Convicted murderer Scott Peterson originally had the support of his and Laci Peterson‘s family after her death — but allegiances have since shifted.
American Murder: Laci Peterson, which premiered on Wednesday, August 14, highlighted the voices of Laci’s family and friends two decades after her death. Laci went missing in 2002 while she was eight months pregnant and her husband, Scott, was later arrested and charged for two counts of murder after she was found dead.
Scott, who was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of their infant son, didn’t participate in the docuseries. Some of his family members, however, made appearances as Scott continues to maintain his innocence.
Director Skye Borgman exclusively spoke with Us Weekly about how she managed to balance different perspectives on the true crime case.
“I always like hearing from all different sides. Honestly, I think it’s part of our responsibility as documentary makers to get all sides of the story,” she shared with Us. “It makes for a much more layered, complicated and truthful documentary to be able to hear from Scott’s side and to be able to hear from Laci’s side. So that’s important to me.”
The filmmaker continued: “It’s also important to me to be as balanced as possible, to listen to people, to take their stories in and to put their perspectives together. To put the evidence together, put everything together and deliver a story in as truthful a way as possible.”
American Murder: Laci Peterson is currently streaming on Netflix. Keep scrolling to find out which of Scott and Laci’s family participated in the docuseries — and whether they think he is guilty or innocent:
Sharon Rocha (Laci’s Mom)
“There are times I look back and I think, ‘Gosh it’s hard to believe it was 20 years ago,’ and on the other hand, it seems like it wasn’t 20 years ago,” Rocha told the cameras about her thoughts on Laci’s death after two decades. “Nothing’s going to change what really happened. Nothing can change the truth.”
Rocha recalled originally trusting Scott in the aftermath of Laci’s disappearance. After several weeks spent searching for Laci, Rocha couldn’t deny the evidence that was stacking up against Scott. It wasn’t until Scott’s then-girlfriend Amber Frey spoke out that Rocha recalled asking why he had to kill Laci if he just wanted to end his marriage.
“I just remember the relief of hearing the world guilty [in the courtroom]. It was a huge relief,” Rocha recalled. “I can’t say we were all excited and happy about it. That’s not the feeling I had at all. Just a relief.”
Rocha’s late partner — Laci’s stepfather — Ron Grantski was featured in the doc through footage outside of the courthouse. Shortly after Scott’s sentencing, Grantski said he “got what he deserved” during interviews with various reporters.
Brent Rocha (Laci’s Brother)
Despite not appearing in the docuseries, Brent’s speech at the January 2005 press conference was used to show when Laci’s family publicly turned on Scott.
“Since Scott is no longer communicating with anyone in Laci’s family and because we have so many questions that he has not answered, I no longer support him,” Brent said at the time with Laci’s loved ones standing by him.
Lori Heintz, Stacey Boyers and Rene Tomlinson (Laci’s Friends)
The group recalled rallying around Laci’s family immediately after her disappearance. Over time, Heintz, Boyers and Tomlinson questioned whether Scott’s behavior hinted at a larger issue. They noted in the doc that Scott’s affair with Frey — and Laci’s remains being found in 2004 — is what “solidified” that he was “responsible for what happened” to their friend.
Janey Peterson (Scott’s Sister-in-Law)
American Murder: Laci Peterson explained that Janey is married to Scott’s older brother, Joe Peterson. She remained on Scott’s side throughout the entire ordeal even though their side of the family had a lot of love for Laci as well.
“We didn’t have time to grieve Laci when we found out she was gone because Scott was arrested. Laci was part of our family,” Janey explained. “We went from looking for her and the moment we found out she was dead, he was arrested. We’re fighting for his life. Here we are 20 years later, trying to right this injustice.”
Janey has maintained that Scott is innocent, which is what his family thought the entire time.
“When they read the verdictI thought my heart was beat[ing] really loud and I missed the word not. Then they said it again and it felt very quiet in the courtroom and very surreal and out of body. But you could hear the crowd outside,” she continued. “I just remember looking out at the sea of people and thinking, ‘They have no idea what just happened the last four months in this courtroom.'”
A note at the end of the Netflix special highlighted that since Scott’s conviction, Janey has “obtained a law degree in an effort to fight for her brother-in-law’s freedom.”
Scott was originally sentenced to death before that was overturned in 2020. One year later, Scott was re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Los Angeles Innocence Project announced in 2024 that they are trying to help overturn his murder conviction.
The nonprofit organization, which works to vindicate wrongly convicted inmates, filed four motions in January, including one for DNA testing. According to documents obtained by NBC, the Los Angeles Innocence Project alleged that “new evidence now supports Mr. Peterson’s longstanding claim of innocence.”
Susan Caudillo (Scott’s Sister)
Throughout the docuseries, Caudillo questioned the backlash her brother experienced in the public eye.
“I think I watched [his arrest] because it was broadcast live. It was him in the back seat of the detectives’ car and the gauntlet of people that had come out in the middle of the night. I was horrified,” she detailed. “It looked like he was being taken to the slaughterhouse. It was just a terrible scene.”
Caudillo also shared her initial reaction going into the courthouse, adding, “We were pretty much in very good spirits. I just felt a sense of, ‘This is finally coming to an end.'”
The doc interviewed criminal investigative profiler Sharon Hagan about why Scott’s loved ones haven’t questioned his innocence.
“I really believe that it’s very difficult for Scott’s family to believe that he would ever do this. The severity of the crime is an important factor here,” she shared. “Is there anything worse than killing your wife and unborn child? What would be the consequences of acknowledging that he must have done this?”
