13th Juror Podcast

Episode: The Prosecution of Scott Peterson

Date: February 5, 2026

Host: Brandi Churchwell (Audiochuck)

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, host Brandi Churchwell guides listeners through the prosecution’s case against Scott Peterson for the murders of his pregnant wife, Lacey Peterson, and their unborn son, Connor. Churchwell meticulously details the crime, the investigation, and the courtroom strategy, immersing listeners in the emotional landscape, the evidence, and the timeline that shaped public perception and haunted a nation. The story unfolds not just as a sensational crime but as the tragic unraveling of a family and the building of a case designed to convince a jury of guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Impact & Cultural Resonance

• Brandi opens with the gravity of the case’s impact on her life, sharing that Lacey disappeared on her birthday and that she later named her own son after Connor ([00:03]).
  • “This case...became a part of the foundation of who I am.” – Brandi Churchwell ([00:03])
• She emphasizes how Lacey’s story gripped mothers and divided public opinion, becoming a defining criminal case of the early 2000s.

2. Introducing Lacey and Scott Peterson ([03:50])

• Lacey was a beloved, bright woman, raised in Modesto, California.
• She met Scott at Cal Poly; they married in 1997 and settled in Modesto, where Scott ran a fertilizer business and Lacey substituted as a teacher.
• By late 2002, Lacey was eight months pregnant, excitedly preparing for motherhood.

3. Lacey’s Disappearance ([05:20])

• On Dec 24, 2002, Lacey vanished. Scott’s first call to her family was at 5:15 pm, expressing confusion and using the word “missing,” which instantly alarmed Lacey’s mother.
  • “Scott said Lacey was missing. Sharon immediately felt alarmed and told the jury, ‘I knew something was wrong.’” ([06:10])
• A frantic search began, with no sign of struggle or abduction at the Peterson home or nearby park.

4. Early Investigation: Scott’s Behavior and Timeline

• Police started scrutinizing Scott due to inconsistencies and his calm, detached demeanor ([09:30]).
  • “Instead of eliminating Scott, the details of his story began to pull the investigation toward him.” – Brandi Churchwell ([10:20])
• Scott claimed Lacey planned mundane chores, a dog walk, and last-minute shopping before he left to fish. His story quickly began to unravel:
  • Lacey had medical instructions against walking – her family found it unlikely she would go on a long walk that morning.
  • Odd housekeeping details: a full mop bucket in a freshly cleaned house, wet rags, laundry out of place, and a bunched rug.
  • Questionable clothing evidence (jacket supposedly worn in rain but found dry).

5. Physical Evidence & Forensics

• Police found only Scott’s clothes washed, a rope and other items loaded, chicken wire recently purchased but already used, and concrete splatter with voids suggestive of homemade anchors ([17:00]).
• Only one anchor found, inconsistent with boat/fishing stories.
• Forensics inside the boat later revealed two strands of hair consistent with Lacey’s maternal mitochondrial DNA ([36:00]).
  • “Inside Scott’s boat…two dark strands of hair…consistent with a reference sample from Sharon Rocha.” ([36:00])
• A scent-trailing dog traced Lacey’s scent directly onto the marina dock where Scott had been ([38:00]).

6. Shifting Focus: Scott’s Secret Life

• On December 30, secret girlfriend Amber Frey contacted police after seeing Scott’s face in the news as the husband of a missing woman ([42:40]).
  • Amber, completely unaware of Scott’s real life, described an intense, romantic relationship developing just as Lacey disappeared.
  • “Amber remained in the dark…until Dec 30, when she turned on the news and saw Scott’s face.” ([47:30])
• Amber agreed to cooperate, recording phone calls in which Scott blatantly lied about his circumstances—most memorably, claiming to be in Paris at the Eiffel Tower when he was actually at Lacey’s candlelight vigil ([53:00]).
  • “Scott told Amber he was standing in Paris at the base of the Eiffel Tower…In reality, he was at a candlelight vigil for his missing wife.” ([53:00])

7. Building the Case: Digital Footprints, Surveillance, and Motive

• Investigators linked a series of internet searches and purchases to Scott’s suspicious timeline ([56:00]).
  • After being pressured to tell Amber he was married, Scott immediately began shopping for and purchased an unregistered boat.
  • December computer searches included tidal charts, marina maps, and fishing websites for bay locations near where Lacey and Connor’s bodies were found later.
• Scott’s behavior after the disappearance was unusual—selling assets, moving mail, changing vehicles, and closely monitoring police search efforts at the bay ([01:01:20]).
  • “Scott drove to the Berkeley Marina at least five times in January, each time using a different vehicle.”
• Wiretaps and GPS records caught him monitoring the search, lying about his location, and expressing relief when searchers found only an anchor, not a body ([01:10:00]).

8. Discovery of the Bodies

• On April 13–14, the bodies of baby Connor and Lacey washed ashore a mile apart, near the area Scott claimed he went fishing ([01:14:00]).
  • Significant forensic details proved Lacey was pregnant at death, and Connor died before birth; tape on Connor likely adhered post-mortem as debris.
  • “Lacey died while pregnant. A forensic anthropologist testified…the condition of her remains was consistent with someone who had been in the water for three to six months.” ([01:18:00])
• The powerful juxtaposition presented: Scott’s account versus the haunting evidence of Lacey and Connor’s end.

9. Scott’s Arrest

• Scott, tracked to San Diego and under surveillance, was apprehended carrying $15,000 cash, multiple cell phones, licenses, and in a drastically altered appearance hinting at attempted flight ([01:22:00]).
  • “Inside the Mercedes…nearly everything a person needed to disappear.”

10. Prosecution’s Closing: The Theory

• The prosecution’s theory: Scott killed Lacey the night of Dec 23 or early on the 24th, faked a dog walk, transported the body to the bay, and staged an alibi using the new boat ([01:28:00]).
  • Motive: Freedom from marriage and upcoming fatherhood; Amber Fry represented the life Scott wanted.
  • “The law only required proof that Scott Peterson killed her. And the state believed the totality of the evidence did just that.”
• Jurors were left with three images: Lacey alive and happy; Lacey pregnant and hopeful; Lacey's remains destroyed by the tides ([01:30:00]).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “A case captures the attention of a nation…a woman who deserved to come home to a family who was desperately searching for her.” – Brandi Churchwell ([00:03])
• “It wasn’t just that Scott was lying. It was what he chose to lie about, and when.” – Brandi Churchwell ([53:30])
• “Prosecutors argued that Scott wanted freedom from his marriage and fatherhood. So much so that his desire formed the motive that they say led to Lacey’s death.” ([01:28:30])
• “He created a fantasy life in his head and then made it his reality.” ([01:31:00])
• “A trial is never one story.” ([01:32:00]) – Brandi Churchwell, teeing up the next episode on the defense’s case.

Key Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 00:03–03:45: Brandi’s personal introduction, the impact of Lacey’s case.
• 05:20–08:00: Circumstances of Lacey’s disappearance on Christmas Eve.
• 09:30–15:30: Police scrutiny of Scott’s timeline and inconsistencies.
• 17:00–36:00: Physical evidence found (mop bucket, laundry, boat/warehouse).
• 36:00–38:40: Mitochondrial DNA hair evidence and scent trail at the marina.
• 42:30–47:30: Amber Frey’s account and the revelation of Scott’s affair.
• 53:00–56:00: Recorded calls—Scott’s Eiffel Tower lie.
• 56:00–01:01:20: Computer & behavioral evidence, surveillance.
• 01:10:00–01:13:00: Scott’s surveillance at marina, wiretap relief.
• 01:14:00–01:18:00: Discovery and autopsies of Lacey and Connor.
• 01:22:00–01:25:00: Scott’s arrest and contents of his car.
• 01:28:00–01:32:00: Prosecution’s closing arguments and narrative.

Tone and Storytelling Style

Brandi Churchwell expertly blends empathetic narrative and investigative precision, making listeners feel the emotional stakes while laying out granular legal arguments and evidence as a prosecutor might. The episode maintains a solemn, respectful tone, frequently revisiting the human loss at the center of the story, but never shying away from the unsettling details or the ambiguity that continues to haunt the case.

Next Episode Preview

Churchwell closes by promising “a very different version of events” from Scott’s defense, teasing fresh witnesses and evidence that could upend the prosecution’s carefully constructed narrative.

This summary preserves the deep, layered storytelling and meticulous case-building from the episode—offering a vivid, timestamped roadmap for those who wish to grasp the heart of the prosecution’s case without having listened themselves.