The murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son are still the subject of discussions today, thanks in part to Skye Borgman’s 2024 Netflix series American Murder: Laci Peterson. The docuseries presents true crime footage and interviews with individuals who knew married couple Laci and Scott Peterson, chronicling the highly publicized case from start to finish. Over two decades after the tragic murder occurred, the streaming project's creator opened up about why this season of is still so incredibly “relevant” for audiences today.
Four months after Laci Peterson was declared missing in 2002, the bodies of her and her unborn son, Conner, were found two miles from the marina where Scott Peterson claimed he went fishing at the time of their disappearance. He was arrested five days later and is currently serving a life sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder for Laci and second-degree murder for Conner.
Even though previous true crime series and specials have focused on Laci Peterson’s murder (like the binge-watchable Hulu series The Murder of Laci Peterson), Skye Borgman’s docuseries expertly focuses on personal accounts as it wades through the many layers of the case beyond the sensational headlines that initially emerged. Despite the case being well-known, Borgman told Netflix Tudum why is still “relevant” for audiences to know about today:
The Laci Peterson story, it’s incredibly relevant to today’s audience, because this is something that continues to happen. It’s a very, very detailed, evidence-based look at how Laci Peterson disappeared and how Scott Peterson was convicted.
Seemingly the biggest takeaway that Skye Borgman wanted audiences to get out of American Murder: Laci Peterson was that homicide is considered the number one cause of death for pregnant women. As shocking as that is for people to discover, it’s a true fact from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which said women who are pregnant or recently gave birth are more likely to be murdered than die from obstetric reasons.
By the end of all three episodes of the Netflix docuseries, the true crime series creator hopes that audiences will have a deeper understanding about intimate partner violence than they did before.
One big standout that American Murder: Laci Peterson has over other documentaries that covered the high-profile murder case is getting both sides of the story. Compared to only looking at things from one angle centered on Laci Peterson, the legal narrative is balanced with interviews of the family and legal team of Scott Peterson, as well as how the media played a role in shaping public opinion and the resulting conviction.
Borgman continued to explain why it was important for her to bring both perspectives to her true crime series:
My approach to documentaries is to really hear all of the facts from all of the different sides and put those facts out there. I’m never trying to do “gotcha” interviews. I’m always trying to put forward what would be good about telling their side of the story, how it’s going to impact the documentary, how it’s going to sort of work into the storyline. [...] Crime has all of these different facets of human nature. That’s what really draws me to some of these stories — the opportunity to paint that picture in all the different shades we’ve got in our box of crayons.
Showing both sides of a famous real-life murder story takes a lot of courage compared to the black-and-white narrative we’re used to seeing. With the popular Netflix series being 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, I have a feeling more audiences are gonna want to know about Laci Peterson’s story and the brave people who are willing to tell it.
Intimate partner violence is just as “relevant” as the tragic story of Laci Peterson and her unborn son’s murder. By Skye Borgman creating the American Murder docuseries, she’s breaking the stigma talking about the grim tragedies that can occur with married couples. Hopefully, people watching can develop a fresh eye toward these topics. You can learn about the many layers of the Laci Peterson case with its popular docuseries with a Netflix subscription.
