Lacy Peterson, 27, He disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002, Her husband, Scott Peterson, was charged with murder just days after her remains were found months later.
Law enforcement officers don't always wait to find a body before filing a murder charge, as in the case of missing Texas real estate broker Susan Simpson and missing Massachusetts real estate executive Anna Walsh. Former Washington, D.C., homicide contributor Ted Williams explained why investigators sometimes pursue charges before a body is found.
While authorities continue to search for Simpson, a 51-year-old mother of four who disappeared more than two months ago, her husband, Brad Simpson, remains behind bars accused of killing his wife of 22 years. Unlike the Peterson case, law enforcement did not wait to find Susan's remains before charging Simpson with murder.
“The murders are like a puzzle,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Investigators are always putting together pieces of the puzzle, and once they feel they have enough evidence – Circumstantial evidence or physical evidence “Then they will move forward.”
Susan Simpson's DNA was found in her murder suspect's husband's chainsaw, which can cut metal
Missing mother Susan Simpson from Texas is pictured with her husband Brad Simpson. (Facebook/Susan Simpson)
Scott Peterson and Laci Peterson in a still photo appearing in the documentary series “American Murder: Laci Peterson.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
Lacy Peterson was 7 1/2 months pregnant when she disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002 from her home. Modesto house She shared it with Scott, sparking a widespread search for the future mother. Four months later, in April 2003, a pedestrian found her unborn son's decomposing body in San Francisco Bay, and authorities found Lacey's remains in the bay the next day.
Within a week of the discoveries, authorities arrested Scott Peterson and charged him with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife and unborn son.
“I think in the case of Scott Peterson, they were still gathering evidence…they wanted to wait, and they had time on their side. While they were gathering evidence, they were able to make a very concrete case against Scott Peterson,” Williams said.
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The former homicide detective explained why, in cases like Peterson's, law enforcement might wait until a body is found before then. Bring a murder chargeillustrating the risks involved in charging an individual too early.
“Investigators have to get it right the first time,” he said. “Once someone is charged with murder, they are tried, and if they are found not guilty and then it is later found that they actually committed the murder, they cannot be charged again because of what we define in this country as double jeopardy.”
Double jeopardy refers to a provision in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits anyone from being tried twice for the same crime.
What Scott Peterson's recent court win could mean for his years-long quest for freedom
Scott Peterson, left, was convicted of killing his wife and unborn son. (Reuters/Lou DeMatteis LD/MR, California Department of Corrections)
Williams said investigators must gather enough evidence to support a murder charge, given they only had “one shot.”
He added: “This is the key… Investigators realize that the evidence in order to move forward with a murder charge must be strong.”
“Plaintiffs realize they only get one bite at the apple,” Williams said. “If a jury comes back and finds the person not guilty of murder, and they later find evidence that the person actually committed the murder…because of double jeopardy in our country…they can't.” Try that person again, that person will have escaped murder.”
In another Investigating murders in MassachusettsAnna Walsh, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional working in Washington, D.C., went missing on New Year's Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later. Although her body was never found, her husband, Brian Walsh, is charged with the murder of his 39-year-old wife.
Brian and Anna Walsh raise a toast on their wedding day at L'Espalier Lounge in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, December 21, 2015. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Anna Walsh holds her three children in an October 2022 Instagram post. (Anna Walsh/Instagram)
Williams explained why, unlike the investigation into the Peterson case, authorities in the Simpson and Walshe cases did not wait to find the victims' remains before filing murder charges against the suspects.
“Over a period of time, if investigators realize that they are not going to find a body or exhume it, but they believe they have enough physical evidence to move forward, they will come forward, and they will present that to the court,” the prosecutor said. “The prosecutor will make a decision on whether “He wanted to press charges.”
On December 3, Brad Simpson was indicted on two counts First-degree felony charges – Murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury to a family member. He was also charged with tampering with a corpse, two additional counts of tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a prohibited weapon.
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Suzanne and Brad Simpson allegedly got into an argument after a night out at The Argyle in San Antonio, Texas.
“In the case of Susan Simpson, it appears as if investigators found physical and circumstantial evidence that she was no longer here. As a result, they moved forward,” Williams said.
Susan Simpson's DNA was reportedly found on the “reciprocating saw” that Brad Simpson is accused of hiding, according to charging records obtained by Fox News Digital. And KABB reports. Authorities said there were no signs that Susan was alive since her husband assaulted her on October 6, and that this had been verified through her cellphone records, financial records, family, friends and co-workers.
A neighbor reportedly saw Simpson assaulting his wife on the night of her disappearance and later heard screaming coming from the nearby woods, while the couple's five-year-old child told a school counselor that on the evening of October 6, her father allegedly “pushed her mother against the wall, and hit her mother.” (physically) in the face and hit her mother in the elbow inside their home,” and “turned off her mother’s phone because they were fighting,” according to the affidavit.
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The home of Susan and Brad Simpson in San Antonio, Texas, Tuesday, November 12, 2024. Susan Simpson disappeared under suspicious circumstances. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
Investigators track Simpson's behavior is unusual In the days following his wife's disappearance, including turning off his phone, driving with suspicious items in the bed of his truck, going to a dumpster and cleaning his truck at a car wash.
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“There's a common takeaway and theme,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “Out of all of these cases…they happened in different jurisdictions, and those jurisdictions handle homicides differently, but all homicides are based on evidence…that investigators can come up with over a period of time.”
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
