Fellow Inmate Claims Scott Peterson Made Shocking Jailhouse Confession

by David Thompson
Globe

November 4, 2003

"I killed my wife--I killed the b----."

This is the spine-chilling jailhouse confession made by Scott Peterson, accused of murdering his pregnant wife Laci, a fellow inmate tells Globe in a world exclusive.

While professing his innocence in court, the salesman admitted several times to slaying Laci, claims James Soares, currently housed with him in the County Jail.

Soares claims that Peterson first told him about the dark secret he's been hiding while the two were in adjoining cells. At the time Soares says, they were sharing glasses of home-made booze, called "pruno" in prison slang, which inmates ferment from fruit. It was four weeks after Peterson's arrest on April 18.

"We were on our third or fourth glass, watching TV, when the news came on about Laci, Soares said when suddenly Scott blurted out, "I didn't mean it, Jimbo. I swear to God- I didn't mean to kill my wife. It was an accident."
Soares says that Peterson said he wanted to take his own life over Laci's death. "Scott's voice was filled with emotion," says Soares. "He told me, "I feel like killing myself.. it's killing me inside."

But within three weeks, according to Soares, Peterson's attitude had changed dramatically following a disappointing pre-trail court hearing over the double-murder charge which left him furious. "Scott was in a foul mood," says Soares.
 

Incredibly Scott started to put the blame on Laci, for his being behind bars. "It's all my wife's fault," "It's her fault I'm in this mess." Then says Soares, Peterson made his bloodcurdling confession, I killed my wife--I killed the b---, I just snapped and I hit her on the head with a club."

Although Scott later said he'd also hit her on the neck, he indicated the head blow probably killed Laci. Soares said Peterson claimed, "I think it was over then, with that one blow. I hated her. I never wanted to have kids.. never! We were arguing and I finally snapped. That's why I hit her." Scott said he swung his club and hit her on the neck as well as her head. I got the impression that he hit her more than once and that he had broken her neck."

Soares says he suspects avid golfer Peterson may have used one of his golf clubs to bludgeon Laci. Scott asked Soares, who is fighting for a new trial, if Soares got released would he perform a special task for him.

"At first he asked me to break into the family home he shared with Laci and take his golf clubs." Then, he said I could go along and pick them up when his parents where there." He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to tell anyone they belonged to him.

"It sounded suspicious and told him I wasn't interested. That's when I realized when he said he'd hit Laci with a 'club' he meant a golf club."

Soares admits he's no angel and has committed crimes in the past. He claims he is coming forward now for the first time to talk about Peterson's confession, because he is a marked man after speaking with the GLOBE in September for another interview in which he discussed Scott's drug-taking and gay sex. He says he held off talking about Scott's confession because he feared for his life. Soares claims he was attacked by a member of a prison gang as retribution for his last interview.

"What Scott did was horrible. I couldn't carry that around inside of me anymore. Even though I broke the convict's code, I feel a lot better." He urges Peterson to do the same and tell the truth. "Scott thinks he's a genius, but in a lot of ways, he's totally stupid."