All language subtitles for How.It.Really.Happened.S02E10_English

♪♪

I don't care
what people think of me.

You know, as I've said,
question my moral character

if you want to
but look at your heart.

Think of Laci, her picture,
the baby,

and make the effort
to bring her home.

♪♪

♪♪

Welcome to
"How It Really Happened."

I'm Hill Harper.

A charming home town,
a beautiful young couple

with a new baby on the way,
sounds like the perfect life,

but not in this case,
not even close.

Scott and Laci Peterson
were surrounded

by family,
friends and love.

They seemed to have it all
until it all came crashing down,

when Laci,
who was 8 months pregnant,

vanished Christmas Eve 2002.

This is how it
really happened.

♪♪

Peterson:
You always look for someone
that completes you,

you know, that harmony.

You've seen her picture on the
flyers with the big old smile.

That tells you everything
you need to know about her.

Zahn: They seemed like
the all-American couple,

happily married,

anxiously awaiting the birth
of their first child.

She was girl next door,
and he was the adoring husband.

Rowlands:
People who knew them both said

that Scott was
the perfect husband

and seemed to dote on Laci,
and Laci was the bubbly wife.

Scott and Laci were both living
in San Luis Obispo.

She was a student.
He was working in a restaurant.

Zahn:
They met here at the Pacific
Cafe in Morro Bay in 1995

where Scott was waiting tables.

She didn't say she fell in love
with him at first sight,

but what she did tell me
was that she's met the man

that she's going to marry.

Zahn: Two years later,
they were married.

It was a gorgeous day in Avila
Beach, outdoor wedding, perfect.

Everything was just right
and a nice couple.

They were, like,
perfect for each other.

Chapman: If you knew Scott
and if you knew Laci,

they were the couple
everybody wanted to be.

I've never heard either of them
say anything against the other.

Zahn: Married and still in
college, Laci and Scott

opened this burger joint then
called "The Shack."

Man: They sold the business in
2001 when they moved to Modesto.

Reed:
They wanted to buy a home and
they wanted to go some place

where their family was there to
help support them.

Zahn:
People here in Modesto describe
Scott Peterson

as a warm, likable guy,
so did his family.

He's just such a --
such a wonderful young man.

He's -- he's gentle.
He's kind.

He's -- he's the kind of guy
that's going to pull over

on the freeway
if you have a flat tire.

Caudillo:
She and Scott were just thrilled

about the coming
of their baby boy.

This was a big event for them,

and everything was
going wonderfully.

Rowlands: Scott Peterson
told investigators

on the morning of 24th,
Christmas Eve day,

that he got up,
had breakfast with Laci.

She had cereal, and they --
together they watched

a "Martha Stewart"
show on -- on TV.

We're going to make a recipe
from the book.

Brocchini:
He decided he was gonna go
take his boat

out into the San Francisco Bay.

He said around 9:30,
quarter to 10:00, he left.

Laci was going to walk the dog
and do some errands

and prepare for a Christmas Eve
dinner at her parents' house.

Zahn: Christmas Eve, Laci took
her dog, McKenzie, for a walk.

That was her exercise routine
to just stay in shape

and you know, stay healthy
throughout the pregnancy.

Zahn:
Later that morning, McKenzie
was found but Laci wasn't.

A neighbor found the dog
at 10:30

and put it
in the backyard.

Scott and Laci's neighbor
found their dog, McKenzie,

wandering around
the neighborhood

with its leash still on,

so she took the dog and put it
into the Peterson backyard.

I got this really funky feeling
when I went in the backyard,

and I just kind of left.

I left the leash on the dog
and abruptly just left.

Christian:
As Scott was coming back
from the marina that day,

he tried to call Laci,

but he couldn't get
a hold of her,

and Scott told police later
that that concerned him.

He left a message for her.

He says,
"I called her cell phone,

went right to voice mail."

When Scott does get home,

he finds Laci's car
is in the driveway.

He finds the dog, McKenzie,
in the backyard

with his leash
still around his neck,

and he finds that
the house door is unlocked.

Reporter:
Scott called family members
to say

he had just come home
from a fishing trip

and couldn't find Laci
anywhere.

When he had called me and told
my that Laci was missing,

and I remember thinking
to myself,

"Missing?
What do you mean missing?"

♪♪

Grace: Was it her normal M.O.
to take the dog

for a walk in the mornings?

Yes, yes, she always took her
dog for a walk.

The initial officers that were
called to the scene

became very alarmed
and felt like they needed

to elevate
or escalate this call.

Fifteen minutes I think
after we had

the call,
we had eight,

I think eight cars down
there looking for her.

Officer:
Laci Peterson, last seen
wearing black pants

and a white pullover shirt.

On my way down,
I contacted the sergeant

that was in charge
of the patrolmen,

and I asked him to --
if he could,

just keep the house clean.

Don't let anybody else
in the house.

I could hear, you know,
helicopters.

I could hear patrolmen
in the park.

I knew there was a big search
going on.

When I came back, I mean,
the whole street was basically

filled with people --
her friends, acquaintances.

I was shocked when I came
around the corner.

Police and volunteers
are scouring the area around

Modesto, California.

The object of their search,
a 27-year-old woman,

8 months pregnant.

Brocchini:
When I first got there,

I met with the patrolman
and the supervisor.

They briefed me, and they
pointed out some things

that they felt were suspicious.

There's not any obvious
evidence of foul play,

but they notice a pale
and a mop.

Brocchini:
And they said the cement all
around the mop bucket was wet.

In their mind, it looked like
somebody had mopped

before they arrived.

I noted it in my report,
and then they introduced me

to Scott Peterson,
and he started calling me

Al right away,
but he wasn't distraught at all.

Scott consented
to a search of the home.

He had consented
to a search of his vehicles.

Brocchini:
I asked him if he could
search Laci's Range Rover

that was outside and his truck.

Inside Scott's truck, there was
a big five bag in the back seat.

It had some fishing lures
that were unopened.

He had a camo jacket inside the
truck that was dry to the touch.

I also found what looked like
a boat cover.

I mean, it was all scrunched up.

Karas:
On Christmas Eve, detectives
take Scott to his warehouse.

He tells them there's no
electricity at the warehouse,

so they shine their headlights
of the car inside,

so they can have
some illumination,

and they observe the boat.

When I'm in there
taking pictures of his boat,

he's got one homemade anchor
in the boat.

So they see an anchor
in the boat with the rebar

but no rope attached.

That was strange to me.

I am noticing things that aren't
sitting well with me

and making me do,

just out of instinct,
the next thing,

like interview him
on video tape.

He had already told me
the story, but I asked Scott

if he would come
to the department

and just go through it again

and you know, get it on tape,
and he -- he agreed.

I asked him questions like,

"Scott, how is your relationship
with Laci?"

Then the last thing
I asked him to do,

"Would you agree
to take a polygraph?"

We have received
credible witnesses

stating they saw her
in La Loma park.

Zahn:
The employee claims he saw her
on Christmas Eve

between 10:30 and 2:00.

If anybody knows anything,
please let us know.

Please bring our daughter home.

People go missing.

It's up to the family to keep
the story out there

and keep it alive
to bring them home.

Laci Denise, if you're hearing
dad,

we love you very much,
and we want you home.

Well, we're just out here
double-checking.

Zahn:
Police and FBI are combing the
city and surrounding farmlands.

They also searched the couple's
home and husband Scott's boat.

Laci Peterson's family
stands behind her husband,

who has kept a very low profile.

If anybody knows anything,
please let us know.

Please bring our daughter home.

The local media in the area
picked the story up right away,

looking for this young woman.

Within a week,

it went from a local story
to a national story,

and the entire country was now
looking for Laci Peterson.

We're continuing with all
of the sex offenders,

the people on parole,
on probation,

and looking
at the family members.

Brocchini:
I asked Scott, "would you agree
to take a polygraph?"

And he said he would,

and so I arranged for
a polygraph for Christmas Day.

A half hour before the polygraph
was scheduled,

Scott Peterson called us
and said that he,

on the advice of his dad,

had decided
he would not take the polygraph.

I realized this case
was bigger than me,

and my focus was Scott,
and so I knew I needed help.

The first detective I called in
was Jon Buehler,

and then later that day,
we called in Craig Grogan.

Detective Craig Grogan
was actually the lead detective

in our efforts to exclude Scott

and eliminate him
from suspicion in this case.

Brocchini:
We felt like we wanted
to go back in the house

and search for, you know,
evidence,

now of if she was abducted
or if somebody came in.

Buehler: And we drove back over
to Scott's house.

Al introduced me, I shook his
hand, I looked at him,

and what's not to like?

Good looking guy, pleasant, he
was subdued, he was controlled.

He didn't show any emotion.

The one thing
that I did notice is

he didn't really ask me
anything,

which was strange to me.

Brocchini:
Whether it's stated publicly
or not, suspect number one

tends
to be the spouse, right?

Typically in a case like this,
after a few days,

it become clears what happened,

but in this case because it went
on for multiple days,

many people started to shift
their attention towards Scott

because he is the husband,

and frankly, he wasn't acting
the way a normal husband

in that situation would act.

Why did he leave his wife alone
8 months pregnant

on Christmas Eve to go fishing
by himself?

Why?

Jordan:
The Rocha family adamantly
supported Scott.

He was married
to their daughter,

and the idea that he could be
a suspect was just unfathomable.

Scott's
just as worried as we are.

He is sick at heart about
what has happened to Laci.

We're all looking for Laci.

We all want her back.

Today marks 1 week since
a central California woman,

8 months pregnant,
vanished without a trace.

As time went on, when there was
absolutely no sign

of Laci Peterson,

that's when the search area
expanded,

and that's when
the questions really started.

What could have happened
to Laci Peterson?

How could Laci Peterson vanish
in thin air?

Where is this beautiful
pregnant woman?

♪♪

Ridenour: A week later,
that, we're hearing us,

this investigation
more concerned

than we were 5 to 6 days ago.

Dornin:
There will be a candlelight
vigil in about 2 hours

there in Modesto,
and a lot of folks

from the community
are expected to turn out.

I just pray
that you will continue to,

to protect Laci, God.

Ridenour:
As we continue to profile Laci's
background,

circumstances of her
disappearance,

and in view of the timing
of the holiday season,

it becomes more apparent
that her disappearance

is a result of foul play.

♪ Amazing grace
How sweet ♪

Wasden: I remember having
the vigil at La Loma park

and that there was
a really big turnout.

Laci was always a very upbeat
and positive

and outgoing person
and a very tough young lady,

and that's why
we're not giving up hope.

At Laci's vigil
on December 31st,

we know Scott's at the vigil.

He won't get on stage
with the rest of the family.

At the vigil, it became apparent
that there was a stark contrast

between Sharon Rocha,

who was a grieving, worried
mother, and Scott Peterson.

Reporter:
Scott Peterson raised eyebrows
and got stares of disbelief

as he laughed
and joked with friends

and even took a cell
phone call

while the rest of the family
was in tears.

It did not seem appropriate.

♪♪

Zahn: Eight months pregnant,
Laci Peterson disappeared

Christmas Eve
without a trace.

Reporter:
So far a massive search has come
up empty.

Wasden:
It's very frustrating.

I guess the frustration is that
we don't have anything new.

The last information we had
is that she was at home,

possibly in the park,

had a couple
possible sightings that day.

Karas:
That morning, after Scott left,

there were witnesses
who claim to have seen Laci

walking her golden retriever,
McKenzie.

We have received credible
witnesses

stating they saw her
in La Loma park

about 9:30, 10:00.

There was one woman
in particular that I remember.

I saw a lady walking her dog.

Her name was Vivian Mitchell.

She lived directly behind
the Petersons

on an adjacent street.

She was short,
had on a white top

and dark-colored trousers,
slacks, and her hair was dark.

She was convinced that she saw
Laci Peterson walking

her dog with her black pants the
morning of December 24th.

Mitchell:
Later when I saw the pictures of
Laci Peterson,

I thought that was her for sure.

She was one of several people
that came forward

and said they were convinced

that they saw
this pregnant woman

with a golden retriever
the morning of the 24th.

So that gave the family
some hope.

We need your help to find Laci.

We're still looking for Laci.

She's coming home alive.

Karas: Now another, yet
unconfirmed lead

is in a sporting goods store in
Modesto.

Reporter: An employee from the
sporting goods store

went to high school with Laci
and recognized her

when she walked in to the store.

Karas:
There's still no word on whether
she was in that store or not.

Reporter: The employee claims he
saw her on Christmas Eve

between 10:30 and 2:00.

There's a burglary that,
that occurred, um,

the morning
that Laci disappeared.

Laci may have interrupted
that burglary.

Someone may have seen Laci
being forced into the van.

Reporter:
Scott, if you could send
a message to your wife now,

what would you say to her?
-How are you...

Well, we just all hope
she's safe and she'll be back.

What else is there to say?

I mean, and we hope
that she's not

going through anything terrible.

Woman: Laci Peterson,
missing 10 days now,

and the clock is ticking.

Karas: A lot of eyes were turned
towards Scott,

but there were other occurrences
in the neighborhood

at the same time
that needed to be checked out.

There were several alternate
theories

that police did indeed
want to investigate.

There's a burglary
that we're, that occurred, um,

the morning
that Laci disappeared.

We're working very hard
to get that burglary solved.

Karas:
There was a burglary at a house
at 516 Covina Avenue,

which is right across the street
from where Laci and Scott lived.

They lived at 523.

The neighbors were gone
for a few days,

and when they came home,
they found out they had a safe

and some jewelry
and some things were missing.

Initially, the thought was
is that Laci

may have interrupted
that burglary.

Buehler: The close proximity
of their house

to the Peterson house told us,

"Well, we can't ignore this
because it could be related,

and maybe we're barking up
the wrong tree

here by looking at Scott."

Since the investigation started,

we've had two detectives
working that constantly.

They went out, and they started
hitting up all of their sources.

Brocchini:
And it was an all-out,
find out who did this burglary.

We had called in some outside
help

to bring in a bloodhound team

that can search
and track people.

Reporter:
From the trail that led
investigators to this park,

where she supposedly walked
her dog that morning,

seemed uncertain.

A bloodhound did not lead
his handler here,

but instead, indicated
she got into a car.

Brocchini:
We're in Laci's front yard.

The dog immediately
puts his nose to the ground.

His tail went straight up
in the air,

and the dog takes off,

but the dog runs right
to the middle of the street.

The handler says,
"Well, you know,

what the dog is telling me
is Laci left in a car."

If she left in a vehicle,
then whose was it?

One of the reports that came out
was that someone had seen

a brown van in the neighborhood
that caused a lot of suspicion.

King: CNN, Chris, has spoken to
a neighbor of the Petersons

who says he saw
a suspicious tan van

with a suspicious-acting man
in the neighborhood

the morning of Christmas Eve.

There's even these reports
that someone may have seen

Laci being forced into the van.

Detectives tracked the van
to a campground

and a man named Donnie.

Brocchini:
Donnie and a brown van
were seen on Christmas Eve

in the neighborhood,

and so I did become part
of that investigation.

Craig Grogan and I found Donnie
and the brown van

and his family living in it
in a campground in Merced.

Those were checked out.
Nothing, again,

that led us to believe
that they were connected,

but all those leads
are followed through.

We had their van towed
to the Department of Justice.

I mean, the van was filthy,

but there was no evidence
that Laci was ever in that van.

Christian:
Police were able to solve
the burglary

across the street
pretty quickly.

We found out who did
the burglary.

We interviewed 'em.

Christian:
The burglars were two men named
Steven Todd and Donald Pearce.

They confessed to the burglary
and cooperated

almost immediately
with Modesto PD.

Buehler: They wanted and did
take a polygraph.

There's a kind of an honor
code with some criminals,

where a crime like this,
a pregnant gal gets abducted,

the guys in jail
don't like that very much.

It was bad timing.

I was at a -- I was at the wrong
place at the wrong time.

Brocchini: They took polygraphs.

They passed with flying colors,
and those guys had nothing to do

with what happened
at Laci's house.

We were hoping that would
be connected,

but at this point,
we're being told that it's not.

Reporter:
There were nagging doubts
about Scott Peterson.

Police briefing reporters
tonight about their search

for a missing pregnant woman

talked at length
about her husband.

Grace:
Everyone, you are seeing photos
of Scott Peterson's boat,

his 2002 brown-colored
pickup truck.

Man:
If anybody has seen this truck,

this truck pulling
the boat trailer,

we really would like
to talk to them,

especially in the time frame
of Sunday through

Christmas Eve afternoon,

where they saw that
and what they saw.

I found out nobody, I mean
nobody, not his best friend,

not his parents,
nobody knows he has a boat.

When Ron had told me
that the detective had told him

that Scott
had launched the boat,

and I asked Ron,
"What boat?"

And he said, "I don't know.
I guess it's Scott's boat,"

and I said,
"Scott doesn't have a boat."

It turns out Scott had
other secrets as well.

Buehler: We received word
that the "National Enquirer,"

the tabloid publication,

had important information
about the Peterson case.

He would naturally want
to keep that secret.

My adrenaline went up.

I thought, "Oh, my gosh,
I can't believe it."

Woman: Here we go.
Here we go.

♪♪

Welcome back to
"How It Really Happened."

A week after Laci Peterson
vanished,

the Modesto Police
Department announced

that they suspect foul play,
and soon,

all eyes turn towards
the doting husband, Scott.

Investigators questioned
his odd behavior,

his changing stories,

and the biggest bombshell
of all was about to drop.

Reporter:
An expectant mother vanishes.

Questions still surround
her husband.

Reporter:
Does Scott Peterson know
more than

what he's saying
about his wife's disappearance?

I can't answer that.

Zahn: Peterson shied away
from reporters.

Reporter: Scott, why don't you
answer some questions?

Zahn: He said he wanted
the investigation

to focus
on his missing wife.

Laci's missing, and all
of the media time

should be spent
towards finding her,

and all of our energy should be
spent towards finding her.

I ask people to,

if they have any information,
call the tip lines.

Please do what you can
to bring her home.

After Laci Peterson's
disappearance,

Modesto police did reach
out to the public.

They wanted any help
they could possibly get.

While they were keeping it
under wraps,

police knew
that Scott had a secret.

We had a 24-hour-a-day tip line

manned by two, uh, clerks,
and they were just,

they were taking
hundreds of tips all day long.

And I called the Modesto
Police Department, and I said,

"I'm calling about the article
I had seen about Scott."

I wanted confirmation that
it was the same Scott Peterson.

On this day, I just happen to be
standing behind one

of the clerks, and I could see
her type...

"Scott Peterson is my
boyfriend."

Detective Al Brocchini took the
phone.

She told them her name
was Amber Frey

and that she'd been
dating Scott,

and they're exclusive,
and they talk every day.

Said, "Okay, don't tell
anybody you talked to me.

Don't tell Scott
you talked to me,

and I'll be right there."

Jon Buehler and I
drove straight to Madera,

and we met Amber.

I invited them in,
and it was very,

I mean, just very emotional.

And she told us about their,
their first night.

Frey: Scott and I had made
the arrangements to meet.

It was truly a blind date.

Scott had represented
that he was single

and that he was looking
for a relationship.

I thought he was attractive,
good-looking,

nice smile, you know,
a lot of potential.

Brocchini: Scott was staying
at a hotel down in Fresno,

and being the smooth operator
he is, he told Amber,

"I need to, uh,
hey, take a shower, you know,

go upstairs, change my clothes,
and then we'll go to dinner,"

so she agreed,
and they went upstairs.

Reporter: Frey said Peterson
surprised her

with champagne
and strawberries

and that they were
intimate that night.

Buehler: She was able to
chronologically detail

a storybook romance
of this knight in shining armor

that was good-looking
and dressed right,

said all the right things.

Well, we finished up
the interview with Amber.

The detectives asked if --
how I'd feel about

tape recording
our conversations.

Brocchini:
So Amber agreed to, you know,
work with us secretly,

record Scott's phone calls.

I bought Amber a tape recorder
and a wire for her cell phone,

and I plugged it in.

While Al was with Amber showing
her how to work this device,

so she could one-hand it,
her phone lights up.

Brocchini: Amber's phone rings,
and it's Scott.

And I remember they were both
surprised, like, "What?"

Like, they couldn't believe

that they were seeing
he was calling me.

And we pushed the button,
and she spoke to him.

I'm shaking. I'm nervous.
My hands are sweating.

Detectives are stunned
that less than a week

after this guy's wife
is missing,

he is calling
his girlfriend.

Police didn't know it then,

but Amber Frey was
the turning point in their case.

♪♪

How long have you been
seeing Scott?

On January 24th, Amber called me
freaking out

that the media was
at her place of employment,

and apparently, somebody had
figured out who she was.

Earlier this week,
the Modesto Police Department

was made aware
of an article

that was to appear
in the "National Enquirer,"

revealing new information
regarding Laci's case.

Detectives were concerned
that certain photos

of Scott and Amber
were going to be made public.

When Jon and I
were interviewing amber,

she says, "I have pictures
of Scott and I.

I took him to
the Christmas party."

Buehler:
They looked like a couple
in love.

Scott was beaming.

Amber was beaming, smiling,
having the time of their life.

So we don't want the Rochas or
the Petersons to be blindsided

by this photo
coming out in the "Enquirer."

The decision was made
that we had to tell both

the Peterson family

and the Rocha family
about these photos coming out.

At that time, the family members
were shown very recent pictures

of Scott and a girlfriend.

Buehler: I just remember Sharon
looked at it,

you know,
just instantly recognizable

that it was Scott
and this other girl.

She just started sobbing
and put her head in her hands

and just said,
"Why did he have to kill her?"

Today because of extensive
efforts

by some members
of the media,

Amber Frey was identified
and contacted by reporters.

We wanted and decided
to bring Amber forward.

We knew that we were going
to have to explode

this bomb,
if you will.

We were gonna have her
in front of the TV cameras.

As you know, across the country,

we are waiting
for a press conference

scheduled for this hour.

Ted, what do you expect?

We were told that there was
going to be

a press conference,
and we figured,

"All right, they're going to
talk about this girlfriend,"

but we weren't
expecting too much.

Woman: Here we go.
Here we go.

And then all of a sudden,
there she is.

♪♪

Okay. First of all, I met Scott
Peterson, November 20, 2002.

I was introduced to him.

I was told he was unmarried.

Scott told me
he was not married.

We did have a romantic
relationship.

Amber Frey walks out
in this press conference

and takes the podium and starts
talking about her relationship

with Scott Peterson.

I am very sorry
for Laci's family

and the pain
that this has caused them,

and I pray for her
safe return, as well.

Frey: After I gave my statement,

there were a few
of Laci's friends were there.

They each thanked me
for coming forward

and everything that I was doing.

I was also asked if I would meet
with Sharon at her home.

I wanted to thank her for
coming forward and doing that.

I could tell she was
scared to death.

Rowlands: Laci Peterson's family
instantly turned on Scott.

They had been behind him
100%.

When everybody else was saying,
"Oh, what about Scott?"

They were defending him
to the nth degree.

Laci's brother, Brent, picked up
the phone and called Scott

to confront him
about the affair.

Today was a very emotional day.

The Rocha family spoke
for the first time

since they found out
that Scott Peterson

had been having an affair.

They said in that
press conference

that they've
lost contact with him.

You would think that would end
the Scott and Amber relationship

now that it's out
in the open,

but Scott was eager
to keep Amber online.

Even after Amber Frey went
public with their relationship,

Scott Peterson continued to call
her and attempt to woo her.

What he didn't know
was all of his phone calls

were being recorded,

and police had
all of them on tape.

Rowlands: Scott Peterson
instantly became

public enemy number one...

I really had a lot of compassion
for him at first,

but now it just kind of leaves
you thinking,

you know, is there more to it?

...so he decided to sit down

and do an interview
with ABC's Diane Sawyer.

-Did you murder your wife?
-Big mistake.

Reporter:
An expectant mother vanishes,

a cross-country search,

a half million dollar reward
and still nothing.

Where is Laci Peterson?

Reporter:
Divers have been searching
the Berkeley Marina.

That's in
the San Francisco Bay area

where Scott Peterson says
that he went fishing the day

his wife, Laci, disappeared.

During this investigation,
there was a total of 50 searches

in San Francisco Bay.

Reporter: A team of search dogs
is also scouring

the Berkeley Marina
some 85 miles away.

Ridenour: We did a search at
Berkeley Marina last Saturday,

and there was a blue tarp

that was recovered during that
search.

We believed she was
gonna be in the Bay.

Scott said he went to the Bay.

There was saltwater in the boat.

Rowlands:
They had divers out there
on a daily basis.

Even as the search
to find Laci intensified,

the media seemed to shift
its focus to Scott Peterson

and his relationship
with Amber Frey.

After Amber Frey,
everything changed in terms

of the way
the public perceived the case.

I have bad thoughts about
the girlfriend and the husband.

With her coming out,
I think he's even more guilty.

I really had a lot of compassion
for him at first,

but now it just kind of leaves
you thinking,

you know, is there more to it?

Can you
tell me about that?

Rowlands:
So from the very beginning,
Scott Peterson

did not want to have
anything to do with the media,

but then after Amber Frey,
his family convinced him

that he had to do something,
so he decided to sit down

and do an interview
with ABC's Diane Sawyer.

I think everybody sitting
at home

wants the answer
to the same question.

Did you murder your wife?

No, no.

I did not, and I had absolutely
nothing to do

with her disappearance.

And that did not go well.

He tried to convey that Laci
somehow knew

about Amber Frey
and was okay with it.

Diane Sawyer jumped on him.

Do you really expect people
to believe

that an 8 1/2-month
pregnant woman

learns her husband
has had an affair

and is saintly and casual
about it,

accommodating,
makes a peace with it?

Well, I, yeah.

You don't know.

No one knows
our relationship but us.

Rowlands: Big mistake.

Whatever credibility he had
was completely wiped out

after that interview.

Scott Peterson granted
a few more interviews,

and I was able to sit down
with him in his house,

and he limited the time
we could talk to him.

He limited the equipment
we could bring into his house.

He was in total control.

Well, I mean, I'm [indistinct].

I have to preface what we,
you know,

talk about in
the interview with, um --

I knew within 5 minutes
of this 10-minute interview,

he wasn't going to be
telling us anything.

So there are some things,
and that falls into them that,

simply, I've been asked
not to talk about.

He had all of his answers
ready to go,

and he was just reciting them.

Rowlands: Have you taken
a lie detector test?

Well, the polygraph is another
one of those things.

I'm not saying I have.
I'm not saying I haven't.

It's within the scope

that the investigators asked me
not to speak about.

Rowlands: What's your level
of cooperation in this?

It's complete.

I know that Laci's family
doesn't feel that,

and that's unfortunate.

Grace:
It was earmarked as the happiest
day of Laci Peterson's life,

but instead, it's leaving
a bitter taste in the mouth

and empty feeling in the heart.

February 10, Laci's due date,
and tonight, no mother, no baby.

I do remember Laci's due date

as being significant
in covering the story.

As we speak, a vigil
is taking place in memory,

in honor, and in the hopes
of Laci Peterson coming home.

Rowlands:
People were emotional around
that time because clearly time

had extended now to the point
where it didn't look good.

Karas:
On February 10th, reporters
were speaking to Scott.

He's in front of the cameras,

pleading for people
to help him find Laci.

Print the flyers off
of that Website

and get them to any law
enforcement in people's area,

any hospitals,
any birthing centers,

just keep the word out there

because she will be
giving birth real soon.

February 10th was significant
for Scott for other reasons.

February 10th is my birthday.

Frey: I lived by Valley
Children Hospital,

and he left a package
in a bush for me.

We know that he left her
a birthday gift

on February 10th
under the bushes,

and among those gifts he left
was a Norah Jones CD

"Come Away With Me."

He's dropping a gift off
on her birthday,

February 10th, in fact,

on the same day that Laci
was due to deliver his son.

Reporter: A grisly discovery
at a California marina.

Reporter: Could you describe
what you did see?

People were screaming
and yelling.

Woman: We want the animal
responsible to pay.

♪♪

King: It has now been 2 months
since Laci Peterson vanished.

Still no suspects named,

no polygraph test
for her husband, Scott.

Will investigators
ever find Laci

and the baby she was carrying?

Rowlands:
There were still searches,

and police were out
in the San Francisco Bay.

There were active searches,
but there was no body.

Zahn: Meantime, Scott Peterson
has not been ruled in

nor ruled out
as a suspect.

Buehler:
Because of the media attention
was so great on this case,

it pretty much essentially
drove him out of his house,

and that's why he was
finding various places

to live around San Diego
on a temporary basis.

He went down to San Diego

and was hanging out
with his sister and friends.

His hair had gone
from dark Brown to bleached,

almost an orangey blond,
and he had grown a goatee.

Laci Peterson's case went off
the radar for a few months,

from about mid-February
to mid-April 2003.

And then it all changed.

Reporter: A grisly discovery
in a California marina.

Is it a key to the mysterious
disappearance of Laci Peterson?

On Sunday, a couple
walking their dog

found a full-term baby.

That infant washed up on shore
about a 1/2 mile from here.

I was in the office when we got
a call

that a baby had come up
on the beach in Richmond,

right near Brooks Island.

Reporter: Could you describe
what you did see?

I just saw what appeared to be
a badly

decomposed human,
human remains.

The next day,
a female body came up.

A woman walking her dog did find
a body along this beach,

a female body
very badly decomposed.

There is a press conference
scheduled to get

under way within the hour,
but from what we understand,

it will not be
the definitive answer

on whether this body
is Laci Peterson

and also that the infant
was that of her unborn son.

Wasden:
That was just a traumatic time
for Sharon and Ron

and all of their family.

Um, it was heartbreaking.

Petersen:
These past 3 1/2 months

have been a constant
nightmare for us.

If this turns out to be Laci,

we want the animal responsible
for this heinous act to pay.

As soon as the bodies came up,

I called the Department
of Justice,

and I asked them to find Scott
and just keep an eye on him,

you know, keep him
under surveillance

until we figure out
whose bodies these are.

Once the bodies were discovered,

Modesto police detectives
got a warrant,

and they headed down
to San Diego,

where Scott was under
24-hour surveillance.

I was able to track him
by the wiretap,

and I knew where his phone was,

so we sent
the surveillance unit there.

They found him.
-He was driving a new Mercedes.

It took a few days
for the bodies

to be positively identified.

Buehler:
It was decided that we were
gonna put together

a precomplaint arrest warrant.

The judge signed the $1 million
warrant,

but he asked us,
kind of a gentleman's agreement,

would we not serve that warrant
until the DNA was confirmed.

Rowlands: They followed him in
and around the San Diego area,

and at some point, he noticed
that they were tailing him.

It appeared to them
as though he was trying

to evade them.

Brocchini:
He is driving super erratic.

I mean, he would be
going 70, 80,

90 miles an hour on the highway
and just put the brakes on

and pull right over
to the fast-lane shoulder.

He would do U-turns.

What do we do if somebody
gets hurt,

killed while we're following him
when we have a signed warrant?

The decision was then made
to make the stop on him

because it was
just getting too risky.

DOJ followed him into
the Torrey Pines Golf Course,

lit him up, and arrested him
without incident really.

Christian:
Police arrested Scott Peterson
at Torrey Pines Golf Course,

where his father
and his brother

had actually had plans
to play that day.

King: Good evening.

Welcome to a special Edition
of "Larry King live."

We have an arrest
in the Laci Peterson case.

CNN has confirmed
that Scott Peterson,

husband of missing
Laci Peterson,

is under arrest tonight,

arrested in San Diego
by Modesto police.

Reporter:
Authorities said DNA tests
confirmed

that the remains
discovered earlier this week

near San Francisco
are indeed those of Laci

and her unborn child.

Wasden: It's been truly
a difficult 4 months.

Scott Peterson is being
transferred here

to Stanislaus county.

By the time it was announced

that Scott had been taken
into custody in San Diego,

a crowd started to gather
outside the jail in Modesto.

There were signs.
They were, I mean, happy.

They were applauding and...

People were screaming
and yelling, "Murderer,"

and, you know,
shaking their fists.

Basically a pitchfork crowd
demanding his immediate death.

Reminded me of kind
of the Jim Crow South.

I can only hope that the sound
of Laci's voice

begging for her life and begging
for the life of her unborn child

is heard over and over
and over again

in the mind of that person every
day for the rest of his life.

Geragos:
The coroner could not tell you
when this happened,

where it happened,
how it happened.

He could be stone-cold innocent.

If there's other evidence,
and it proves that it's not him,

bring the evidence forward.

Scott Peterson was held
without bail

at the Stanislaus
county jail in Modesto

where he would remain
until trial.

In the court of public opinion,
Peterson,

easily the most hated man
in America,

was already guilty as charged.

He did have a few supporters,
and to them,

his arrest was nothing more
than a rush to judgment

fueled by the media
and carried out by the police,

but there was very little
physical evidence to prove

Scott murdered his wife,
so did he really do it?

There were so many twists
and turns to this story,

including the testimony of the
star witness at his trial,

next time on Part 2.

Thanks for watching.

I'm Hill Harper.

♪♪