American Murder: Laci Peterson is coming to Netflix in August 2024

Netflix announced the full list of new shows and movies coming in August last month, but it didn't include the latest true crime documentary series that should be one of the most-watched shows of the month.

American Murder: Laci Peterson premieres on Netflix on Aug. 14, 2024. Skye Borgman directed the three-episode documentary series about the murder of Laci Peterson by her husband, Scott Peterson, in 2002.

According to reports, Laci was reported missing around Christmas 2002, and at the time, her disappearance was treated as a missing persons investigation. As the investigation continued and more was brought to light, the case grew in popularity and quickly became an international news story. As more time went on and more information about Laci's life, her pregnancy, and her husband, Scott became the lead suspect in the case.

Laci's body, along with the body of their unborn son, was found on the beaches of San Francisco Bay in the spring of 2003. Scott was arrested and charged with two counts of murder shortly after.

Scott was convicted of first-degree murder of Laci and Conner, the couple's unborn child, in 2004. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection, but that was later overturned in 2020. A year later, Scott was sentenced to life in prison.

Netflix shared the first look at the documentary series on Tuesday, Aug. 6, just a week before the new documentary series will be released.

We shared the synopsis of American Murder: Laci Peterson, via Netflix:

"From director Skye Borgman (The Girl in the Picture) comes the definitive examination of the murder of Laci Peterson, the bubbly and beloved young woman who disappeared on Christmas Eve of 2002, while eight months pregnant with her first child. The disturbing case captured the nation’s attention, dominating news media night after night as facts slowly but surely led law enforcement to prosecute her husband, Scott Peterson, for her brutal murder — although he pleaded not guilty, and maintains his innocence to this day. 20 years after Scott’s conviction, this three-part documentary series uses news clips, interrogation footage, and courtroom cameras to bring the dramatic disappearance, investigation, and trial into focus."

Netflix also revealed that there are several important people close to the case who will be included in the documentary series, including Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, and Amber Frey, the woman who Scott was having an affair with at the time of Laci's death in 2002.

According to Netflix, this is the first time, outside of media interviews at the time of the investigation and trial, that Rocha agreed to be interviewed for a documentary series or film.

It will be very interesting to see how this case is presented and received. Laci Peterson's murder was one of the biggest investigations that I can remember in terms of media coverage. It's obviously been more than 20 years since then, but there have been developments in Scott's criminal case even as recently as this year.

With American Murder: Laci Peterson, this story will be introduced to a new audience, those who missed the case as it was being tried 20 years ago and those who are learning about Laci's tragic story for the first time.

I also want to point out that despite the similar titles, American Murder: Laci Peterson is not related to American Murder: The Family Next Door, which told the story of the story of the Watts family murders in Colorado in 2018. American Murder: The Family Next Door was released on Netflix in September 2020.

American Murder: Laci Peterson will be released on Netflix at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Stay tuned for more news about the new documentary series on Netflix.