The Owl • The Karen • The Edgars
Plus: True-crime real estate
the true crime that's worth your time
Sometimes I feel bad about obsessing over Scott Peterson here. I have no idea how big the 2002 disappearance of his wife, Laci, was outside Northern California…I sort of assume it was big, because Dean Cain was still a viable actor when he played Peterson in the circa-2004 Lifetime film about the case? But honestly, I’m just guessing, and appreciate your indulgence.
Anyway, I’m not here today to talk about his ongoing appeal and possible retrial, I’m here to talk about the Modesto, CA house where prosecutors say he killed his wife.
As reported by the Sacramento Bee, 523 Covena Ave., where the Petersons lived when Laci was killed just before Christmas almost 20 years ago, went on the market a few weeks ago with a listing price of $459,888. (Wondering about the 8s? That’s a common pricing strategy in majority Asian neighborhoods, as in many Chinese dialects, the word for 8 — which sounds like “ba” — also sounds a lot like the word for “well-off.”) Here’s the sales pitch:
If fun in the sun and entertaining poolside are on your list of must-haves, this is the home you've been looking for! Located in the much-desired La Loma neighborhood, this beautiful 3-bedroom, 2 full-baths home is move-in ready and waiting for YOU! Gorgeous stone countertops and backsplashes in the remodeled kitchen, along with a 6-burner gas stove, plenty of storage, and a built-in wine rack make this home a chef's dream. Even the refrigerator is included! Enjoy the secluded courtyard, filled with lush flowers, grass and cultured bushes. In the backyard you'll find the refreshing and sparkling pool, which also includes inviting outdoor furniture and a BBQ. And just around the corner is the relaxing hot tub for soaking and enjoying starlit nights. This home has been upgraded with solar panels to reduce electrical costs and is fully owned, no lease or payments to take over! Recently painted interior in peaceful, neutral colors is one less chore for you. Welcome home!
The house has had a couple occupants since its most famous resident was convicted of murder. Real estate agent Gerry Roberts was the first post-homicide owner, telling the East Bay Times in 2005 that “It’s probably the most controversial home in the world” when he bought the home for $390K ($10K over ask).
Roberts, 54 and the father of three adult children, said that his bid was accepted after he sent Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha, and Scott’s father, Lee Peterson, a letter praising the home’s charm as “exactly what I had been looking for all this time.”
“I will honor this home and plan to keep it in my family for many years to come,” he wrote … During escrow, vandals cut gas lines to a backyard barbecue and the gas meter, and drove into a brick wall on the property, Roberts said.
“There was a bit of craziness,” acknowledged Roberts, who currently rents a home. “I realize the home and its occupants touched so many lives.”
Roberts didn’t keep the place that long, records on Zillow suggest, selling it in 2007 for $280,000 — a $110K price dip. It sold again in 2013 for even less: $180,000.
Five days after it was listed this time around, a sale for the full asking price was marked as pending. And before you ask, in California (it’s California Civil Code Section 1710.2, if you’re curious) you’re only required to disclose a death on the property for three years after the death, so it’s possible that that buyer might not even be aware of the home’s remarkable past. — EB
I probably should have saved this for Wednesday’s discussion thread. But I can’t, it’s too delicious! Juliette Binoche appears to be the only cast member who hasn’t been associated with a character, so, presumably, that’s who Holmes/HBO bosses are referring to. So I ask you — who is JB playing?
Your speculation is welcomed in the comments. — EB
Over the past few weeks we’ve taken a look at the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award 2022 nominees for Best Fact Crime. Now it’s time for prognostication (Edgar winners will be announced April 28) and musing over what true-crime books from last year should have been nominated! To review, the 2022 nominees are:
The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History by Margalit Fox
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away by Ann Hagedorn
Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice by Ellen McGarrahan
The Dope: The Real History of the Mexican Drug Trade by Benjamin T. Smith
When Evil Lived in Laurel: The “White Knights” and the Murder of Vernon Dahmer by Curtis Wilke
What will win?
This year’s nominees are an interesting lot, comprised of less straightforward true crime than past slates. Best Fact Crime winners tend to lean toward historical true crime and “crime-oirs” most often, with some investigative journalism sprinkled in.
This year’s slate includes a historical entry (The Confidence Men), a Cold War espionage tale (Sleeper Agent), a “crime-oir” (Two Truths and a Lie), a cultural and social history (The Dope), a civil rights-era history (When Evil Lived in Laurel), and a lesser-known true crime story from the 1980s (Last Call). Of these, The Confidence Men seems the most Edgar-esque, but I have a feeling Last Call takes it. To my mind, it’s the frontrunner and title to beat.
What should win?
The 2022 nominee slate offers something for most true crime/narrative non-fiction fans. It’s one of the most diverse groupings I can recall. To me, the best of the bunch are Last Call and When Evil Lived in Laurel, although I am glad to have read The Dope as it forced to me to confront many of my notions about the drug trade between the U.S. and Mexico.
What should have been nominated?
I speculated that Patrick Radden Keefe’s Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, despite being my favorite book of 2021, wouldn’t get a nod and wasn’t surprised when it didn’t. Another title I really liked from last year, Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an America Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, made the Edgars long list, but it’s even less true crime-y than some of this year’s nominees so I’m not too shocked it didn’t get a nod.
Was 2021 just a slower year for true crime? Aside from Last Call I’m struggling to think of titles that really broke away from the pack and made it on everyone’s must-read list. To that end, I’d love recommendations from the Best Evidence community for books I may have missed. — Susan Howard
Elle has a fantastic deep dive on the Katie Sorensen case. Rose Minutaglio’s “The Karen Who Cried Kidnapping” gives us the best look so far at a case we’ve discussed here before — the Instagrammed allegations that two (Latinx) Michaels shoppers were plotting to steal her (blonde, white) kids.
According to police and other investigators, nothing of the sort was happening, and Sorensen is set to go on trial next month for three misdemeanor charges related to her claims. But her false claims might just be the tip of the Qanon/Facebook-fueled iceberg. Here’s a snip:
In the summer of 2020, months before Sorensen would go public with her alleged near-kidnapping, she took up the fight against sex trafficking, posting a 20-slide highlight reel to Instagram, called “SaveTheChildren,” where she shared aesthetically pleasing infographics begging social media companies to remove pedophilia accounts and promising to speak up on behalf of the “millions that fall victim to human trafficking every year.”
In one slide, Sorensen uploaded footage from a rally where protesters held signs saying “Rise Up.” In another post to her grid, she posed in front of a theater’s marquee with the famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “The time is always right to do what is right.” She’s holding what appears to be a hand-drawn anti-trafficking sign. The caption leads with “Slavery still exists,” and contains the hashtag #savethechildren.
Sorensen’s behavior is indefensible, but is clearly not something that arose in isolation, Minutaglio reveals, breaking down the slew of grifts related to false narratives around child abduction. For folks like me who are isolated from that madness, this was a real eye-opener. For others who live in places where false narratives like Sorensen’s flourish, this piece is a great item to hang on to and use to debunk the bullshit when its presented. — EB
Wednesday on Best Evidence: New thinking about old cases!
What is this thing? This should help. Follow Best Evidence @bestevidencefyi on Twitter and Instagram. You can also call or text us any time at 919-75-CRIME.