Amber Frey was a key witness in the murder case of Laci Peterson, which drew national attention and continues to spark debate. Laci, 27, disappeared from her home in Modesto, California, on Dec. 24, 2002. She was eight months pregnant at the time.
Her husband, Scott Peterson, was later convicted of murdering her and their unborn child. Frey, his mistress, 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓭 their 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 and helped authorities gather evidence against him. More than two decades later, the release of the A&E documentary Scott Peterson: The New Evidence has renewed public interest in Frey’s life.
How Amber Frey Helped Build the Case Against Scott Peterson
According to Frey, she first met Scott at a bar in Fresno, California, on Nov. 20, 2002, just a month before Laci went missing. At the time, Scott lied to her about being single and began a relationship with her. However, on Dec. 9, 2002, he confessed that he had been married and had “lost“ his wife. Frey said she continued with the 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 believing Scott was a widower.
But at the end of December 2002, she saw media coverage of Laci’s disappearance and realized she had been lied to. She then went to authorities, revealing that Scott was having an 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 with her and might have been involved in his wife’s disappearance. Police then asked her to secretly record their phone conversations to collect potential evidence against Scott.
The plan worked, as Scott was caught lying about his whereabouts and activities, which investigators said showed he lacked credibility. Frey also made a public statement about her 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 in January 2003 and said, “Scott told me he was not married. We did have a romantic relationship. I’m very sorry for Laci’s family and the pain this has caused them.”
In April 2003, Laci’s remains washed ashore near Point Isabel in San Francisco Bay. Scott was arrested shortly after, and his trial began in 2004. During the trial, Frey testified for several days, and hours of recorded phone calls became key evidence against Scott.
In November 2004, Scott was convicted of first-degree murder in Laci’s death and second-degree murder in the death of their unborn child. He was sentenced to death. After more than 17 years on death row, his sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole in 2021. Scott still says he is innocent, but his appeal to overturn his conviction was rejected in April 2026.
Frey Now Lives With Her Family in Fresno
Frey now lives with her daughter and son in Fresno, where she works as a massage therapist. Though she largely stays out of the spotlight, she has talked about the murder case and how it impacted her in a few interviews and documentaries. In 2005, she published a book about her experience as a witness in the case, titled Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson.
During a 2015 appearance on the Today show, Frey said she does not regret exposing her 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 with Scott and testifying against him. “I don’t regret anything. As crazy as it sounds, as what came out and whatnot, I would do it all over again because it wasn’t about me. There was a missing woman carrying a child that if I had something that would help, without question (I would),” she said.
