In the warehouse Scott rented to store the boat, police found a round plastic bucket containing a concrete block with a homemade handle, which Scott said he used as an anchor for the boat. When asked where the remaining cement was, Scott replied that he had thrown it away. On the boat in the warehouse, there was a pair of needle-nose pliers, and a strand of Laci’s hair was found on the pliers.

Buckets of cement police found in Scott’s boat shed. Photo: Toutiao

According to Scott’s testimony, he recently purchased a 4.3-meter fishing boat and a two-day fishing permit valid for December 23rd and 24th. On December 24th, regretting that his permit was about to expire, Scott drove to the boat storage facility, used a trailer to tow the boat to Berkeley Wharf in San Francisco Bay, 144 km from his home, to fish for sturgeon. At 12:54 PM, Scott arrived at the parking lot at the wharf, with a parking ticket as proof.

Scott fished for over an hour without catching a single fish, and it started raining, so at 2:25 PM he prepared to go home and called his wife. Since no one answered, he left a voicemail. He arrived home at 4:30 PM, found the door locked, Laci wasn’t home, and the dog was locked in the backyard. Scott assumed Laci had just gone out and would be back, so he took a shower and ate something quick to eat. When his wife still hadn’t returned by evening, Scott called his mother-in-law.

Scott’s testimony was coherent and clear, but the police still found too many problems. It was Christmas Eve, the weather had been bad during the day, and no one would drive 144 km to go fishing. Furthermore, he left for home after less than an hour and a half. The fishing rod he used was unsuitable for catching sturgeon at sea. Even when the police asked what bait was needed for sturgeon fishing, Scott couldn’t answer and became angry.

The number of people participating in the search for Laci increased rapidly, at one point reaching 1,500. Laci’s family even posted a reward notice, which increased from $25,000 to $250,000, and finally to $500,000. The entire United States was in a frenzy over this disappearance.

Nearly a week later, a woman named Amber Frey from Madera County, more than 100 kilometers from Laci’s home, called the police, claiming to be Scott’s mistress and able to provide some clues.

Amber had only known Scott for less than two months, and he said he was still single. She provided the police with all call logs, text messages, and recordings from the time she met Scott until now, and agreed to wiretap her phone with Scott.

According to police, on December 31st, Laci’s family and volunteers held a prayer service for her, attended by approximately 1,200 people. Scott arrived very late and refused to share any memories with Laci. During the prayer service, Scott even called Amber, exchanging affectionate and playful remarks.

Two weeks after Laci disappeared, Scott began selling his wife’s car, selling their shared home, and contacting lawyers for advice on various matters.

Scott and Laci on their wedding day. Photo: Toutiao

On February 10, 2003, Laci’s due date, her family and volunteers held a prayer service for her, with many media outlets covering the event. But this time, Scott resolutely refused to participate.

Later, when the police investigated Scott’s house again, they discovered that the room originally prepared for their unborn child had been converted into a storage room, crammed with miscellaneous items. Many signs indicated that Scott knew for certain his wife and child would never return. But all of this remained mere speculation.

More than three months after the crime, someone discovered an incomplete child’s body in a marshy area on the coast 6 kilometers north of where Scott was fishing. Police expanded their search and found a severely decomposed female body nearly 2 kilometers away.

From the maternity dress she was wearing, it was clear she was pregnant. According to the test results, the two bodies were those of Laci and her child, who had been missing for several days. Because they had been submerged in water for so long, the exact time of death and cause of death could not be determined.

Having determined that Laci and her mother were dead, the police decided to arrest Scott. By this time, he was only 48 kilometers from the Mexican border, his brown hair dyed blonde. In his car, the police found $15,000 in cash, his brother’s ID, his sister’s credit card, his mother’s gas card, a map, four mobile phones, and some camping survival gear.

On June 1, 2004, Scott appeared in court accused of murdering his wife and son. The case had very little physical evidence, lacking direct proof. The prosecution called a total of 174 witnesses, hoping to use their large numbers to convict Scott, including Scott’s mistress who testified for seven consecutive days.

The prosecution argued that Scott was irresponsible, unfaithful in his marriage, wanted to have a vasectomy, and even didn’t want children. He didn’t want to live a life bound by responsibility and desired a free, single life, which led him to commit the crime.

Scott Peterson on trial, June 2004. Photo: Toutiao

Scott is accused of murdering Laci at home, then using the excuse of going fishing to transport the body to the beach, encasing it in concrete, and disposing of it underwater. The concrete was allegedly cast by Scott in his warehouse.

If Scott insisted on fishing on Christmas, there were many more suitable fishing spots near his home, and there was absolutely no need to travel 144 km to San Francisco Bay. Most coincidentally, the location where he was fishing was very close to where Laci and her child’s bodies were discovered.

Scott’s defense attorney tried to prove the opposite. According to him, Scott’s infidelity was just a normal male mistake. The police found Laci’s hair on the boat, but since they were married, it was normal for Laci’s hair to be on Scott’s person; then, the hair accidentally got caught on the tongs.

On November 12, 2004, after more than five months of trial, the jury unanimously found Scott guilty of two counts of murder, sentencing him to life imprisonment without parole.

On October 21, 2005, the court ruled that Laci’s mother was entitled to the $250,000 life insurance payout that Scott had purchased for his wife.