Once Upon A Crime

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.
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More than twenty years after Laci Peterson's murder captivated the nation, one of America's most infamous true crime cases is back in the spotlight.
In this upcoming special two-part series, Once Upon a Crime host Esther Ludlow revisits the case with fan-favorite co-host Yolanda, taking a fresh look at the investigation, the evidence, and the questions that continue to divide the public. Originally covered by the podcast in 2016, this updated series examines what's changed, and why so many people are debating Scott Peterson's guilt once again.
The disappearance of eight-months-pregnant Laci Peterson on Christmas Eve 2002 sparked a media frenzy unlike anything seen before. As investigators uncovered Scott Peterson's affair with Amber Frey and his shocking lies about his marriage, public opinion quickly turned. Months later, the bodies of Laci and her unborn son, Conner, were discovered along the shores of the San Francisco Bay, leading to Scott's arrest, conviction, and death sentence.
But the story didn't end there.
With new legal challenges from Scott Peterson's defense team, renewed attention from the Los Angeles Innocence Project, and recent documentaries reigniting debate, the case has become the subject of fresh scrutiny. Could key evidence have been misunderstood? Were important leads overlooked? Or does the original investigation still point to the same conclusion?

Subscribe to Once Upon A Crime so you don't miss this upcoming series.
Next episode drops Monday August 10, 2026
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In this episode of Once Upon a Crime, we revisits the murder of Sheila von Wiese Mack through the new book When Lambs Become Wolves by retired Sergeant Rasul T. Freelain, who knew Sheila and her daughter Heather years before the Bali killing.
Freelain recounts how a 2010 theft report led to repeated police contact, revealing escalating child-to-parent violence: Heather’s manipulation, financial fraud, and assaults that included breaking Sheila’s arm and later a brutal attack.
Despite diversion programs, mentoring, probation, and numerous calls for service, Sheila often refused to press charges, focused on saving her family, and ultimately told Freelain, “She’s going to kill me.”

When Lambs Become Wolves. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0809339943?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
Resorting to Murder: The Body in the Suitcase: https://art19.com/shows/once-upon-a-crime/episodes/eef34649-e83a-47cb-a960-5403629b2295
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Part 2 of the Sylvia Likens case examines the heartbreaking final hours of Sylvia Likens, one of the most horrific child abuse and murder cases in American history.
On October 26, 1965, after months of unimaginable torture inside a home in Indianapolis, Indiana, 16-year-old Sylvia was carried upstairs for a bath before she was discovered unresponsive. As Gertrude Baniszewski scrambled to cover up the abuse with a fabricated confession letter, investigators immediately recognized the devastating evidence of prolonged torture. Including severe burns, starvation, countless injuries, a fatal subdural hematoma, and the chilling message carved into Sylvia's abdomen.
The investigation took a dramatic turn when Sylvia's younger sister, Jenny, courageously told police, "Get me out of here, and I'll tell you everything." Her testimony unraveled Gertrude Baniszewski's lies and led to the arrests of Gertrude, several of her children, and neighborhood teenagers who participated in or witnessed the abuse.

Sources:
https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/longform/likens-looking-back-indianas-infamous-crime-50-years-later
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2013/10/24/sylvia-likens/3178393/
House of Evil: The Indiana Torture Slaying - John Dean
Torture Mom: A Chilling True Story of Confinement, Mutilation, and Murder - Ryan Green, 2018.
The House from Hell: The True Story of Gertrude Baniszewski, Genoveva Ortiz, Sea Vision Publishing, 2024.
https://www.history101.com/sylvia-likens-the-family-she-left-behind/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sylvia_Likens#Gertrude_Baniszewski
https://murderpedia.org/female.B/b/baniszewski.htm
https://www.history101.com/sylvia-likens-the-family-she-left-behind/
https://www.theindianalawyer.com/articles/35446-lawyers-book-retraces-indys-infamous-sylvia-likens-murder-case

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Police arrived at the New York Street house and quickly realized the story didn’t add up. Within hours, Gertrude Baniszewski, her children, and neighborhood teens were arrested in the torture of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens. In court, everyone pointed fingers—mother against children, children against mother.
Leaving one question: who was lying?

Subscribe and listen to Once Upon a Crime for part two.
Episode drops Monday July 13, 2026.

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