Scott Peterson and Terri Horman - The parallels

SurfieTX

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I followed the Scott Peterson case years ago and I find the parallels to Terri to be astounding.

Here is an article about Scott and Laci's case and trial. http://www.crimemagazine.com/scott-peterson-pregnant-wife-killer I'll be quoting from that here and there.

1. "Before calling police, Peterson called his mother-in-law, Sharon Rocha, and said Laci was “missing.” Mrs. Rocha thought her son-in-law sounded strangely calm for a man whose wife’s whereabouts were unknown."
~~Terri's behavior about calling the police and calling Desiree.

2. "Police searched the Peterson home. “When Modesto police officers John Evers, Matt Spurlock, and Sergeant Byron Duerfield visited the Peterson home on Covena Avenue the next day, they found no hard evidence of foul play,” Ablow reported."
~~No sign of foul play in the truck or at the Horman home.

3. Scott's strange fishing trip that morning alone. Long drive times. He couldn't recall what type of fish he was even fishing for.
~~Terri's mysterious drive.

4. "Peterson made no appearances requesting information about the whereabouts of his wife. "
~~Terri never spoke at the first pressers and still has not.

5. Moving in with Anne Bird whom he barely contacted.
~~Terri moving in DeDe, whom she rarely contacted.

6. “I wasn’t really thinking about the goatee, but I was wondering why he was thinking about it. Scott sat there watching himself on TV, listening to reporters talking about his missing wife, dissecting the case, scrambling for new developments . . . and he seemed more interested in his new facial hair than in the search for his wife.”
~~Terri's concern about the color of her hair.

7. "She (Amber Fry) said she had been having an affair with Scott Peterson, adding that he had called her on December 29 as well as that day, pursuing his romance with her even as people frantically searched for his wife."
~~Terri pursuing Mike C.

8. Amber cooperating with the police after she found out he was married to Laci.
~~Mike C. cooperating with police.

9. "His mother thought of him as her “golden boy.” Lee Peterson told Ablow. “We never had to swat him or anything. Ever. We just told him what to do and he did it. He just wanted to please. He was never in a fight, never said a bad word in front of us about anyone. He never had a single run-in with authority.” As a teenager, Peterson impressed people as even-tempered and well disciplined. He earned good grades and tutored homeless people in his spare time. He also manifested a tendency to stretch the truth."
~~Terri's parents unwavering support for their daughter.

10. As soon as Scott Peterson became a suspect, he became the target of public revulsion. Much of the explanation for this lies in Laci having gone missing rather than immediately being known as killed. This focused attention on the case for an extended period of time before her body was discovered. As a result, the public learned of Peterson’s behavior and was mystified by it.
~~Terri.

11. High-priced lawyers.
 
Quite a stretch, imo. Terri's parents have not expressed she was golden, as a matter of fact her dad thought she might be arrested.
 
What a great idea for a thread Surfie! :)

I was nodding along to each of your points. The only one that I question is her parents support. I haven't heard much from them at all. I think it was just one or two emails that were spoken about in the media (right?) I also followed the Peterson case pretty closely and I remember websites the parents set up, some quotes in the media defending their son etc. But then again, maybe it was only after the trial started, I'm not sure.

Has anyone seen any media reports of Terri's parents speaking out?
 
I don't think one has to stretch very far to get to the parallels at all. :cow:
 
Terri's mom was pretty verbal at first. I'm guessing that Houze has them on a short leash too. The support thing is a bit of a stretch, I will agree; however, Terri still lives with them (as far as we know), and they did agree to take J when Terri was having problems with him. So, I'd put them in the mostly supportive of Terri category.

Based on what I can tell (by the guy interviewed on Dateline), Terri seemed pretty well-liked in the community. I'm sure she appeared to be just charming in high school as Scott did.
 
I think we can add in another - the love for all things electronic. Scott had multiple phones, IIRC and some of his searches on the computer were also pretty damning. I can't remember if they were admitted into evidence at the trial, however.
 
I think SP loved to be in front of the cameras. You would always see him getting his mail, sitting on the stoop with a packed bag looking for the next place to go, doing many interviews (just check You-Tube). Remember how he made dinner for the neighbors on Christmas. a-c-k-w-a-r-d. He creeped me out from day 1.

So far I haven't seen the front of Terri's home, let alone her (minus the couple of shots of her going into court).

Scott was yakkity-yak. Terri is not.

Just my opinion.

Mel

ETA: Great post by the way :)
 
It does kind of give me pause about little K now. Scott's whole motive was to be free and single again.

Look at Terri - tried to hire someone to kill her husband, sent her older son away, did something with Kyron, and who is left as a potential "burden?" No wonder Kaine is reacting as he is.
 
I followed the Scott Peterson case years ago and I find the parallels to Terri to be astounding.

Here is an article about Scott and Laci's case and trial. http://www.crimemagazine.com/scott-peterson-pregnant-wife-killer I'll be quoting from that here and there.

1. "Before calling police, Peterson called his mother-in-law, Sharon Rocha, and said Laci was “missing.” Mrs. Rocha thought her son-in-law sounded strangely calm for a man whose wife’s whereabouts were unknown."
~~Terri's behavior about calling the police and calling Desiree.

2. "Police searched the Peterson home. “When Modesto police officers John Evers, Matt Spurlock, and Sergeant Byron Duerfield visited the Peterson home on Covena Avenue the next day, they found no hard evidence of foul play,” Ablow reported."
~~No sign of foul play in the truck or at the Horman home.

3. Scott's strange fishing trip that morning alone. Long drive times. He couldn't recall what type of fish he was even fishing for.
~~Terri's mysterious drive.

4. "Peterson made no appearances requesting information about the whereabouts of his wife. "
~~Terri never spoke at the first pressers and still has not.

5. Moving in with Anne Bird whom he barely contacted.
~~Terri moving in DeDe, whom she rarely contacted.

6. “I wasn’t really thinking about the goatee, but I was wondering why he was thinking about it. Scott sat there watching himself on TV, listening to reporters talking about his missing wife, dissecting the case, scrambling for new developments . . . and he seemed more interested in his new facial hair than in the search for his wife.”
~~Terri's concern about the color of her hair.

7. "She (Amber Fry) said she had been having an affair with Scott Peterson, adding that he had called her on December 29 as well as that day, pursuing his romance with her even as people frantically searched for his wife."
~~Terri pursuing Mike C.

8. Amber cooperating with the police after she found out he was married to Laci.
~~Mike C. cooperating with police.

9. "His mother thought of him as her “golden boy.” Lee Peterson told Ablow. “We never had to swat him or anything. Ever. We just told him what to do and he did it. He just wanted to please. He was never in a fight, never said a bad word in front of us about anyone. He never had a single run-in with authority.” As a teenager, Peterson impressed people as even-tempered and well disciplined. He earned good grades and tutored homeless people in his spare time. He also manifested a tendency to stretch the truth."
~~Terri's parents unwavering support for their daughter.

10. As soon as Scott Peterson became a suspect, he became the target of public revulsion. Much of the explanation for this lies in Laci having gone missing rather than immediately being known as killed. This focused attention on the case for an extended period of time before her body was discovered. As a result, the public learned of Peterson’s behavior and was mystified by it.
~~Terri.

11. High-priced lawyers.

bbm

I think Terri has this tendency or one similar...she makes hers reversible to suit whichever side of the fence she's on for that particular day.

ex: Kaine getting after her for being fat ~ Kaine saying he didn't care how she looked.
 
What a great idea for a thread Surfie! :)

I was nodding along to each of your points. The only one that I question is her parents support. I haven't heard much from them at all. I think it was just one or two emails that were spoken about in the media (right?) I also followed the Peterson case pretty closely and I remember websites the parents set up, some quotes in the media defending their son etc. But then again, maybe it was only after the trial started, I'm not sure.

Has anyone seen any media reports of Terri's parents speaking out?

No, but it was Terri's mom that painted that rosy picture of her daughter when talking about how Kaine and Terri met, that Terri moved in to help take care of Kyron, and then they fell in love and got married. In reality, Terri stole a man from a pregnant woman and has never been Kyron's main caregiver no matter how much she keeps saying she is.

Also, we still don't know where the money came from for her lawyers, and it's been speculated that it came from her parents. They did just refinance their house too. If true, that's huge support considering how much Houze costs. Also, they're allowing her to live with them. I highly doubt if they weren't supporting her that they would let her live with them.

Seems to me she's on a pedestal for at least the mom. Dad sounds wiser, but also like he's going along with mom even though he may not think the same as mom. Who knows. I guess we'll have to wait until the trial and see what they do in terms of supporting her then. I think Houze has told them to be quiet, probably from watching cases like Scott P's and most definitely Casey A's. Lord, after what the Anthony's have done in the Casey Anthony case, I wouldn't be surprised if it's now standard for defense lawyers to tell the parents of their clients to keep quiet. I think they do very much support her, and I don't doubt that at least Terri's mom thinks her daughter can do no wrong.

Very interesting comparisons, though. Wow. It's like she's the female version of Scott Peterson in many ways. It's not hard for me to see at all.
 
She is defiantly a Scott Peterson/Casey Anthony hybrid.
 
Wasn't there something about Scott buying fake diplomas to adorn his walls and also some questions as to whether TH has even obtained a Master's degree as has been reported?
 
I'm going to add another. Using a child as a chess piece:

Kaine and Terri didn't marry until early-mid 2007. In 2008, Terri got pregnant, and in 2009 is when, it seems, she started coming down on Kyron pretty hard (?no longer useful?).

Look at Peterson's MO with Amber http://crime.about.com/od/current/p/amberfrey.htm:

"Amber described Peterson as being very romantic and solicitous towards her and her 20-month-old daughter, Ay**** by including her child on some of their outings together."
 
Wow, I do see the similarities. It seems there is no one really close enough to know the whole truth about people like Scott or TH. You get just a glimpse of some inconsistencies, but they never allow anyone close enough to help them or stop them. The front is nearly perfect. In reality, they're planning murder!
 
If memory serves me correctly, Scott also received a ton of financial support for his endeavors (swimming pool installation, 10K found on him when arrested, etc) and if media reports are correct, Terri's parents fronted money to her for a business with her ex and have refied their home with speculation to pay her attorney fees.
 
No, but it was Terri's mom that painted that rosy picture of her daughter when talking about how Kaine and Terri met, that Terri moved in to help take care of Kyron, and then they fell in love and got married. In reality, Terri stole a man from a pregnant woman and has never been Kyron's main caregiver no matter how much she keeps saying she is.

Also, we still don't know where the money came from for her lawyers, and it's been speculated that it came from her parents. They did just refinance their house too. If true, that's huge support considering how much Houze costs. Also, they're allowing her to live with them. I highly doubt if they weren't supporting her that they would let her live with them.

Seems to me she's on a pedestal for at least the mom. Dad sounds wiser, but also like he's going along with mom even though he may not think the same as mom. Who knows. I guess we'll have to wait until the trial and see what they do in terms of supporting her then. I think Houze has told them to be quiet, probably from watching cases like Scott P's and most definitely Casey A's. Lord, after what the Anthony's have done in the Casey Anthony case, I wouldn't be surprised if it's now standard for defense lawyers to tell the parents of their clients to keep quiet. I think they do very much support her, and I don't doubt that at least Terri's mom thinks her daughter can do no wrong.

Very interesting comparisons, though. Wow. It's like she's the female version of Scott Peterson in many ways. It's not hard for me to see at all.

Great idea for a thread and I can see the parallels.

BBM...thinking about Terri as a "master of deception"...do you think her own Mother believed... all these years... that BIZARRO Fairy Tale of Terri as the fabulous friend who helped 0ut Desiree and moved in to care for her child?

That is a long, long time to keep a lie alive and with your own parents!

Terri like Scott seem to have a need to be viewed as perfect. Not humans that make mistakes, but perfect.

Terri had a fantasy perfect life and marriage going on her Facebook page. She needed people to believe that.

But to keep such a whopper lie going with her family for over 7 years? Did she think her parents would never accept the real way they met and came together?
 
Both Scott and Terri tried to woo their love interests' mothers with flowers upon their first meeting.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ys...m=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Scott had 12 white roses for Sharon Rocha waiting at the restaurant table when she first met him.
~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/terri_horman.html
Chuck and Mavis Ecker remember Horman's lavish attention. Once, just after Horman met them, she stopped by with a big, beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Mavis Ecker was stunned, and looking back suspects Horman was trying to curry favor.

"She wanted to be in our good graces because she wanted our son," Mavis Ecker said.

But the gestures didn't stop when they were married. Once Mavis Ecker flew into Eugene after visiting relatives in Minnesota and was greeted at the airport by her husband, son and Horman, who was holding bouquets of balloons and flowers.
 
Great idea for a thread and I can see the parallels.

BBM...thinking about Terri as a "master of deception"...do you think her own Mother believed... all these years... that BIZARRO Fairy Tale of Terri as the fabulous friend who helped 0ut Desiree and moved in to care for her child?

That is a long, long time to keep a lie alive and with your own parents!

Terri like Scott seem to have a need to be viewed as perfect. Not humans that make mistakes, but perfect.

Terri had a fantasy perfect life and marriage going on her Facebook page. She needed people to believe that.

But to keep such a whopper lie going with her family for over 7 years? Did she think her parents would never accept the real way they met and came together?

imo...yes her parents probably do believe everything their little red squirrel tells them...it's called denial. Just look at SP's mom...
 
30th and 40th Birthday milestones...

Scott Peterson turned 30 two months before Laci went missing. - Born: 24-Oct-1972
Terri Horman turned 40 two and a half months before Kyron went missing. Born March 17, 1970
 

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