Scott Peterson Net Worth: Financial Overview of a Convicted Murderer

Scott Peterson is a very popular name that many people in the U.S. remember. In the start, he was a normal husband who was happy in his married life with Laci Peterson. But in 2002, his life took a turn. His pregnant wife went missing and this changed everything. After some time, Scott Peterson was arrested. He was charged for killing his wife Laci and their unborn son. Her wife was eight months pregnant with their first child. This case shocked everyone in the country and got nonstop media attention.

In 2005, Scott Peterson was sentenced to death by lethal injection. But in 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence. Currently, he is still in prison and serving his life without parole. Many people still search for details about his life, including his past jobs, money and current net worth. In this article, we’ll take a close look at Scott Peterson’s background and financial status in 2025.

Profile Summary

Full Name	Scott Lee Peterson
Date of Birth	October 24, 1972
Age (as of 2025)	52 years old
Birthplace	San Diego, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business (1998)
Marital Status	Married to Laci Peterson (1997–2002)
Children	One unborn son, Conner (deceased)
Height	6 Feet
Weight	90 KG
Conviction	First-degree murder of Laci Peterson; second-degree murder of their unborn son, Conner
Date of Conviction	November 12, 2004
Sentence	Sentenced to death in 2005
Current Incarceration	Mule Creek State Prison, Ione, California (transferred from San Quentin State Prison in 2022)
Net Worth (2025)	No publicly available or verifiable data regarding his net worth

Scott Peterson’s Early Life and Marriage

Scott Lee Peterson was born on 24 October 1972 in San Diego in California. His parents were Lee Arthur Peterson and Jacqueline Helen Latham. Scott was their only child, but both of them had children from their earlier marriages. He grew up with several half-siblings and one of them, John, even lived with Scott as a roommate for some time. His father owned a crate-packaging business. He also ran a clothing store in La Jolla with Scott’s mother.

Scott had a normal childhood. He went to local schools in San Diego and he was good at school and had an interest in sports. After high school, he went to Arizona State University. Later, he transferred to California Polytechnic State University. There, he studied agricultural business.

Marriage with Laci Peterson

In 1997, he married Laci Peterson. After completing his graduation in June 1998, they successfully ran a successful burger restaurant named “The Shack” until 2000. Peterson was an agricultural salesman and Laci Peterson taught school. In summer of 2002, they announced that they were expecting their first child. It was a boy they planned to name Conner. They seemed to have a happy life before things took a dark turn.

Laci’s Disappearance

Laci Peterson was 8 months pregnant and she was missing. She was last heard on 23 December 2002 on a call to her mother on the phone. Scott Peterson said that on the next day, Scott said Laci went to walk their dog. He said he went fishing at the San Francisco Bay. A neighbor later said that they saw Scott putting a big tarp into his truck. He returned home then he washed his clothes, ate dinner and took a shower. Then he called the police at 6:00 p.m. to report that Laci was missing.

Scott Peterson Arrested

The search for Laci became very big news and it got a lot of news attention. A $500,000 reward was offered for this too. A team worked day and night to find her. At first, Laci’s family believed Scott. But in January 2003, police said Scott had a girlfriend named Amber Frey. Amber did not know that he was married so she was in an intimate relationship with him. But, when she got to know about the whole situation, she helped the police to catch him.

Scott told her that he had “lost” his wife before Laci went missing. Scott also sold Laci’s car and their house. On 13 April 13 2003, two bodies were found in the bay. They were of Laci and her unborn baby. Scott was arrested five days later. He was found near the border with cash, a fake ID and camping gear.

Trial and Conviction

Scott Peterson went to trial in 2004 and this case got a lot of media attention. On 12 November the jury found him guilty. He was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Laci. And, second-degree murder for killing his unborn son.

On 13 December 2004, the judge gave him the death sentence. He was to die by lethal injection. But in August 2020, his death sentence was overturned. He is still guilty, but he is no longer on death row.

Scott Peterson Net Worth

Scott Peterson’s estimated net worth was around $1 million. Before going to prison, Scott worked as a fertilizer salesman and earned a decent income. Reports from earlier years, including 2020 and 2021 also listed his net worth at about $1 million.

Since his arrest in 2003 and conviction in 2004, Scott has been behind bars with no real way to earn money. He cannot increase his net worth while serving a life sentence. His current value mostly reflects what he had before prison, as he no longer has access to steady income or assets.