It’s been 22 years since all eyes of the nation were trained on Modesto, California, in the wake of Laci Peterson’s disappearance.
Lifetime and true crime networks have created an entire cottage industry about women being murdered, and the odds are always in favor that the husband or significant other did it.
That’s why, as the story surrounding Laci’s disappearance emerged, pointing a finger at her husband, Scott, we couldn’t get enough of it.
And he looked so damn guilty.
My friend and I were actively discussing Face to Face with Scott Peterson when Variety dropped an article last night comparing Face to Face with American Murder: Laci Peterson, on Netflix.
We disagreed a bit about how it all went down, but we both knew that Scott was vilified in the public eye, and media coverage was rough. In the court of public opinion, he didn’t stand a chance.
But he didn’t do anything to help himself, and it appears neither did his defense, which had access to most of the evidence presented in Face to Face.
The case was incredibly circumstantial, but in most criminal cases, there is no smoking gun, so this isn’t unusual. It’s also not unheard of for accused parties not to take the stand in their defense.
In the case of Scott Peterson, the whole world was already rooting for him to be convicted.
Anything he said in his defense on the stand could have been wildly misconstrued. One wrong word could have painted an even bleaker picture.
Still, his actions have always left us wondering why he did what he did. While I’ve never had a doubt of his guilt, I have wondered why he made such a mess of things for himself. It’s hard not to put yourself in the accused‘s shoes.
That’s why Scott’s prison interview 20 years later piqued my interest, and it’s also why directors Shareen Anderson and Po Kutchins should be squirming a bit today, not to mention Scott and his family, who have stood steadfastly at his side.
Also up for debate is why the Innocence Project decided to take on Scott’s case.
When they get involved, it’s almost always because they believe they have proof of innocence. If that was the case, Face with Scott Peterson fumbled that ball, too.
Plenty of people were willing to explain why they believed a burglary across the street from the Peterson residence should have been more carefully considered during the trial. What they didn’t have was that smoking gun.
Twenty years later, and sentiment about Scott Peterson hasn’t changed. The interviews he gave at the time were hardly inconsequential, though. They did nothing to help him and much to vilify him further.
It didn’t help that American Murder: Laci Peterson dropped earlier than Face to Face with Scott Peterson. That documentary reminded us of who Laci was, how much she was loved, and what was lost when she and her baby, Connor, were taken from this earth.
Laci was vividly brought to life by her mother, Sasha Rocha, and her friends as they shared memories of her through photos, videos, and painstaking recollections of their time together.
American Murder also featured Amber Frey, who fell in love with Scott Peterson before she knew he had a wife and child on the way.
She was horrified to discover he was at the center of his wife’s disappearance and worked with authorities to paint an ugly timeline of the widower, and her voice still resonates.
With all of this history before us, you’d expect the Face to Face directors to ask tough questions.
It was an opportunity to tell his side of the story, painting a more nuanced portrait of the life he shared with Laci and the reasoning behind everything from his affair to why he was caught with dyed hair and a sack of money.
Frankly, even after all this time, he’s got a lot of explaining to do, especially if he wants people to take his quest for another trial seriously.
We’ve seen the power of the public’s backing through series like Netflix‘s Making a Murderer. If Scott could rally the public to his defense, the tide might change in his favor.
Scott has had 20 years to prepare for this interview. He came off as more personable and charming than he was in earlier interviews, so that’s something.
But the last thing this viewer wanted to hear about was how he and Laci shared the same bowl of cereal each morning or how much they were looking forward to their Christmas together.
If life was so Rockwellian, why was Amber in the picture? Why did he lie to her about so much?
Even the things he did address didn’t make sense. He didn’t tell anyone about Frey because he didn’t want the attention pulled away from finding Laci. Talk about hollow.
This was Scott’s chance to set the record straight and become humble and human. He needed to address what the public used to damn him, no matter how difficult.
When Anderson asked about Christmas Eve, she should have followed up by asking why his idyllic life wasn’t enough.
Do we have a right to know that? Of course not. But he’s fighting for his life, and to get a fair re-trail in the public eye, he needs to answer that question.
Alas, that time has passed. The documentary is done and dusted, revealing absolutely nothing of note. The defense won the right to test DNA evidence on some duct tape, but all other testing was dismissed.
That’s a shame. The public and Laci’s friends and family deserve for all evidence to be tested, regardless of Scott’s conviction. That’s not how our justice system works, though.
What Scott had with Face to Face with Scott Peterson was an opportunity to clear the slate, to gain some public sympathy for what he experienced and how badly he handled it. We all have regrets, after all.
Sadly, if the production had uncovered anything in that regard, it wound up on the cutting room floor. The odds that Scott will get another chance to set the record straight are highly unlikely.
So, we’ll file the case away again and let Laci rest in peace.
