| ‘SCOTT PETERSON WAS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR TO ME’ Amber Frey tells the truth about her romance with the 'gentleman' who killed his wife and unborn son in this 'Today' show exclusive January 4, 2005 |
 |
| When Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve two years ago, the country was riveted: who was responsible? Laci was eight months pregnant, and her husband Scott seemed completely devoted to her. But a month later, a woman named Amber Frey came forward to reveal that she'd been involved with Scott. The case broke wide open and after that day, Frey's life would never be the same. She details the ordeal in a new book called, "Witness For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson.” Now, in the first part of an NBC News exclusive interview, “Today” host Matt Lauer talks with Frey about her romance with Scott Peterson. |
| LACI & CONNER WE ARE DEEPLY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS AND MY THE PEACE AND LOVE OF GOD SURROUND YOUR FAMILY IN 2005 APRIL & SHAWNA ~ MISSOURI ~ GUESTBOOK |
| Matt Lauer: Did you just hold a lot in? I mean, have you had to hold a lot inside over these last two years?
Amber Frey: To some degree, yes. For two years she's been silent. Amber Frey — the "other woman" in the Scott Peterson case and the star witness at Peterson’s murder trial — tells the truth about her relationship with Scott Peterson. At times, she says, she was terrified and at other times, she was angry. Frey: Scott Peterson was a pathological liar to me — nothing he said was the truth. But when she first met him, she was charmed. It was a blind date on Nov. 20th, 2002. Frey: He opened the door. I thought he was handsome. He had a nice smile. I stood up. I said, "Scott?" He says, "Amber?" He kind of gave me a little peck on the cheek. Amber’s best friend had set them up — when Scott was passing through Fresno on business. |
| Frey: He said, “I had some butterflies before I came here.” He almost seemed a little more nervous than I did. Lauer: You know sometimes when someone says something like that it can seem a little bit like a line? Frey: No it came across very genuine to me. Lauer: It didn't sound like he was some kind of a smooth operator type guy? Frey: No, I didn't sense that from him at all, no. They went to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Scott arranged for a private room, just the two of them. The conversation and the wine flowed freely. Lauer: Did you talk about his relationships that he had had? Frey: We really didn't talk a whole lot about relationships. I believe I asked if he had ever been married, and he said no. Scott told her he traveled for business all over the world so much that he never settled down: no wife, no girlfriend, not even a dog. |
| Frey: He said he lived in Sacramento, that he also had a condo in San Diego and he had found a couple that wanted to purchase the condo with a Land Rover. So, I thought, “Wow. That’s a pretty good deal.” Amber had no way to know it, but almost none of that was true. Scott Peterson wasn't single. He didn't live in Sacramento. He didn't own a condo in San Diego. Only one detail was factual and it would later seem chilling. The Land Rover he said he wanted to sell did exist. It belonged to his wife, Laci. Lauer: So, at this point in the date, a scale of 1 to 10, how was it going? Frey: I felt like it was going really well. So if I had to put a number on it, I mean, it was maybe a 10. Lauer: You were having a good time? Frey: I was having a good time. The conversation was good and he was very much a gentleman. |
| When the restaurant closed, they went to a bar. They slow danced until closing time. Then they drove back to Scott’s hotel. Lauer: It's been well reported that you spent the night. Frey: Yes. Lauer: You don't think, maybe I’ll never hear from him again? Frey: I had a good feeling, and a sense that I would hear from him again. That it wasn't just going to be a one night stand. Amber did see Scott again, several times over the next three weeks. He was funny and gracious — he all but swept her off her feet. She started to wonder if she'd found the perfect guy. Until Scott came to her on Dec. 9th and revealed that he'd been married. Lauer: He basically said at that time in that conversation, “You know, I haven't been completely honest with you … I lost my wife.” Did you ask him how he lost his wife? Frey: I didn't feel it was appropriate to pry on how because he was so emotional. It was almost like putting salt on a wound. He's sitting you know, right in front of me and we're holding hands and he's like, "You're not angry?" And I said, "No. How could I be angry?” I could understand. But Amber had suspicions which only mounted when Scott told her he was leaving on a long trip. His stories of where he was going, and when, didn't seem to add up. Lauer: You thought this guy might be lying to you again? That something wasn't as it seemed? Frey: Right. |
| A friend of hers on the Fresno police force offered to check Scott out. He called back at 1:40 a.m. on Dec. 29th and told her that he believed her boyfriend, Scott Peterson, was the same Scott Peterson who'd been in the news the last few days: a man who was still married, whose wife was pregnant and went missing on Christmas Eve. Amber called the Modesto police. Frey: I felt like I was going 100 miles per hour, just talking to this woman and she's taking my statement down, writing it. Amber Frey was about to find herself in the middle of the biggest murder case in the country. |
| 'I was just so scared, it was unbelievable’
Amber Frey talks about when she found out Scott Peterson was a suspect in Laci's murder. Here's part two of an exclusive interview |
| In this NBC News exclusive interview, “Today” host Matt Lauer talks with Amber Frey about the emotional moment when she found out the man she was dating, Scott Peterson, was not who he said he was, and her courageous decision to help solve the case no matter what. |
| Amber Frey: I think I lost a moment of my life. Because all I remember is shaking. I was just shaking and I couldn't speak. Amber Frey had just found out that Scott Peterson, the man she'd been dating for the last month, was not only married, but that his wife was pregnant, missing and that Scott was a suspect. Amber was at a party with friends. Matt Lauer: Did you tell them what happened, the people in the room? Frey: I was able to get a few words out that Scott Peterson was the Scott Peterson that had a missing, pregnant wife and … I just shook. They said I was there probably like an hour and it just seemed like a moment … I couldn't stop shaking. So I was, I guess, in shock. It was December 29, 2002. Five days earlier on Christmas Eve, Scott had reported that his wife, Laci, was missing. A massive search was underway and Laci's disappearance was becoming a major news story. Amber now realized Scott had told her a string of outrageous lies but some of them bore an eerie resemblance to the facts of Laci Peterson’s disappearance. Lauer: And so many of the things he had said must now start swirling in your mind — "I've lost my wife." Frey: I didn't sleep. I cried, I think, 'till that morning. Maybe, if I was lucky, I had an hour's sleep. It just, so many things were crossing my mind, things he said. I was just so scared, it was unbelievable.I remember saying that over and over, “unbelievable.” |
| Lauer: Why me?
Frey: That came to mind probably within that week. I know it sounds crazy, but I was thankful that that was me, for Laci, because if that wasn't me, then there wouldn't be a way to find her. Modesto police had begun to suspect Scott was hiding something. When Amber called, their whole investigation changed. Lauer: The police said to you at one point, "We've been praying for someone like you to come forward." Frey: Yes. Lauer: Did you stop and think, "My life will never be the same?" Frey: I think my main focus really was that there was a missing, pregnant woman that nobody knew where she was. And as far as my life or what was going to happen with everything else, I don't think my mindset was there at that point. The police wanted to document Scott’s lies and asked Amber to help them. Frey: It was very casual how they brought it up. You know, basically, "How would you feel about taping your conversations?" I thought, "Well if, you know, it will help … OK." At the time, Scott Peterson had no idea that Amber knew about Laci, no idea that Amber was talking to the police. He was still calling Amber and pretending to be her unmarried, globe-trotting boyfriend. |
| Frey: Anticipating that next call … my stomach was turning. I was shaking — my hands were just sweaty.When that phone rang and it was him I just had to get rid of the shakes and… Lauer: You had to become an actress. Frey: If that's what one would say, yes. One of the most damning calls was also one of the first -- New Year's Eve. Scott pretending he was in Paris. Scott: Amber, it's New Year's here. Are you there? Amber: Yeah. Are you having a good time? Scott: I’m near the Eiffel Tower. The New Year's celebration is unreal. The crowd is huge. Amber: The crowd is huge? There was a huge crowd, but in Modesto. That very night, Scott attended a candlelight vigil for his missing, pregnant wife. Lauer: You were listening to him say things like, "I'm at the Eiffel Tower. The celebration's unreal." By this time you knew there was a vigil that night for Laci Peterson. Are you thinking, "I'm dealing with a sociopath here?" Frey: I was very much afraid. Lauer: For your own safety? Frey: At that point I had not been home. I was afraid to go home. In the weeks and months ahead Amber would have to face down her fears and eventually, in court, she would have to face Scott Peterson himself. |
 |
|
|