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Laci Denise Peterson (née Rocha; May 4, 1975 — c. December 24, 2002) was an American woman murdered by her husband, Scott Lee Peterson (born October 24, 1972), while eight months pregnant with their first child. Laci disappeared on December 24, 2002, from the couple's home in Modesto, California, after which Scott reported her missing. The remains of her and her unborn son, whom the couple had planned to name Conner, were discovered in April 2003 on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Subsequently, Scott was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. In November 2004, he was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Laci and the second-degree murder of the infant. The case has continued to be a subject of public interest and discussion, raising questions about the legal process and media coverage. Originally sentenced to death, Scott's sentence was overturned in 2020, and, in 2021, he was re-sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In March 2024, Scott was granted a status hearing in response to a request by LA Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization which stated that it had new evidence to support Scott's claims of innocence. Early life and marriage Laci Denise Peterson Laci was born May 4, 1975, to Sharon Anderson: 4  and Dennis Robert Rocha, who had met in high school: 5  and owned a dairy farm west of Escalon, California. Laci's older brother, Brent Rocha, was born in 1971.: 5  Laci worked on the farm from a young age and also enjoyed gardening with her mother. Sharon and Dennis divorced when Laci and her brother were young. Sharon and the children moved to Modesto, though the children visited the dairy farm on weekends. Sharon eventually married Ron Grantski, who helped raise Laci and Brent from the time Laci was two years old. Laci was a cheerleader in junior high and high school. After graduating from Thomas Downey High School, she attended California Polytechnic State University, majoring in ornamental horticulture.: 30  Scott Lee Peterson Scott was born October 24, 1972, in San Diego, California, to Lee Arthur Peterson, who owned a crate-packaging company, and Jacqueline "Jackie" Helen Latham, who owned a boutique in La Jolla called The Put On. Lee and Jackie had six children from previous relationships. Scott was their only child together. As a child, Scott shared a bedroom with his half-brother John in the family's two-bedroom apartment in La Jolla. He began playing golf at an early age, and, by age 14, he could beat his father at the game. For a time, Scott had dreams of becoming a professional golfer, and he was teammates with future-pro Phil Mickelson at the University of San Diego High School. By the end of high school, he was one of the top junior golfers in San Diego. In 1990, Scott enrolled at Arizona State University (where Mickelson had also enrolled) on a partial golf scholarship. Scott's father, Lee, later testified that Scott was discouraged by the considerable competition that Mickelson and an unnamed future-pro presented. According to Chip Couch, the father of another young golfer, Chris Couch, Scott was taken off the golf team after Chip discovered that Scott had taken his son out drinking while Chris was visiting Arizona State for a recruiting trip. Chip complained to the Arizona State golf coach, who subsequently kicked Scott off the team. Scott transferred to Cuesta College and then to California Polytechnic State University. Initially planning to major in international business, Scott ultimately graduated with a degree in agricultural business. Professors who taught Scott described him as a model student. His agribusiness professor, Jim Ahern, commented, "I wouldn't mind having a class full of Scott Petersons." Relationship While at Cal Poly, Scott worked at Pacific Café, a restaurant in Morro Bay. Laci would occasionally visit the restaurant to see a friend who also worked there. In mid-1994, Laci sent Scott her phone number; she also told her mother that she had met the man that she would marry. Scott later called Laci, and they began dating. As the relationship grew more serious, Scott put aside his dreams of professional golf in order to focus on a business career. The couple dated for two years and eventually moved in together. In 1997, after Laci graduated, they married at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort. While Scott finished his senior year, Laci took a job in nearby Prunedale. Prosecutors later stated that, around this time, Scott engaged in his first extramarital affair, though they did not reveal the details of the relationship. Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business in June 1998, and the Petersons opened a sports bar in San Luis Obispo called The Shack. The Petersons decided to put The Shack up for sale when they moved to Laci's hometown of Modesto, California to start a family; they completed the sale in April 2001. In October 2000, the Petersons purchased a three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow house for $177,000 on Covena Avenue in an upscale neighborhood near East La Loma Park. Laci took a part-time job as a substitute teacher, and Scott got a job with Tradecorp U.S.A., a newly founded subsidiary of a European fertilizer company, for which he earned a salary of $5,000 a month before taxes. Laci's family, including her mother and younger sister, related that she devoted much of her energy towards being the perfect housewife, and that she enjoyed cooking, entertaining and watching Martha Stewart. In 2002, Laci discovered she was pregnant; her due date was February 10, 2003. The couple had planned to name their son Conner. In November 2002, Scott was introduced by a friend to Amber Frey, a Fresno massage therapist, and the two began a romantic relationship. Laci's disappearance On December 23, 2002, at 5:45 p.m., Laci and Scott went to Salon Salon, the workplace of Laci's sister Amy Rocha, where Amy cut Scott's hair, as she did each month. Scott offered to pick up a fruit basket that Amy had ordered because he would be playing golf the next day at a course near the retailer. Prosecutors say Scott also told other people he would play golf on the day of Christmas Eve. Laci's mother, Sharon, spoke with Laci on the telephone around 8:30 that evening. The last three people known to have spoken to Laci before she disappeared were Amy, Sharon, and Scott. Scott later told police that he last saw his wife about 9:30 a.m. on December 24, when he left to go fishing at the Berkeley Marina. He said Laci was watching a Martha Stewart show about meringue and preparing to mop the floor, bake cookies, and walk the family dog to a nearby park. Karen Servas, a neighbor of the Petersons, stated that she found the Petersons' dog, a golden retriever named McKenzie, alone outside the home and returned him to the Petersons' back yard at around 10:30 a.m. She later testified that she had found the dog at 10:18. Another neighbor, Mike Chiavetta, said he saw McKenzie a.... Discover the Jackie Frey popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jackie Frey books.