The Story of Amber Frey

The country watched in shock and bewilderment as the sensational California murder case where Scott Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife, Laci Paterson, who was pregnant with their unborn child, Conner.  Amidst this high-profile case, Amber Frey emerged as a central figure, who was instrumental in providing much of the evidence leading to Peterson's conviction on November 12th, 2004. 

Recently Amber Frey has been making news headlines with the release of her tell-all book in January 2005, Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson, an autobiographical account of her involvement in the notorious case and chronicled her relationship with Scott Peterson.  The book is already a best seller and Amber Frey has become a household name as she tours the talkshow circuit to talk about the case.  Plans on making a movie based on her book are already in the works. 

Amber Frey has also been the subject of  many sleazy tabloid headlines.  A former escort, naked pictures of Amber Frey have been released on the internet, and Hustler Magazine have been working hard to get those Amber Frey nude pictures.  Frey has responded by launching a lawsuit against David Hans Schmidt, the promoter responsible for making the pictures available.  Eventually Schmidt was barred from "commercially exploiting" photos of Amber Frey.

Amber Frey will forever be linked to the notorious and sordid Scott Peterson and the Laci Peterson murder trial.  Therefore to get a a better sense of who Amber Frey is, the whole tragedy revolving around the murder must be reviewed.   

The Murder of Laci and Connor Peterson

On December 24th 2002, Scott Peterson called the police to report that his wife, Laci Peterson, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was missing in their community of Modesto, California.  The story generated much local and national outpouring of support.  Scott Peterson held press conferences and was involved in extensive searches for his "missing" wife.   

Around January 2003, Scott Peterson became the primary suspect for the murder, despite his alibi of fishing at a Berkeley marina at the time of Laci's disappearance.  It was around this time that Amber Frey emerged as a central character in this tragic tale.  Investigators had found our that Scott Peterson had been having an affair with Amber Frey.  Frey served as a key witness in the case, co-operating with the police and providing much of the damning evidence that led to Scott Peterson's conviction. 

Much of the evidence against Scott Peterson is largely circumstantial.  Following his Laci's disappearance, Scott had sold her landrover and was making plans to leave the country.  The affair with Amber Frey also provided much support for the case against Peterson.  Scott Peterson allegedly told Frey that he had lost his wife before the December 24 disappearance.  As well, she taped many of their phone conversations, including one on December 31 where he was engaging in "pillow talk" with Frey at a vigil for Laci.  In these tapes, he was shown to have lied to Frey about his location-- claiming, for example, to be in Paris when he was not. These behaviors were considered particularly damning from a "character" standpoint; by depicting Peterson as a callous liar, they made it unlikely that he would be able to persuasively testify in the case, as indeed he did not.

In April of 2003, Connor's body was found washed ashore at the San Francisco Bay, followed shortly thereafter by a partial female body later identified as Laci's.  Results from the autopsies did not reveal how Laci was killed, although prosecutors and media speculated that Laci may have been suffocated or strangled, due to the lack of blood evidence and the absence of obvious signs of violence on the remains.

Amber Frey and Scott Peterson

Scott Peterson met Shawn Sibley, Amber Frey's best friend at the time, during a business conference in Anaheim, California in October 2002.  In their convesations Shawn mentioned that Amber may be a good match for him, after Scott was discussing how hard it is to meet a compatible mate.  This led to Scott getting Amber Frey's contact information, where he called her and they agreed to meet for a date.  Amber Frey and Scott Peterson met face-to-face for the first time on November 20, 2002.

They immediately hit it of, with both consumating intimate relations on that first date.  Amber who was a single mother at the time described Peterson as a kind and romantic soul, who was also enamored by her 20 month-old daughter, Ayianna.  The relationship between the two accelerated at a fast rate, although Peterson had not once mentioned that he was married.  That is until December 9th 2003, where Scott Peterson told Amber Frey that he was married but his wife was dead. 

On December 29th, Amber Frey had learned the truth when her friend Richard Byrd, also a Fresno homicide detective, informed her that Scott Peterson was married and his pregnant wife was missing.  Once informed of Peterson's deception, Amber contacted the police and agreed to assist with their investigation by taping future phone conversations from Peterson, which revealed Peterson as a chronic liar, and played a huge role in his conviction. 

The Aftermath

With Amber Frey being the star witness against Scott Peterson, whose case was being followed and scrutinized by media outlets all across the nation,  she inevitably became a notorious household name.  Details of Amber's life have been disclosed mostly by family, friends, and opportunists.  She has remarkably kept a low profile in spite of all of the media attention she has received, that is, until the release of her book.

Days after Scott Peterson's verdict of guilt was announced, Amber Frey made an aggressive media blitz to promote her book.  In her media appearances, Amber gave very hestitant and vague answers to questions, and instead, repeatedly directed the questioner that more detailed information was to be found in the book.  The book will be adapted into a CBS TV movie called, The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story.  Amber Frey will be played by Tracy Lynn Middendorf and Scott Peterson will be played by Dean Cain.