West
Scott Peterson’s most outrageous defense claims, debunked
For years, Scott Peterson said he didn’t kill his pregnant wife Laci or their unborn son, Conner. But prosecutors say he did and that the evidence is “overwhelming.”
Peterson, convicted in 2004, returned to the headlines this year after the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced it would take up his latest appeal.
He also broke his silence after two decades in a “Face to Face with Scott Peterson” interview streaming on Peacock.
Netflix also unveiled the “American Murder: Laci Peterson” true crime docuseries Aug. 14, featuring interviews with Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, and Peterson’s former mistress, Amber Frey.
LACI PETERSON’S MOM REVEALS FIRST IMPRESSION OF KILLER SON-IN-LAW
Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson in a still photo appearing in the forthcoming docuseries “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
When Frey learned of Laci’s disappearance, she became a witness for the prosecution and revealed Peterson claimed to her that he was a widower — before Laci’s death.
She started recording her phone calls with him, including one in which he said he didn’t want to be a father and was considering a vasectomy.
However, he admitted in the new interview that his behavior was “horrible,” according to People, which revealed an early look at Peterson’s first interview in 20 years, which begins streaming Aug. 20.
A photo provided as part of the court’s exhibits for the Scott Peterson trial shows Peterson and Amber Frey together. (People’s Exhibits)
“I was a total a-hole to be having sex outside our marriage,” he continued.
TIMELINE: THE LACI PETERSON CASE
Peterson, who has always maintained his innocence despite a conviction at trial and two decades of failed appeals, is still hoping he can convince a court he didn’t kill Laci, who was 8 months pregnant with their son Conner.
“If I have a chance to show people what the truth is, and if they are willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing that I can accomplish right now,” Peterson claims in the interview. “Because I didn’t kill my family.”
Amber Frey, the former mistress of murder suspect Scott Peterson, leaves the San Mateo Superior County Courthouse after a delay in Peterson’s trial Aug. 18, 2004, in Redwood City, Calif. (Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Prosecutors at trial revealed a mountain of evidence against him. He had been arrested near the Mexico border with bleached hair carrying thousands of dollars in cash and his brother’s passport.
Peterson has also floated the possibility that the men responsible for a burglary across the street from the Modesto home he shared with Laci were responsible for her death. However, prosecutors say the burglary happened two days after she was reported missing.
Investigators also blew up his alibi. He claimed to have gone fishing in Berkeley, where a police K9 unit picked up Laci’s scent at a boat ramp. They also found her hair in the teeth of a pair of needle-nose pliers they found on his boat.
When an officer asked him what he was fishing for and with what bait, he allegedly mumbled an answer, walked outside, slammed a flashlight on the ground and said “F—.”
SCOTT PETERSON PROSECUTORS LAY OUT ‘OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE’ AGAINST KILLER’S NEW APPEAL IN 337-PAGE FILING
Scott Peterson in a still image taken from police video during his interview with investigators Christmas Day in 2002, hours after his pregnant wife Laci Peterson was reported missing. (Superior Court of California, San Mateo County)
Both her remains and Conner’s washed up separately in the body of water in April 2003.
Laci was missing her head and three limbs. A forensic pathologist determined she had not been dismembered, but her body likely came apart due to the marine conditions after being anchored down.
Prosecutors argued that the homemade concrete anchor Peterson used for his boat would have been easily duplicated. They suggested he made more and used them to try and hold his wife’s body on the seafloor.
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Scott Peterson arrives at the county jail in April 2003 after being charged with murdering his wife and unborn child. (AP)
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“Peterson’s lawyers are probably unhappy he did the Peacock interview,” said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor practicing privately in Los Angeles. “It’s unlikely he’ll get a new trial because there was so much circumstantial evidence of his guilt. He was fishing almost a hundred miles away where his wife’s body was found, and her hair was on his boat.”
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This undated photo shows Laci Peterson. She was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in December 2002. (Getty Images)
Peterson’s latest appeal suffered a setback this summer when a judge decided most of the evidence he wanted retested shouldn’t be. But the court allowed his request for new testing on some evidence, including a 15½-inch strip of duct tape recovered from Laci’s remains in the San Francisco Bay.
“[His] only real chance is if the DNA on the duct tape on her body shows someone else,” Rahmani said.
However, even if he does get a new trial, prosecutors could use the Peacock interview against him as evidence of a motive, Rahmani said.
“And at a minimum, the jury will hate him because he cheated on his pregnant wife and showed little remorse when she disappeared,” he added.
Peterson previously declined to discuss his case with Fox News Digital, citing the pending appeal.
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San Francisco, CA
Missing woman last seen in San Francisco found dead in Texas after 53 years
On Wednesday, San Francisco police closed the case of a missing woman who was last seen in the city in 1973.
Police said 27-year-old Cheryl Lanier was last seen in 1973 in San Francisco, and her initial missing person’s report was filed in 2010. For years, the department’s Missing Person Unit worked on the case, but it remained open and unsolved.
In July 2025, police said they received a tip out of Harris County in Houston, Texas, advising that a deceased “Jane Doe” could be Lanier. After a DNA analysis, police determined the “Jane Doe” was Lanier and closed the case after 53 years.
Denver, CO
Could the Dolphins Do Another Deal With Denver?
As the NFL draft moves farther into the rearview mirror and the offseason program continues to march on, linebacker Jordyn Brooks remains one of three significant Miami Dolphins veterans looking for a contract extension.
And while new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan said at draft time that running back De’Von Achane was not available for trading purposes, he hasn’t made the same declaration for either Brooks or center Aaron Brewer (while it’s fair to add that Sullivan wasn’t asked specifically about the latter two at draft time, he easily could have ended all speculation by adding them to Achane’s name).
Instead, what we have are Sullivan’s prior words that he always would listen if another GM were to give him a call.
That’s important to remember when it comes to Brooks when we hear or see reports around the league about teams in the market for a linebacker.
The Dallas Cowboys were one such team heading into the draft, but they acquired former starting San Francisco 49ers starter Dee Winters for a fifth-round pick, so it would seem they’re not longer shopping around.
Now comes a report that the Denver Broncos could be looking to add a linebacker to a defense they believe could lead them to a Super Bowl after they secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year before losing starting QB Bo Nix in the divisional round.
An NFL executive told Denver Broncos On SI that they could be looking to make a move that seemed to describe the Dolphins and Brooks to a T.
“The Broncos, I am certain, are going to be watching every cut for a terrific linebacker who can upgrade that,” the executive told Broncos On SI. “It’s the only weak link on their defense. If they could get one dominant player that another team couldn’t afford or doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention, they could be scary next year.”
The key line in the executive’s quote was about a dominant player that a team doesn’t want to pay because they’re not in contention.
Wow, might as well have stamped Brooks’ picture on that comment right there.
Brooks was dominant last year, for sure, when he earned All-Pro honors and it’s not realistic to expect the Dolphins to be in contention in 2026 after their roster overhaul that ended with more than 60 percent of the team’s salary cap going to players no longer around.
Under normal circumstances, extending Brooks would look like a no-brainer for the Dolphins given his ability, leadership and culture-setting characteristics, but he’s looking for a payday and he’s also going to be 29 years old during the 2026 season.
So instead of a slam dunk, the Dolphins have to ask themselves have kind of financial commitment they want to make to a linebacker who likely will be in his 30s when the team is ready to compete.
Brooks has no guarantees this year with a $7.8 million base salary and he’s set to become a free agent next offseason when his contract goes into void years. If a move were to happen with Brooks, it almost assuredly would take place after June 1 when the Dolphins would save $8.4 million with a trade.
Brooks currently has a $10.9 million cap number for 2026 and an extension likely would lower that number, which makes it very intriguing that it hasn’t happened yet or that the Dolphins did not restructure his contract to lower his cap number — the way they did with Achane and Brewer.
But any decision to trade Brooks would not be easy because the Dolphins, after all, do need good players and good leaders to establish a foundation in the first year of the Jon-Eric Sullivan/Jeff Hafley regime.
WHAT A TRADE COULD LOOK LIKE
If the Broncos indeed were to place a phone call to Sullivan at some point, there probably isn’t a strong likelihood that the Dolphins could get a replay of what they got when they sent wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver this year.
That deal saw Miami give up Waddle for picks in the first and third rounds, with the teams swapping fourth-round choices to the benefit of the Broncos for 19 spots.
But Waddle is only 27, was under contract for three more years and plays a more premium position.
So thinking about getting a first-round pick for Brooks would not seem realistic, though maybe Denver would be willing to pay a bigger price if the Broncos indeed feel that the linebacker could be the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle.
As was the case with the Cowboys, this is a situation to monitor because the idea of a trade involving Brooks really can’t be summarily dismissed until he signs a contract extension and we’re still waiting on that.
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Seattle, WA
Who will be the next Seahawks owner? One possible bidder invests in the 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks’ new ownership group may be just like the old one: a team of basketball owners.
In addition to being the first known bidders for the Seahawks, Mittal and Grousbeck were the only names listed on their letter of interest to the Allen Estate. Since Mittal lives in London, Grousbeck would likely be running operations from Seattle and live there part-time, as per Sportico.
But wait, there’s more.
Vinod Khosla, an investor in the division rival San Francisco 49ers, has also been named as a potential buyer. Last year, Khosla was one of a few nearby investors to purchase equity in the 49ers, with the team’s total valuation reaching north of $8.5 billion at the time. The specifics of the individual stakes were not made public, but Sportico reports that Khosla’s was the largest of the group.
The Seahawks are valued at just under $7 billion, but they will likely be sold for more. If Khosla were to purchase the team from Jody Allen, he would obviously need to sell his stake in the Niners. This type of move is becoming increasingly common in today’s NFL, which has seen former Pittsburgh Steelers minority owners David Tepper and Josh Harris acquire the Panthers and Commanders, respectively.
Harris, who bought a controlling interest in the Commanders in 2023, purchased the team from Dan Snyder for over $6 billion, the largest figure for such an acquisition for an NFL franchise. No matter who ends up purchasing the Seahawks from the Allen Estate, Harris’s record will surely be broken.
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