The director of the new Netflix documentary American Murder has addressed the events surrounding Laci Peterson’s death and expressed how certain aspects of the case were overshadowed by her husband, Scott.
Skye Borgman, known for her involvement in other Netflix true crime productions like Abducted in Plain Sight and Girl in the Picture, further explained her decision to center on this particular case at this time.
The events began in 2002 when Scott Peterson notified authorities that his wife, who was eight months pregnant with their first child, could not be found. This sparked a widespread search and intense media attention until April 2003, when the remains of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, were discovered on the shore.
Despite being convicted of the crime and currently serving a life sentence without parole, Scott is currently fighting for a retrial. However, Skye’s focus remains on telling the story with Laci at the center.
The director expressed to Today that it is crucial for the victim to be the main focus, as Laci Peterson has often been overshadowed by the actions of Scott Peterson.
“I was determined to ensure that we fulfilled our duty and advocated for both Laci and Conner.”
Upon investigating the case, Skye and her team discovered that it was a highly relevant story to tell, despite it occurring 20 years ago. As they delved deeper, the clarity of its significance only became more apparent.
“The main hurdle was confronting and questioning our memories, expectations, and preconceived notions. It should be noted that Scott has been convicted for two decades now, while Laci went missing 22 years ago,”she added.
It seems to have become similar to the telephone game, doesn’t it? One person says something, and as it gets passed on, it gets exaggerated and distorted, making the facts become unclear.
“Therefore, my intention was to recount the story from a factual point of view.”
One question that has been repeatedly asked is what truly occurred to Laci. Despite Scott’s continued declaration of innocence and the deteriorated state of her remains from being submerged for an extended period, a definitive cause of death could not be determined by authorities.
In the documentary American Murder: Laci Peterson, Sharon Hagan, a criminal investigative profiler, presents her theory about what she thinks occurred.
Based on my experience in numerous homicide cases, I would classify this as a “soft kill”. This leads me to believe that the perpetrator either suffocated or strangled the victim, as I stated earlier.
There are two main reasons why he would opt to do that. Firstly, it is exceptionally quiet. Secondly, it does not create any mess.
According to Hagan, individuals like Laci who lead low-risk lives and tend to stay at home are most likely to be harmed by their intimate partners.
“The statistics we gather on homicide support this claim. Not only does pregnancy heighten the likelihood of women being victimized, but it is also the leading cause of death among pregnant women.”
Despite Skye’s team reaching out to Scott for the new docu-series, he still declined to be interviewed.
She stated, “I believe our series remains complete without including Scott’s perspective. Our primary focus has always been Laci and we intended to keep it that way.”
Scott Peterson will be the main subject of Peacock’s upcoming documentary Face to Face with Scott Peterson. Unlike the Netflix series, this documentary will take a different approach by exploring alternative theories.
Skye remarked, “Their perspective appears to be vastly dissimilar to ours, with their insistence on his innocence being the narrative they are presenting.”
“Truly, our story is heavily focused on Laci and the investigation during that period. We extensively cover Scott’s actions and behaviors during this time and have interviewed individuals from various perspectives.”
The Netflix original American Murder: Laci Peterson is currently available for streaming.
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