Scott Peterson Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Scott Peterson
OCCUPATION: Murderer
BIRTH DATE: October 24, 1972 (Age: 39)
EDUCATION: University of San Diego, Arizona State University, Cuesta College, California Polytechnic State University
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Diego, California

ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio

more about Scott

Best Known For

Scott Peterson is an American murderer who killed his pregnant wife, Laci, in 2002.

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Scott Peterson

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Synopsis

Scott Peterson killed his pregnant wife of eight months in 2002. The couple had married in 1997. Soon after, they opened a burger joint together, which they later sold for a profit. In 2002, Laci Rocha went missing. Her body and the fetus were found washed up on the shores of San Francisco Bay in 2003. Peterson was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Profile

Convicted murderer. Born Scott Lee Peterson on October 24, 1972 in San Diego, California. The only child of Lee and Jackie Peterson (the couple has other children from previous relationships), Scott grew up in a San Diego suburb and was a model student and avid golfer. He graduated from the University of San Diego High School and spent a semester at Arizona State University before returning home to attend Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. In 1994, he transferred to nearby California Polytechnic State University, where he majored in agricultural business.

While a student at Cal Poly, Peterson met Laci Rocha. The couple moved in together and married in 1997. Soon after, they opened a burger joint called "The Shack,"eventually selling the profitable business and moving to Modesto to be closer to Laci's family. There, Peterson got a job selling fertilizer and Laci became a substitute teacher.

In December 2002, Laci went missing, and her disappearance launched a media frenzy. Peterson was arrested in April 2003 after her body and the fetus of their unborn son washed up on the shores of San Francisco Bay. According to prosecutors, Peterson was having an affair with a masseuse named Amber Frey, which was his motivation for killing his pregnant wife. On November 12, 2004 a jury convicted Peterson of first-degree murder in the death of Laci, who was eight months pregnant, and of second-degree murder in the death of the fetus. The same jury recommended that he die by lethal injection.