Once Upon A Crime

In 2009, self-help superstar James Arthur Ray invited dozens of followers to a six-day retreat near Sedona, Arizona, promising a life-changing journey of spiritual transformation. Instead, his Spiritual Warrior program ended in tragedy when three participants—Kirby Brown, James Shore, and Liz Neuman—died following an extreme sweat lodge ceremony.
Once Upon a Crime first covered the case in 2019 as part of our Deadly Therapy series. Now, Esther revisits the story with new insight from journalist and author Annette McGivney, whose new book, Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness, takes a deeper look at the tragedy and the culture that allowed it.
Throughout the episode, Annette discusses her years of research into the case, the warning signs that preceded the deaths, the psychological pressure that kept participants pushing past their physical limits, and Ray’s appropriation of Indigenous spiritual traditions. The case also raises a question that remains relevant today: When does the pursuit of self-improvement cross the line into exploitation—and how do we recognize a dangerous guru before it’s too late?
Patreon Bonus: You’ll hear excerpts from Esther’s conversation with Annette throughout this episode. Once Upon a Crime Patreon members can hear the complete, uncut interview with Annette McGivney, where she shares more about her investigation, the people at the center of the tragedy, and what the Sedona case can teach us about today’s self-help and wellness industry.
Become a member starting at just $5 per month at patreon.com/onceuponacrime.
Featured Book:
Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness by Annette McGivney
https://www.torreyhouse.org/plastic-shaman
https://azdailysun.com/flaglive/annette-mcgivney-dives-into-impacts-of-self-help-schemes-with-new-book-plastic-shaman/article_42b52fe1-5d6d-4c40-9693-dd2dd468307e.html
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In this bonus episode of Once Upon a Crime, we ask a disturbing question: did the Scott Peterson case inspire other men to murder their wives?
We examine the cases of Lori Hacking, Jennifer Corbin, and Teresa Lane, three women whose murders shared striking similarities with the Peterson case. In some instances, the connection went beyond coincidence. One killer reportedly followed Peterson’s trial closely, while another allegedly referenced Peterson directly before murdering his wife.
We also turn the question around: could Scott Peterson himself have been influenced by earlier disappearances and murders that occurred while he was a college student in San Luis Obispo?
From staged accidents and disappearances to the dangerous myth of “no body, no crime,” this bonus episode explores how high-profile murder cases can become cautionary tales... or, in the wrong hands, criminal blueprints.
Sources:
Erased: Missing Women, Murdered Wives, Marilee Strong, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2008.

“Death and the Dentist,” Rob Stafford for NBC News, October 18, 2006
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15253153

“Thomas Lane, convicted of wife’s murder, sentenced to death,” Jared Boyd, AL.com, June 7, 2016.
https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2016/06/mobile_man_accused_of_killing_3.html

Thomas Robert Lane v. State of Alabama, Feb. 5, 2010, accessed on Findlaw.com.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1507261.html
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In Part Two of Scott Peterson Revisited, Esther is joined by her sister Yolanda to take a closer look at the claims now being made on behalf of convicted murderer Scott Peterson.
In 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced that it was investigating Peterson’s claims of actual innocence. The following year, his attorneys filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that new evidence and scientific analysis undermined key elements of the prosecution’s case. A judge rejected those claims in April 2026, but the LA Innocence Project has said it plans to appeal.
Now Esther and Yolanda reopen the case for themselves.
Together, they examine the major arguments being presented as evidence of Peterson’s innocence: the burglary across the street from the Peterson home, witnesses who claimed they saw Laci walking her dog after Scott left that morning, new theories about where Laci and Conner entered San Francisco Bay, evidence suggesting Laci may have known about Scott’s fishing boat, and questions surrounding when Conner died.
They also revisit allegations that investigators developed tunnel vision and ignored evidence that didn’t fit their theory of the crime. What actually caused detectives to focus their attention on Scott? Were other leads adequately investigated? And does the so-called “new evidence” meaningfully change the circumstantial case that led a jury to convict him?
More than two decades after Laci and Conner Peterson were murdered, Esther and Yolanda separate what’s new from what has been argued before, challenge each other’s assumptions, and ask the question at the heart of Scott Peterson’s latest bid for freedom:
Is there truly new evidence of innocence — or simply a new way of presenting an old defense?
Content warning
This episode discusses the murder of a pregnant woman and the death of an unborn child.
Links to our original episodes:
This episode revisits research originally presented in Episodes 71 and 72 of Once Upon a Crime in 2017, along with subsequent court rulings and the claims presented by the Los Angeles Innocence Project in Scott Peterson: The New Evidence.
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep71-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-1/
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep72-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-2/
Other resources:
People Magazine article (with photos of van, “Laci note” with handwriting comparison, etc.)
https://people.com/pieces-forensic-evidence-could-lead-scott-peterson-freedom-exclusive-12014816?hid=bc2984855ed727914fef22dff40e20764d844358&did=24648672-20260713&utm_source=ppl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ppl-true-crime_newsletter&utm_content=071326&lctg=bc2984855ed727914fef22dff40e20764d844358&lr_input=f39d77450fcf063cdc7d94fda7ecdf5efd39306fc49121111e7af41f018cc829&campaign=18955543
For Laci: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Justice, Sharon Rocha, Crown Publishers, 2006.

YouTube: Crime & Justice, “Scott Peterson Case: Lead Detective Dismantles “New Evidence” Claims
https://youtu.be/a5qvh_KVvW0?si=hSlZWEh6DcvzcgY_
YouTube: East Idaho News, “Homicide Detective Jon Buehler and legal analyst Beth Karas on the truth about Scott Peterson”
https://youtu.be/U8OlJsSdWxM?si=t7mRvJluYIhjv8LB
https://www.stanislaus-da.org/pdf/news/2026/press-release-05-12-2026-SPeterson.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawTJwBZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR573on0mjwU15IxHrPF2s_dROtgKY4mxWsO_FbqPJzGzGd_qwChWikSZPIFiw_aem_UvmC6ZEk7nqxD9jDoOFt7A
Los Angeles Innocence Project Court Filings:
Notice of Motion for DNA Testing, Jan 17, 2024
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ev6pivmu5f34w0f4fsj4c/1405-DNA-Motion.pdf?rlkey=3a2im5v5osa1b6jxjb739b3hj&e=1&dl=0
Notice of Motion for Post-Conviction Discovery, Jan 17, 2024
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wa5itop6v4mxgx5bdojqc/1054.9-Discovery-Motion_Redacted.pdf?rlkey=api1iepe8sw96utwe2aiy3j1x&e=1&dl=0
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode of Scott Peterson Revisited, we look beyond the evidence to examine the man at the center of the case. Was Scott Peterson capable of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner?
We explore Scott’s family history, childhood, relationships, repeated infidelities, and carefully cultivated image as the family’s “Golden Boy” and “Mr. Perfect.” We also consider the patterns of deception and compartmentalization that emerged throughout his life and ask whether they offer clues to how he could commit such a devastating crime—and continue to deny responsibility more than two decades later.
Unmasking Scott Peterson examines the man behind the carefully constructed image and asks: What happens when maintaining the mask becomes more important than confronting reality?

Content warning
This episode discusses the murder of a pregnant woman and the death of an unborn child.

Sources and further listening
Inside the Mind of Scott Peterson, Keigh Ablow, M.D., St. Martin’s Press, 2005.
Till Death Do Us Part: Love, Marriage, and the Mind of the Killer Spouse, Dr. Robi Ludwig and Matt Birkbeck, Atria Books, 2006.
When the Husband is the Suspect, F. Lee Bailey with Jean Rabe, A Forge Book, 2008.
Witness for the Prosecution of Scott Peterson, Amber Frey, Regan Books, 2005.
For Laci: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Justice, Sharon Rocha, Crown Publishers, 2006.
Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson is Guilty, Anne Bird, Regan Books, 2005.
“Fun and unpredictable, that was the real Laci,” Diana Walsh for The San Francisco Chronicle, May 30, 2004.
“William “Kent” Gains - December 8, 1972 - August 21, 2021, Epilogg.com.

Links to our original episodes:
This episode revisits research originally presented in Episodes 71 and 72 of Once Upon a Crime in 2017.
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep71-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-1/
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep72-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-2/

Sponsors:
See a list of our sponsors and discount codes on our website:
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/sponsors/

Links:
Patreon - www.patreon.com/onceuponacrime
Our Website - www.truecrimepodcast.com
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YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponACrimePodcast
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Twenty-three years after the murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son, Conner, the case against Scott Peterson is once again under scrutiny.
In January 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project announced that it was representing Peterson and investigating his claims of actual innocence. Since then, his attorneys have filed new challenges to his conviction, arguing that previously overlooked evidence and new scientific analysis undermine the prosecution’s case.
In July 2026, A&E aired the two-part documentary Scott Peterson: The New Evidence, produced by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, bringing many of these claims back into the national conversation.
In Part One of this two-part series, we’ll revisit the case from the beginning and examine the evidence that originally led investigators to focus on Scott Peterson.
We review the timeline surrounding Laci’s disappearance on Christmas Eve 2002, Scott’s secret relationship with Amber Frey, the investigation that followed, and the discovery of Laci and Conner’s remains months later near the area where Scott said he had been fishing.
We’ll also look at the legal history of the case after Scott’s conviction, including the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his death sentence, his resentencing to life without parole, and the more recent efforts by the Los Angeles Innocence Project to reopen the case.

Content warning
This episode discusses the murder of a pregnant woman and the death of an unborn child.

Sources and further listening
This episode revisits research originally presented in Episodes 71 and 72 of Once Upon a Crime in 2017, along with subsequent court rulings and the claims presented by the Los Angeles Innocence Project in Scott Peterson: The New Evidence.
Links to our original episodes:
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep71-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-1/
https://www.truecrimepodcast.com/s2-ep72-the-12-crimes-of-christmas-laci-peterson-part-2/

Coming next
In Part 2, Esther and her sister, Yolanda, evaluate the new innocence claims one by one and discuss whether any of them materially change the evidence against Scott Peterson.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.