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Scott Peterson’s sister and his former girlfriend said they are willing to testify in court against him as the convicted murderer of his wife, Laci, and unborn son, Conner, continues to fight for a new trial.
Peterson was acting like a “roving bachelor” at the time of Laci’s disappearance, his sister Anne Bird said Thursday during a virtual press conference with attorney Gloria Allred. Bird said she does not believe in the death penalty but the justice system “accurately convicted” her bother in 2004.
Bird said she was dismayed at Peterson’s lack of emotion as Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, and Laci’s siblings, Brent and Amy, provided emotional statements during a hearing on Wednesday when Peterson was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
“Seeing Scott in the courtroom yesterday, mirrored what I had seen 17 years ago,” Bird said during Thursday’s press conference.
“Scott still appears to be vacant and emotionless. Even with the mask on, and it was hard to see the rest of his face, I still saw that. Yesterday, after hearing Laci’s siblings and her mother speak, I realized that although 17 years have passed, the feelings of complete sadness, loss, and anguish still exist. I have lived through debilitating pain that they spoke of. And I also want to know why Scott is unable to tell the truth. Justice has been served and just punishment is in place and should stand. Scott should remain in prison for the rest of his life. And there is no excuse for murder. I stand by my comments both past and present. I hope that someday all who are attached to this heartbreaking and horrific history can find some peace.”
Peterson’s 2004 death sentence was overturned after the California Supreme Court ruled last year that the jury in his first trial was not properly screened for bias against the death penalty. Prosecutors and Laci’s family opted to settle for life without parole instead of retrying the case.
However, Peterson, 49, still could get a new trial if a judge finds one of the jurors actively sought to be a part of the case. A hearing to determine that will take place from Feb. 25 through March 4 at San Mateo Superior Court.
At Thursday’s press conference, Allred also read a statement from Amber Frey, who did not appear. The attorney called Frey “a true hero” who provided evidence and testimony that led to Peterson’s arrest and prosecution.
“Amber is very brave to be willing to undergo testifying and cross examination after so many years,” Allred said of her client. “She’s willing to do it if necessary, because as Amber has said, ‘The truth is truth,’ and she feels it is her duty to assist in the cause of justice if the prosecution asks her to testify.”
In the statement read by Allred, Frey said she understood why Laci’s family did not want to fight Peterson’s resentencing.
“They are the living victims of Scott Peterson, and their feelings and their decision should be respected,” Frey said in the statement. “They have been very courageous throughout the many years since this tragedy. I wish them the best and hope that they find peace in the future.”
Bird, who wrote a book titled, “Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty,” said Peterson’s behavior while he lived at her home when Laci was still missing was oftentimes bizarre.
Bird said instead of looking for his missing wife, Peterson flirted with other women, including their babysitter.
“I thought he was looking for his missing wife, but he went to the store and got a cocktail mix to make something called ‘sextinis’ and he was serving them to our babysitter,” Bird recalled. “And things just started to trigger after that — just the lack of interest and looking for Laci was very apparent. It took me a while to kind of put these little pieces together because they say people grieve differently … so I just kind of watched, you know, things layered up and then I started thinking something’s really not right here.”
Bird said she and Peterson share the same mother, but she was adopted by another family. She didn’t find her biological family until she was in her 30s.
Bird said she wants her brother to finally tell the truth and show the Rocha family some remorse.
“I saw him looking at (Sharon Rocha) and I believe she said, ‘Don’t match your eyes at me,’” Bird said. “It was almost like he looked confused. I could only see from his eyes up, but it seemed like a look of confusion, or saying, ‘I’m not doing that kind of thing.’ I don’t know. But if it were somebody else, you think they would be weeping and unable to kind of stay in control. You know, you’d feel so awful, but that didn’t seem to be there.”
At Wednesday’s resentencing hearing, Pat Harris, Peterson’s attorney, said his client showed no remorse because he was not guilty. He described Peterson as a loving husband who only tried to keep his affair with Frey a secret so it would not deter the search for Laci and Conner.
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