The Murder of Laci Peterson

I was watching the early episodes of this with a fully open mind and it hit me towards the end: how on earth could this guy not have done it? Yes, the evidence is circumstantial but a pregnant woman was killed and it would be the most insanely bizarre set of circumstances and behaviors if he did not do it. Sadly, he's a handsome man and has garnered a following of loopy female supporters

You can think Scott Peterson did this. But the criminal legal system hinges upon reasonable doubt - "such doubt as would cause a reasonable person to hesitate before acting in a matter of importance." So do I think OJ Simpson killed Ron and Nicole? Sure do! Do I think that, in court, the prosecution prove this beyond a reasonable doubt? Nope! Not guilty is not that the defense proved the defendant is innocent. Rather it is that the prosecution could not prove the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Remember that when you watch this show.

Boy, after all these years, the tragedy of the case just hits me in various ways. I did NOT follow the case / trial when it was happening but thought I had a general idea of what was going on but after watching this I'm blown away by how lax the investigation and court trial seemed to be.

Another really scary side note is how vested people were in the verdict when they didn't even know these people! Folks were behaving like they were at a sports game: cheering for the verdict. What the hell? A young mother had been murdered along with her unborn child, and their father was found guilty of the crime. What are you cheering for?

Some deep seated issues were on full display. Seems as though it is very likely Scott Peterson did not commit the murder. Although I must admit, if he didn't do it he has some of the worst luck ever!

Like so many other people I believed the media hype at the time this story was in the news, besides isn't it 'always the husband'? Now that I've become more familiar with how the criminal justice system doesn't necessarily work well and the media is just trying to sell papers or advertising space or whatever I wonder about this case. Yes, this series was possibly biased towards Peterson being innocent, but we've heard the other side ad nauseum. Whether Scott Peterson is innocent or guilty he did not receive a fair trial. Every single piece of so-called evidence was circumstantial and could be viewed in a completely different way than it was interpreted by the police, the media and so many people invested in this case. Besides all that Peterson was convicted for was having an affair, being a liar and carrying on with his gf even while Laci was missing. But, is it so unusual for people having affairs to lie, don't they pretty much all lie to someone? There was also the big deal about how he acted. How many males would be showing emotions publicly in a similar situation? I can only imagine how it would be to be under so much scrutiny whether guilty or innocent. 24 hour media, the police, basically everyone watching him. So he may be guilty or he may be innocent, but come on people he deserves a fair trial.

I'm just gonna keep this short and simple - for a true crime documentary, it's fairly thorough and gives a satisfying account from all sides from beginning to end. But Nancy Grace is in this WAY too much. She may have been a prosecutor long ago, but she is strictly an entertainer who makes big bucks off sensationalizing stories like this. Maybe some clips of her show here and there would have been fine, but they brought her on as if she was some cornerstone of the investigation. Frankly, it's kind of embarrassing and highlights a serious problem with cases like this that get publicized. Maybe that was the intention, but it didn't feel like it.