This is a phone conversation between fertilizer salesman Scott Peterson, 31, and masseuse Amber Frey that took place on Jan 12th, 2003, at 6:04PM. The two had been introduced by a friend the previous November, and had begun a romantic relationship. Scott told Amber he was single. Later, on December 9, 2002, he told her he had “lost his wife.” In fact, his wife Laci was seven months pregnant at the time.
On December 24, 2002, Scott Peterson reported his wife Laci missing from their home in Modesto, California. When Amber read the news, she went to the police, who asked her to continue her relationship with Scott in the hopes of getting him to Laci’s murder. Calls between Scott and Amber at this time were recorded in the hope that they would provide evidence of Scott’s guilt. However, he did not confess.
On April 13, 2003, the remains of a late term male fetus were found on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, where Peterson had been boating the day of Laci’s disappearance. The next day, Laci’s torso was found in the same area, missing its hands, feet, and head.
In this call, it’s obvious that Amber has been blinded by Scott’s charm. She clearly ignored the fact that he simply took her on a few dates and had sex with her. He didn’t introduce her to his friends or parents, didn’t take her home, didn’t tell her anything about his personal life.
While she knows the police are listening in, and is trying to get information out of Scott, Amber is also clearly speaking from the heart. She is miserable, but her self-righteousness makes it difficult to sympathize with her. She weeps, bewails her lot, reads poems, and recites Bible verses, believing all this will appeal to Scott, despite his evidence of bad character.
In 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted of the first degree murder of his pregnant wife, and the second degree murder of their unborn son. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection. His case is currently undergoing appeal.
Listen to the episode here
