we got that from sharon. we got that from ron. we got that from laci s friends. everybody had an interest in in trying to get us to go faster. reporter: everybody, that is, but scott. now why, they wondered, would that be? coming up hey, beautiful, i just left a message at home. when i listened to that i thought he was leaving this recording for us to hear. reporter: scott under scrutiny. i was afraid to say it out loud. but could he be involved with her disappearance? when dateline continues.
a week after laci peterson disappeared, they had a vigil. everyone coming together and praying just helps, helps you feel like you re doing something. candles and prayers and tears and though much of modesto was here, in body or spirit, not a single person understood not yet, not for a while, why this gathering would become a defining moment. especially, perhaps, scott peterson. because, though it looked as if he might have shed a tear or two, he seemed to be avoiding laci s family and friends. what about the vigil? he wasn t he wasn t on the stage. no, he wasn t on the stage. no, he was on the phone.
be able to see what really took place. reporter: scott s mom assured reporters her son was innocent. but she couldn t have been very happy when everyone decamped to the new courthouse and saw this billboard a local radio station bought across the street. man or monster? what d you think when you saw that? well, that was when we were about to start jury selection first day of jury selection. so i, i think we were worried we were going to have another change of venue. reporter: but here it stayed. june 1st, 2004, her husband scott went on trial for her murder. and right off the bat, the prosecution told the jury about scott and amber. he winced as they showed these photos of the two of them from the night of the party, the same photos that helped him get caught. and then they showed the jury this picture of laci, same night different party, she went alone.
police interrogation. you have no idea where laci is. i do not. we couldn t find anything wrong with this guy. he was that charming. reporter: and surprising details from the other woman, who helped uncover the truth. it still affects me emotionally. did scott peterson kill his wife? i don t believe he did. i mean, really. who else could have done it? i m glad you asked that question. once upon a time, in a small california city, lived a sweet, pregnant woman, with a radiant smile and outside of friends and family, hardly anyone knew her name. can i help you? my son-in-law called. he was playing golf. my daughter s been missing since this morning. she s eight months pregnant. reporter: she would never know, of course, how famous that name of hers was about to become. we have no indication, no
reporter: sharon wouldn t know for a long time the truth about scott s phone call that night, but it was that night after the vigil that privately sharon first allowed her mind to go to that very dark place. i remember it was new year s eve when i started going back and forth, but just to myself. i wouldn t say it out loud. i was afraid to say it out loud. but i started just kind of thinking, could he be involved with her disappearance? reporter: sharon was a frantic mess and she d look at him, and he just seemed so detached somehow. never once did he say, oh, my god. where is laci? no. where could she be? i hope she s okay. i hope, you know, she s not harmed. never, ever you were feeling that panic. even as you talk about it, you can see a little bit of it left. he did not seem to have that sense? he did not have it. and i actually made out a list of, did he or didn t he? i had a list. and there was a lot more on the did than didn t. and that s what really scar