Is Netflix's Laci Peterson Doc Worth Watching?

Netflix

Laci Peterson is never far from the mind of anyone familiar with her story. Due to the release of Netflix’s “American Murder: Laci Peterson,” a new wave of people may be learning her story for the first time or re-acquainting themselves with it. 

The three-episode Netflix series provides a concise, non-repetitive, poignant glimpse into the thoughts of those who knew Laci Peterson best and the insights of those who brought Laci’s loved ones justice.

To date, Skye Borgman’s work has encompassed cases that did not contemporaneously capture major headlines, only to generate them with her work’s release. For her latest, Borgman could not have dove headlong into a more notorious case for Netflix. 

Borgman does so with her trademark tenderness and fruitful probing. At this time in her career, Skye Borgman has proven herself to be one of the best true crime directors working today.

To that point, in no other work do I remember learning the context of one of the most infamous photos of Laci Peterson. You will recall the one of a beaming Laci Peterson dressed in a festive cranberry suit, sitting in a chair. Now, looking back, you see so much more than that encompassed in that picture. 

Scott Peterson was supposed to be there for that party and that photo. The cruel truth is that instead of accompanying his pregnant wife to their friend’s Christmas party, Scott was at one with his girlfriend. In another startling detail, Amber Frey is also dressed in cranberry.

There is a sensitivity to Borgman’s approach that remains respectful while offering many affecting moments in “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” None of them more moving than when Laci’s mom, Sharon Rocha, shares her wish that Laci be remembered as a person. Not as a murder victim. 

To her credit, Skye Borgman accomplishes that more than any other documentary has for Laci Peterson. Borgman remains grounded in telling viewers how Laci lived rather than how she died. 

Hence, the Netflix series fittingly concludes with a video of a beaming Laci Rocha dancing in the carefree environment of a comfy living area. In the scene, Laci’s smile is accompanied by innocent giggles and laughter. She deserved so much better.