Scott Peterson: Difference between revisions

Peterson's arrest and subsequent trial received significant American news media coverage until 2005, when he was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment sentenced to death] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_injection lethal injection]. He remains on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_row death row] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Quentin_State_Prison San Quentin State Prison] while his case is on appeal to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_California Supreme Court of California]. He maintains his innocence.

Frey told the police that two weeks before Laci's disappearance, Peterson had implied to her that he was a widower by saying that he had "lost his wife."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-9 [9]]</sup> During the trial, the audio recordings of Peterson and Frey's telephone conversations were played, and the transcripts were publicized. Their contents proved to be both revealing and, ultimately, damning to Peterson's character. For example, they revealed that in the days after Laci went missing, Peterson claimed to Amber that he had traveled to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris Paris] to celebrate the holidays, in part with his new companions Pasqual and François. In reality, Peterson made one of these phone calls while attending the New Year's Eve candlelight vigil in Modesto for his missing wife.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-10 [10]]</sup>

===Recovery of body===

On April 14, 2003, the remains of a fetus washed ashore from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay San Francisco Bay] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_California Richmond's] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Isabel_Regional_Shoreline Point Isabel Regional Shoreline],<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ptisabel_11-0">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-ptisabel-11 [11]]</sup> north of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Marina Berkeley Marina], where Peterson had been boating the day of Laci's disappearance. The next day, a partial female torso missing its hands, feet, and head washed ashore in the same area. The body was identified as Laci Peterson, the fetus as Laci's unborn child. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopsy Autopsies] were performed, but due to decomposition the exact cause of death could not be determined. The medical examiner did note that Laci had suffered some broken ribs (the 5th, 6th, and 9th ribs) prior to her death; these injuries were not caused by the body's dragging along the rocks in the bay. Prosecutors theorized that Laci may have been suffocated or strangled in the couple's home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-12 [12]]</sup> The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation FBI] and Modesto Police Department performed forensic searches of the couple's home, Peterson's truck, the tool box in the back of his truck, his warehouse, and his boat.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 17, 2005, Peterson arrived at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Quentin_State_Prison San Quentin State Prison]. Peterson was reported not to have slept the night before, being too "jazzed" to sleep, calling some to question his state of mind.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-38 [38]]</sup> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-39 [39]]</sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-40 [40]]</sup> Peterson joined other inmates in California's sole [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_row death row] facility while his case is on automatic appeal to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_California Supreme Court of California] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco,_California San Francisco]. ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic_Channel National Geographic]'' made a documentary on San Quentin prison, with Scott Peterson's admission to the prison covered in its Part Two.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson#cite_note-41 [41]]</sup>