSE?
>> THAT EMOTION WAS SO LOUD, THEY COULD HEAR NOTHING ELSE.
>> Reporter: AND THEN, WITH CROWDS GATHERED OUTSIDE AND NO
CAMERAS ALLOWED IN COURT, ON NOVEMBER 12, 2004, A VERDICT.
>> WE, THE JURY IN THE ABOVE ENTITLED CAUSE, FIND THE
DEFENDANT, SCOTT LEE PETERSON, GUILTY OF THE CRIME OF MURDER
OF LACI DENISE PETERSON.
[ CHEERING] [ HORNS HONKING]
>> WHEN THE GUILTY VERDICT CAME BACK, YOU COULD HEAR THE
CROWD OUTSIDE WHEN YOU WERE IN THE COURTROOM, CHEERING.
[ CHEERS] CHEERING.
YOU DON'T THINK THE JURORS HEARD THAT?
WHAT KIND OF EFFECT DID THAT HAVE ON THE NEXT PHASE OF THE
TRIAL, THE DEATH?
>> Reporter: FOUR MONTHS LATER...
>> WE, THE JURY IN THE ABOVE ENTITLED CAUSE, FIX THE PENALTY
OF DEATH.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] >> Reporter: SENTENCED TO DEATH,
THE APPLAUSE WAS EVEN LOUDER...
>> OH, MY GOD.
[ CLAMORING] >> CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY.
>> Reporter: ...BUT, INSIDE THE COURTROOM, IT SEEMED TO LACI'S
FAMILY THAT SCOTT HARDLY RESPONDED.
>> IT WAS JUST LIKE ALWAYS-- NO EMOTION, NO NOTHING.
THE MAN IS A DEFINITE PSYCHOPATH.
HE IS GETTING EXACTLY WHAT HE DESERVES.
>> I'VE GOT PLENTY.
THERE'S MORE COMING UP.
>> Reporter: AFTER THE SENTENCING, SOME OF THE JURORS
LASHED OUT AT PETERSON.
>> HE IS A JERK, AND I HAVE ONE COMMENT FOR SCOTT: YOU LOOK
SOMEBODY IN THE FACE WHEN THEY'RE TALKING TO YOU.
>> WELL, SCOTT CAME IN WITH A GREAT BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE,
LAUGHING.
IT WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE FOR SCOTT.
BUT HE'S ON HIS WAY HOME, SCOTT FIGURES.
WELL, GUESS WHAT, SCOTTY?
>> SAN QUENTIN'S YOUR NEW HOME.
>> AND IT'S ILLEGAL TO KILL YOUR WIFE AND CHILD IN CALIFORNIA.
>> JUROR NUMBER SEVEN, MISS NICE-- LISTEN TO WHAT SHE SAYS.
>> SAN QUENTIN'S YOUR NEW HOME.
>> YOU'VE JUST SENTENCED A MAN TO DEATH, AND YOU'RE THAT BOLD
IN YOUR STATEMENTS?
YOU'D THINK YOU'D BE A LITTLE INTROSPECTIVE ABOUT THAT,
BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING WORSE, NOTHING MORE ULTIMATE, NOTHING
MORE FINAL THAN TAKING SOMEONE'S LIFE.
SCOTT PETERSON, I HAVE NO OPINION ON WHETHER HE'S GUILTY
OR NOT GUILTY, BUT I DO KNOW SCOTT DID NOT GET A FAIR TRIAL.
HE ABSOLUTELY DID NOT.
>> Reporter: SCOTT'S ATTORNEYS FILED APPEALS, AND, NEARLY 16
YEARS AFTER HIS CONVICTION, A DECISION.
LAST SUMMER, AS SCOTT SAT BEHIND BARS IN SAN QUENTIN, THE
CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT THREW OUT HIS DEATH SENTENCE.
>> THE SUPREME COURT SAID, "HE IS GOING TO GET A NEW TRIAL ON
THE DEATH PENALTY PHASE."
>> Reporter: PAT HARRIS WAS PART OF SCOTT'S DEFENSE TEAM IN THE
ORIGINAL TRIAL, AND HE CONTINUES TO REPRESENT HIM.
>> THEY DETERMINED THAT THE JUDGE HAD MADE A MISTAKE IN HOW
THE JURORS WERE SELECTED, BASED ON THE DEATH PENALTY PART OF THE
TRIAL.
>> Reporter: THE RESULT OF THAT MISTAKE, SCOTT SUPPORTERS SAY,
WAS THAT THE JURY WAS STACKED AGAINST HIM, WITH PRO-DEATH
PENALTY JURORS.
SCOTT'S TEAM IS ALSO ARGUING THAT IT'S NOT JUST HIS DEATH
SENTENCE THAT WAS ALL WRONG.
THEY SAY SCOTT DESERVES A COMPLETELY NEW TRIAL TO
DETERMINE GUILT.
AND THE REASON?
THAT JUROR, NUMBER SEVEN, RICHELLE NICE.
>> ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE JURORS WHO WAS INTERVIEWED, HE
SAID THAT SHE WALKED INTO THE JURY ROOM AND SAID, "WHAT ARE WE
WAITING FOR?
LET'S GET RID OF THIS GUY."
>> Reporter: NICE DECLINED OUR REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW.
HARRIS MAINTAINS THAT NICE WAS BIASED FROM THE BEGINNING, AND,
WHEN THEY WERE PICKING THE ORIGINAL JURY, NICE WAS NOT
FORTHCOMING ABOUT HER OWN HISTORY.
>> IT'S PRETTY CLEA THAT SHE LIED TO US, STRAIGHT TO OUR FACE
ABOUT HER OWN SITUATION.
>> Reporter: PROSPECTIVE JURORS FILLED OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE
ASKING IF THEY HAD IN THE PAST BEEN IN A LAWSUIT, AND IF THEY
HAD BEEN CRIME VICTIMS.
AND NICE CHECKED NO.
>> AND WE'VE COME TO LEARN THAT, IN FACT, THERE WERE ISSUES IN
HER OWN CIRCLE OF PEOPLE, AND THERE WERE RESTRAINING ORDERS.
>> Reporter: IN FACT, NICE WAS INVOLVED IN TWO DOMESTIC
DISPUTES IN THE PAST.
BUT PROSECUTORS SAY WHEN NICE FILLED OUT THAT QUESTIONNAIRE,
SHE DIDN'T LIE; SHE JUST DIDN'T THINK HER PAST EXPERIENCES WERE
RELEVANT TO THE QUESTION, AND SHE DIDN'T SEE HERSELF AS A
VICTIM.
NOW, A LOWER COURT WILL CONSIDER IF PETERSON WILL GET A
COMPLETE RETRIAL, AND HIS DEFENDERS ARE READY.
>> EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION WE FIND OUT ABOUT THIS DAY
FURTHER CONFIRMS THAT SCOTT IS INNOCENT.
>> Reporter: SCOTT'S SISTER-IN- LAW, JANEY PETERSON, SAYS THERE
ARE WITNESSES WHO CLAIM THEY SAW LACI VERY MUCH ALIVE AFTER SCOTT
HAD ALREADY LEFT FOR HIS FISHING TRIP THAT DAY.
AND YOU THINK THIS IS ENOUGH TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> Reporter: WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW?
>> THIS IS OUR FAMILY BUSINESS.
AND WE HAVE A BACK OFFICE HERE THAT WE'VE DEDICATED TO THE CASE
FILES...
>> Reporter: OH, WOW.
>> ...FOR SCOTT'S CASE.
>> Reporter: SO, THIS IS REALLY THE WAR ROOM, HERE?
>> Reporter: AND SCOTT'S SISTER- IN-LAW, JANEY PETERSON, HAS BEEN
AT WAR, FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS NOW.
EVEN THOUGH SCOTT HAS ONLY BEEN GRANTED A NEW TRIAL ON THE DEATH
PENALTY, JANEY IS GEARING UP TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE.
>> JANEY IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE-- THE CASE.
>> I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT EMOTIONS,
I'M TALKING ABOUT EVIDENCE.
EVERYTHING ON THIS BOARD IS A FACT.
THERE'S NO SCENARIO OF GUILT FOR SCOTT.
>> Reporter: MUCH OF THE CASE FOR SCOTT, SHE SAYS, COMES DOWN
TO THE TIMELINE, WHAT HAPPENED THE MORNING LACI DISAPPEARED.
>> IF SCOTT PETERSON IS GUILTY, WHAT TIME DID HE COMMIT THIS
CRIME?
HE'S ON DEATH ROW FOR THE MURDER OF HIS WIFE AND CHILD, AND NO
ONE HAS EVER SAID WHAT TIME HE DID THIS CRIME, HOW HE DID THIS
CRIME, OR THE SERIES OF EVENTS OF HOW HE CARRIED OUT THIS CRIME
THAT FITS THE EVIDENCE.
BASICALLY, THE DAY STARTS ON THE LEFT SIDE.
>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO SCOTT, THAT MORNING, HE AND LACI HAD
BREAKFAST AND WATCHED MARTHA STEWART.
>> YOU REMEMBER WHAT PART YOU SAW?
>> COOKIES OF SOME SORT.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH MERINGUES.
>> OH, YOU WANT TO MAKE LITTLE MERINGUES?
>> OH, THAT WOULD BE NICE.
>> Reporter: SCOTT TOLD POLICE LACI WAS GOING TO CLEAN THE
HOUSE AND THEN WALK THEIR DOG, MACKENZIE.
HE TOLD THEM THAT HE LEFT THE HOUSE AROUND 9:30 A.M.
HE SAID HE WENT TO A NEARBY WAREHOUSE WHERE HE HAD AN OFFICE
AND SENT AN EMAIL FROM HIS COMPUTER BEFORE SETTING OFF WITH
HIS BOAT TO THE BERKELEY MARINA.
THE PROSECUTION ARGUED THAT SCOTT HAD KILLED LACI SOMETIME
BEFORE HE LEFT THE HOUSE THAT MORNING.
>> THE STATE ASSERTS THAT SCOTT MURDERED LACI AND THAT HE LOADED
HER BODY IN HIS PICKUP, DROVE IT TO HIS WAREHOUSE.
>> Reporter: BUT IF LACI WAS SEEN ALIVE AFTER SCOTT LEFT THE
HOUSE, JANEY SAYS THE PROSECUTION'S CASE FALLS APART.
THERE'S AN ABUNDANCE OF EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS THAT LACI WAS ALIVE
WHEN HE LEFT FOR THE DAY.
>> Reporter: WHAT DOES THIS SHOW HERE?
>> THE PINK SQUARES ARE ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHO
REPORTED SEEING LACI OR MACKENZIE THAT MORNING.
>> Reporter: JANEY SAYS MOST OF THESE WITNESSES REPORTED THE
SIGHTINGS BETWEEN 9:45 AND 10:30 IN THE MORNING, AFTER SCOTT SAID
HE LEFT THE HOUSE.
SHE SAYS SO MUCH DEPENDS ON THESE WITNESSES, BUT THE DEFENSE
NEVER CALLED THEM TO DEFEND SCOTT AT HIS TRIAL.
BUT IF SO MANY PEOPLE SAW LACI, CLAIM TO HAVE SEEN LACI AFTER
THAT POINT, WHY DIDN'T THE DEFENSE BRING THEM TO THE STAND
SO THAT WE COULD HEAR FROM THEIR MOUTH WHAT THEY SAW?
>> I THINK THERE WERE MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT PLAYED INTO IT.
YOU HAD PEOPLE WHO, AS TIME WENT BY, THOUGHT THAT MAYBE WHAT THEY
SAW WASN'T RELEVANT TO THE CASE.
>> THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM BECAUSE WE DIDN'T CALL
SOME WITNESSES WHO SAW LACI THAT DAY.
>> Reporter: SCOTT PETERSON'S ATTORNEY, PAT HARRIS:
>> THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT PROCESS AT THE TIME WAS, A NUMBER OF THE
WITNESSES WHO SAW HER DIDN'T HAVE GREAT MEMORIES OR HAD
CONTRA-- WERE CONTRADICTING EACH OTHER.
>> Reporter: POLICE DETECTIVE JON BUEHLER SAYS NONE OF THE
WITNESSES WERE ACTUALLY SURE IF THEY DID IN FACT SEE LACI.
>> THERE WERE THREE GIRLS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, TWO OF WHICH WERE
PREGNANT AT THE TIME, AND TWO OF THEM HAVING DOGS WALKING IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, IT WOULD BE REAL EASY FOR SOMEBODY TO MISTAKENLY SEE ONE
OF THOSE THREE GIRLS AS BEING LACI.
>> Reporter: STILL, JANEY PETERSON SAYS THERE IS A WITNESS
WHO HELPS PROVE LACI WAS ALIVE AFTER SCOTT LEFT THAT MORNING.
IT WAS THE MAILMAN.
>> WHAT THE MAILMAN SAID IS THAT "WHEN I WENT BY THE
PETERSON HOUSE THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 24, I WENT BY THERE
BETWEEN 10:30 AND 10:50."
THE GATE WAS OPEN, AND MACKENZIE WAS NOT ON THE PROPERTY.
>> Reporter: JANEY SAYS THAT'S BECAUSE LACI WAS OUT WALKING
MACKENZIE.
IF MACKENZIE HAD BEEN HOME, SHE ARGUES, HE WOULD HAVE BARKED
AT THE MAILMAN, BECAUSE HE ALWAYS DID.
>> AND THIS DOG, IN PARTICULAR, BARKED AT THAT MAILMAN EVERY
SINGLE DAY, WHETHER HE WAS BEHIND THE GATE OR IN THE HOUSE.
>> Reporter: SO, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS, DURING THIS TIME,
LACI HAD MACKENZIE, AND THEY WERE...
>> ON A WALK.
>> Reporter: AND, ACCORDING TO JANEY, IF LACI WAS OUT WALKING
HER DOG, THEN SCOTT, WHO WAS IN HIS OFFICE SENDING AN EMAIL,
COULD NOT HAVE KILLED HER.
BUT WHEN IT CAME TIME TO TESTIFY, THE MAILMAN DIDN'T HAVE
A CLEAR RECOLLECTION AND SAID "NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY"
HAPPENED THAT DAY.
MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY TO A NEW DEFENSE CASE, THOUGH, IS
WHAT JANEY BELIEVES ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO LACI.
INSTEAD OF SCOTT KILLING HIS PREGNANT WIFE, SHE SAYS IT'S
MORE LIKELY IT WAS THOSE BURGLARS WHO ROBBED THE HOUSE
JUST ACROSS THE STREET.
>> THERE'S TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT BURGLARY TO
SET IT ASIDE.
>> Reporter: THE DAY LACI DISAPPEARED, DECEMBER 24, THE
HOMEOWNERS LEFT TO GO ON A TRIP AROUND 10:30 IN THE MORNING.
SCOTT AND HIS TEAM BELIEVE THAT LACI ACTUALLY CONFRONTED THE
BURGLARS, AND SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED.
AND TO PROVE IT, THEY POINT TO WHAT THEY CALL THE "APONTE TIP."
>> THIS IS THE APONTE TIP.
THAT WAS THE CALL THAT WAS OVERHEARD BY LIEUTENANT APONTE
AT NORCO PRISON.
>> Reporter: LIEUTENANT XAVIER APONTE WAS A CORRECTIONS
OFFICER.
HE CALLED IN A TIP ABOUT A PHONE RECORDING HE HAD HEARD ABOUT A
MONTH AFTER LACI DISAPPEARED.
>> AND HE SAID HE HAD AN INMATE WHO WAS ON THE PHONE WITH HIS
BROTHER IN MODESTO DISCUSSING THE FACT THAT LACI HAD
ENCOUNTERED THE BURGLARS ACROSS THE STREET FROM HER HOUSE.
WHEN WE HEARD THIS, WE ALL THOUGHT, "WOW, MAYBE, MAYBE
THIS'LL GIVE US SOME ANSWERS AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO LACI."
>> Reporter: BUT REMEMBER, POLICE DISMISSED THE BURGLARY
EARLY ON.
>> WE DO NOT BELIEVE AT THIS TIME THAT THERE'S ANY CONNECTION
WITH THE MISSING OF LACI.
>> Reporter: AND HERE'S WHY.
>> THE POLICE FIGURED OUT WHO DID IT.
THEY ASKED THE CULPRITS, "WELL, WHEN DID YOU DO THIS?"
AND THE TWO GENTLEMEN THAT WERE ARRESTED SAID, "OH, IT WAS
DECEMBER 26, THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS."
>> Reporter: NOTON DECEMBER 24, WHEN LACI WENT MISSING, BUT TWO
DAYS LATER.
PETERSON'S DEFENSE ISN'T BUYING IT.
>> ON DECEMBER 26, THERE WAS A LINE OF MEDIA REPORTERS STANDING
OUTSIDE THE PETERSON HOME, UP AND DOWN THAT STREET.
THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU COULD BURGLARIZE A HOUSE WITH
ALL THOSE PEOPLE STANDING OUT THERE.
>> Reporter: BUT POLICE SAY THE BURGLARS BROKE IN THROUGH A BACK
DOOR ON THE 26th, OUT OF SIGHT OF THE STREET AND ANY REPORTERS
WHO MAY HAVE BEEN THERE.
AS FOR THE TIP ABOUT AN INMATE PHONE CALL FROM PRISON,
PROSECUTORS SAY THE PHONE CALL IS JUST HEARSAY.
STILL, PETERSON'S ATTORNEY SAYS IF SCOTT GETS A CHANCE AT A NEW
TRIAL, THAT BURGLARY WILL BE FRONT AND CENTER.
AND SO WILL THEIR THEORY OF THE CRIME, THAT SCOTT PETERSON WAS
ACTUALLY FRAMEDFOR HIS WIFE'S MURDER.
>> WHAT BETTER WAY TO GET OUT OF TROUBLE THAN GO PUT THE BODY
WHERE THE HUSBAND WAS?
>> Reporter: IN A 2017 A&E DOCUMENTARY, SCOTT PETERSON
SPOKE ABOUT THE MOMENT HE HEARD THE WORD "GUILTY."
>> Reporter: THOSE THOUGHTS SEEM STARKLY DIFFERENT FROM COURTROOM
REPORTS THAT DESCRIBE PETERSON AS "EMOTIONLESS."
>> SCOTT LOOKED PRETTY CALM AND EVERYTHING.
>> MAYBE HE DIDN'T DO IT, BUT WHY IS HE SMILING?
>> I DON'T FEEL HE HAD ANY REMORSE WHATSOEVER, AND THAT'S
WHAT PROVES HIS GUILT MORE THAN ANYTHING.
>> SCOTT HAD NO EMOTION ON HIS FACE.
SCOTT WAS BEING SCOTT.
>> Reporter: AND, ACCORDING TO HIS LAWYER, THAT LACK OF OUTWARD
EMOTION HURT SCOTT FROM DAY ONE.
>> I THINK THE BIGGEST PROBLEM I HAVE IS WHAT I CALL THE "HE
DIDN'T ACT RIGHT" EVIDENCE.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HOW TO ACT.
THERE'S NO PLAYBOOK ON HOW TO ACT WHEN YOUR WIFE HAS BEEN
MURDERED.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, WHEN YOU'VE BUILT THE NARRATIVE IN
YOUR MIND THAT HE'S GUILTY, WHATEVER SCOTT DID WAS GOING TO
BE INTERPRETED THROUGH THE LENS OF "HE'S GUILTY."
IT WAS A TERRIBLE INVESTIGATION FROM THE FIRST MINUTE.
>> Reporter: HARRIS SAYS AUTHORITIES HAD TUNNEL VISION.
HE CLAIMS THEY NEVER LOOKED AT OTHER POSSIBILITIES OR EVEN THE
LOGIC OF THEIR OWN THEORIES.
TAKE THIS VIDEO, FOR EXAMPLE.
>> WE DID AN EXPERIMENT WHICH WE FILMED.
>> Reporter: THE DEFENSE TEAM LOADED WEIGHTS INTO A BOAT.
>> WE TOOK THE EXACT WEIGHT.
WE HAD THE BOAT, SIMILAR.
WE RECREATED IT, DID A VIDEO.
AND SURE ENOUGH, WHEN THE BODY WAS DUMPED OVER, THE BOAT
FLIPPED.
THE JUDGE REFUSED TO LET IT IN.
>> Reporter: BUT THE SUPREME COURT SAID THAT THE JUDGE WAS
CORRECT NOT TO LET IT IN.
THEY SAID THE DEFENSE HAD USED A DIFFERENT BOAT, A DIFFERENT
MOTOR, IN DIFFERENT WEATHER, AND ONE OF THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES
WHO STEPPED ON THE SIDE OF THE BOAT TO LET IN WATER
AND ALLOW THE BOAT TO SWAMP.
THEY EVEN POINTED OUT THAT THE ORIGINAL JUDGE OFFERED THE
DEFENSE A CHANCE TO REDOTHE EXPERIMENT WITH THE ORIGINAL
BOAT AND SOMEONE WHO WAS NOT A DEFENSE EMPLOYEE, BUT THE
DEFENSE DECLINED.
STILL, JANEY SAYS, IF GIVEN A CHANCE, THE DEFENSE WILL PRESENT
OTHER EXONERATING EVIDENCE.
>> WE HAVE AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION THAT WE DON'T
DISCUSS PUBLICLY, BUT I GUARANTEE YOU THAT SCOTT WILL
NEVER BE CONVICTED OF CAPITAL MURDER AGAIN IN A COURT OF LAW.
>> Reporter: SOME OF THE MOST DAMNING EVIDENCE IS WHERE LACI
AND HER UNBORN CHILD WERE FOUND.
THEY WASHED UP VERY CLOSE TO AN AREA WHERE SCOTT PETERSON WAS
FISHING.
ARE YOU SAYING THAT'S JUST COINCIDENCE?
>> I'M NOT SAYING IT'S A COINCIDENCE.
I'M-- I-- I WOULD ARGUE IT WAS ON PURPOSE.
>> Reporter: ON PURPOSE?
>> ON PURPOSE.
>> Reporter: THEY CLAIM THAT PETERSON WAS ACTUALLY FRAMED FOR
THE MURDER, AND THE REAL KILLER OR KILLERS HELD ON TO LACI'S
BODY, EVENTUALLY DUMPING IT INTO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY.
>> HER BODY WASN'T TAKEN TO THE BAY DECEMBER 24.
THE BAY WASN'T SEALED OFF AS A CRIME SCENE.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE POINTS OF ACCESS DIRECTLY TO THE WATER,
24 HOURS A DAY.
I THINK THEY TOOK LACI, HAD LACI, REALIZED THE NATIONAL
ATTENTION THAT THIS CASE WAS GETTING, REALIZED THEY WERE IN
TROUBLE.
WHAT BETTER WAY TO GET OUT OF TROUBLE THAN GO PUT THE BODY
WHERE THE HUSBAND WAS?
>> Reporter: WHO IS "THEY" IN THIS SCENARIO?
>> WELL, I-- I CAN'T GET PAST THE BURGLARY.
>> THE TWO BURGLARS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THAT BOTH TOLD
CONSISTENT STORIES THAT WERE BACKED UP BY OTHER INDEPENDENT
WITNESSES.
>> Reporter: DETECTIVE JON BUEHLER, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL
INVESTIGATORS, SAYS BURGLARS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH LACI'S
MURDER.
AND THE IDEA THAT LACI WAS KIDNAPPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN
THAT NEIGHBORHOOD JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
>> WELL, HOW COME NOBODY SAW LACI GET ABDUCTED?
NOBODY SAW AN ABDUCTION IN BROAD DAYLIGHT WHERE A GIRL HAD A DOG,
AND THE DOG WOULD BE BARKING, AND A GIRL WOULD BE SCREAMING.
TELL ME HOW THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, BECAUSE I DON'T SEE IT.
>> Reporter: AS FOR THE IDEA THAT SCOTT WAS FRAMED...
>> WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO ABDUCT LACI
AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE MEDIA HAS INTENSE SCRUTINY AND
ATTENTION TO IT, AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE HER
90 MILES TO SAN FRANCISCO BAY, AND THEY'RE GOING TO PUT HER IN
THE EXACT SAME AREA THAT SCOTT SAID HE WAS FISHING IN?
ALL THE WHILE WE'RE DOING SEARCHES UP THERE, ALL THE WHILE
THAT THE MEDIA IS CAMPED OUT OVER THERE, THAT YOU'VE GOT COPS
AND DEPUTIES AND OTHER AGENCIES OVER THERE LOOKING INTO THIS.
YOU WANT TO TRY AND MAKE THAT STRETCH WITH ME, THAT SOMEBODY
IS GOING TO DRIVE FROM MODESTO TO BERKELEY TO TAKE A BODY OUT
THERE IN THE MIDST OF THAT?
WELL, I GUESS POSSIBLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL PEOPLE THAT
BELIEVE THE EARTH IS FLAT, TOO.
>> Reporter: THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IS NOT COMMENTING ON
THE DEFENSE'S THEORIES, BUT, AT PETERSON'S TRIAL, CONTRARY TO
WHAT THE DEFENSE ARGUED, PROSECUTORS LAID OUT THEIR
RELATIVELY CLEAR THEORY OF THE CRIME-- THAT LACI HAD BEEN
MURDERED IN THE HOME EITHER THE NIGHT BEFORE OR THE MORNING SHE
DISAPPEARED.
AND THEY FOCUSED ON ALL THE FALSEHOODS PETERSON HAD TOLD.
>> WE KNEW THAT HE WAS ABLE TO LIE FAIRLY EASILY.
>> Reporter: EVERYTHING, FROM THE BIG LIES HE TOLD TO AMBER
FREY...
>> Reporter: ...TO THE LITTLE LIES PROSECUTORS SAY HE TOLD
ABOUT THE MORNING LACI VANISHED.
REMEMBER, HE SAID HE LEFT HOME AROUND 9:30.
>> OKAY, SO, THEN, ABOUT 9:30, YOU LEFT?
>> MM-HMM.
>> Reporter: BUT THAT MARTHA STEWART SEGMENT ON MERINGUES HE
TALKED ABOUT WATCHING WITH LACI?
>> WE WERE WATCHING HER FAVORITE SHOW, MARTHA STEWART.
>> Reporter: THAT DIDN'T COME ON UNTIL 9:48.
>> OH, WANT TO MAKE LITTLE MERINGUES?
>> OH, THAT WOULD BE NICE.
>> RIGHT?
>> YOU HAVE TO DISMISS SO MUCH CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE IN THIS
CASE TO BELIEVE THAT SCOTT DIDN'T DO THIS.
AND A CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE CASE BECOMES LIKE A BIG ROPE.
IT'S GOT STRAND AFTER STRAND AFTER STRAND.
AND WHEN YOU GET SO MANY STRANDS WEAVED TOGETHER ON THIS BIG
ROPE, THIS ROPE IS VERY, VERY STRONG.
>> Reporter: BUEHLER REMAINS AS CONFIDENT AS HE EVER WAS IN
SCOTT'S GUILT, BUT SCOTT'S DEFENDERS ARE JUST AS CONFIDENT.
SO, ARE YOU SAYING HE'S INNOCENT?
>> YES.
>> Reporter: OR...
YOU ARE.
>> YES.
>> Reporter: YOU'RE SAYING HE'S INNOCENT.
>> OH, HE'S INNOCENT.
I WOULD BET MY LIFE ON IT.
>> Reporter: BOTH SIDES WAIT TO SEE IF THE COURT WILL ALLOW
PETERSON'S TEAM A CHANCE NOT JUST TO FIGHT THE DEATH PENALTY
BUT FOR HIS INNOCENCE, AS WELL.
UNTIL THEN, WE'RE LEFT WITH AN ALMOST UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY-- THE
MURDER OF 27-YEAR-OLD LACI AND HER UNBORN BABY, CONNER.
AND YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHAT'S GOING THROUGH SCOTT PETERSON'S
MIND AS HE SITS IN PRISON JUST A FEW SHORT MILES ACROSS THE BAY
FROM WHERE THEIR BODIES WASHED ASHORE.
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>> A MOTHER DISAPPEARS, TEXTING FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT SHE HAS
COVID.
>> THEY'VE ONLY TALKED TO HER VIA TEXT, AND SHE NEVER ANSWERED
HER PHONE.
>> WAS SOMEONE USING THE PANDEMIC TO COVER UP A KILLING?
>> SHE HEARD A BLOODCURDLING SCREAM.
>> "48 HOURS," SATURDAY AT 10:00, 9:00 CENTRAL, ON CBS.