'Til death does us part
For Laci and Scott Peterson life did seem like a magical
fairytale to the outsider. They met a few years ago in
San Luis Obispo, Calif., where Scott was working three
jobs to put himself through college. The couple married
in 1997 and ran a café in San Luis Obispo, until selling
the place two years ago to move closer to Laci's family
in Modesto, Calif.
After Laci became pregnant, Scott's friend Guy Miligi
said Scott was pouring many hours into making the baby's
room just perfect. "He was real excited about having his
first child. He talked about that all the time," Miligi
said.
Scott's mother, Jackie Peterson, also echoed the same
happy sentiments of the young couple. "The moment he was
with Laci, they just beamed at each other. No one else
made my son smile like that. They did everything right,"
she said.
But, something went terribly wrong and the fairytale
became a nightmare. On Christmas Eve 2002, Laci and her
unborn son, Connor, went missing. Scott, who said he was
fishing in the Berkley Marina the day Laci vanished, was
seemingly beside himself. After the media grabbed ahold
of Laci's disappearance, Scott, family and friends began
handing out fliers and scouring the streets in hopes of
finding her alive. And the whole country hoped with
them.
"I know what we are going through, but he's (Scott) got
double," said Laci's stepfather, Ron Grantski, in
January. "The press is questioning him, but all he wants
to do is find his wife."
Days later though, Laci's family excommunicated Scott
after learning he had an affair with a woman named Amber
Frey. They publicly encouraged Scott to speak with
police and tell them everything he knew. The tables were
turning on Scott. Even his Modesto friends began to have
nothing to do with him and according to an Associated
Press article, even the golfers at the Del Rio Country
Club "quietly bought out his membership for an estimated
$25,000 in cash."
Things weren't looking good for Scott and on Friday,
April 19 things got even worse. Laci and Connor (with
his umbilical cord still attached) were found a mile
apart from each other in the Berkley Marina. It was only
three miles away from where Scott said he was fishing
the day his pregnant wife disappeared.
Police arrested Scott on Friday, hours before the DNA
test results were announced, in the San Diego area. His
dark hair was bleached blonde and he had grown a beard,
confirming police speculation that Scott was going to
flee the country. In the bitter end, Scott Peterson, the
devoted husband, is looking at the death penalty.
Life isn't always what it seems to be. The nation became
captivated by Laci's beauty and Scott's seemingly
devotion to bringing her home safely. But, it was all an
act for Scott. It is a sad ending, because it proved
that even the most beautiful pictures could be ugly and
heartbreaking.