American Murder: Laci Peterson

Clicked on the Laci Peterson series without knowing much of the back story other than recognizing her name as a woman who had gone missing. I didn't know she was heavily pregnant when she disappeared. I got drawn in to this limited series immediately, and found it well put together - 3 episodes each dealing with a critical aspect of the story and investigation . I unexpectedly ended up watching all 3 episodes in one sitting and, whilst being captivated by the storyline and how it was told, it was ultimately profoundly heartbreaking learning about both Laci and Conner and also seeing the terrible impact on the families who were interviewed for the series.

This case riveted the American news in the late 1990's. A beautiful young pregnant woman goes missing on Christmas Eve and the most obvious suspect is her husband, Scott. I am very familiar with the story because I followed it closely at the time it happened. This documentary does not really offer anything new; however, it does a good job of summarizing all that happened in and around the disappearance, investigation, arrest, and trial. The documentary is filled with modern interviews with investigators and family. It is also filled with archival news footage. It is sad, but good. I know Peterson is still actively trying to overturn his conviction and claiming his indiscretions had nothing to do with her murder. This is three episodes but not too long.

Laci Peterson, an eight-month pregnant woman, was reported missing by her husband, Scott, and later found deceased alongside her fetus. This case became one of the most notorious murder cases in America, sparking a media frenzy and intense public interest. Nearly every American media network has produced a documentary on this case, the latest being Netflix's three-episode miniseries on it.

The series is excellently crafted, showcasing the entire case through genuine audio clips and video footage. It features interviews with individuals intimately connected to the case, including family members and friends of both Laci and Scott, lawyers, detectives, reporters, and jurors, as well as dated news segments and original documents.

This documentary adopts a unique approach by revealing the case's verdict at the start, then delving into the backstory and the events that led to it. I found that to be quite intriguing.

Despite its strengths, this documentary, like many others, attempts to shamelessly exploit people's emotions by focusing the camera on their faces for too long in hopes of capturing their distress and tears. Additionally, there were instances where the documentary seemed to show bias, which was something I did not appreciate.

Overall, this is an informative documentary and a MUST-WATCH for true crime buffs.

This is one of the better true crime docs I've seen, and I've seen a lot.

True crime is a tough genre, as there's sometimes too much emphasis on the procedural aspect while forgetting that this happened to a real person with a real family.

This series made me feel like I understood the person Laci was and why people loved her. The interviews from her friends and mother especially showed so much of her personality and heart when she no longer can. Knowing the person she was made me all the angrier when they examined the evidence towards her husband. How someone can snuff out a life like that and then go on as if nothing happened is something I will never understand.

I'm too young to have seen any of the media surrounding this when it happened, so I'm glad they put out this series to show another generation what happened ( And to prevent the husband from ever leaving prison. I know there are still people saying he is innocent which astounds me.)

Overall a good true crime docuseries that respects the victim and displays the facts while still showing other's opinions. Would recommend.

Laci Peterson disappears, husband Scott contacts The Police to report it. Laci's family are keen to support Scott, who's behaviour seems curious to say the least, until details of an affair come to light.

I've seen a few documentaries about this story, some decent, some not so, this is the best one so far. I was worried that it would be overlong, Netflix does have a habit of padding out documentaries, here though they get the balance just right.

I think it's a very balanced examination of the case, they give both sides of the argument, we hear from the loved ones of both Laci and Scott, we also hear from the legal teams on both sides, you're given enough information to form your own opinion.

Scott's interviews, worth checking out, he genuinely looks blank, somehow dead behind the eyes, it seems almost impossible to believe a word he says, I just didn't get why he didn't show any signs of being upset.

I was impressed by the strength of Laci's family, it must have been such a harrowing effort to speak about poor Laci.

8/10.