Now People Magazine came across Scott in the rather noisy dayroom of the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, for a grainy video call far from the man who would be serving time for the appalling crime of murder of his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner in 2002.

With his long, tousled hair, which he sometimes ties back into a ponytail, Peterson exudes a calm and laid-back demeanour, more reminiscent of a surfer than a convicted murderer.

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However, the tone shifts as Peterson reflects on a critical mistake he made just a month before the murder—his decision to engage in an extramarital affair with Amber Frey, a massage therapist from Fresno, California. “It’s horrible,” Peterson admits to People Magazine, his voice filled with regret. “I was a total a-hole to be having sex outside our marriage.”

Peterson regrets for ‘not testifying’

For the first time since his arrest almost twenty-two years ago, Peterson opened up not only on the affair but the whole narrative that has befallen him after the 2004 trial. In the three part documentary – Face to Face with Scott Peterson streaming now on Peacock – Peterson denies any involvement in the death of Laci and Conner. He also complains of what he calls a very defective probe by the police and the prosecutors.

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“I regret not testifying [at my trial],” Peterson says, pointing his decision to remain silent during the proceedings. “But if I have a chance to show people what the truth is, and if they are willing to accept it, it would be the biggest thing that I can accomplish right now—because I didn’t kill my family.”

The docuseries also notes the ongoing efforts by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, which launched an appeal in January in an attempt to overturn Peterson’s conviction.

Prosecutors portrayed Peterson as a man desperate to escape the responsibilities of fatherhood and marriage, murdered Laci: “That is so offensive and so disgusting,” he states, rejecting the prosecution’s portrayal of him.

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While he acknowledges the deep regret he feels for cheating on Laci, he says his actions were “childish lack of self-esteem” and a selfish desire for companionship during lonely moments.