It’s been nearly fifteen years since Laci Peterson was reported missing on Christmas Eve 2002. As true crime enthusiasts are well aware, the 26-year-old — who was pregnant and expecting a baby boy named Conner with her husband, Scott Peterson — had gone for a walk with her dog before she vanished. As authorities searched for the expectant mom, Scott became the prime suspect.

The bodies of Laci and her unborn child were found four months later in San Francisco Bay. Scott was eventually convicted of her murder in the first degree, and the murder of their unborn son in the second degree, in 2004. To this day, Scott remains on death row. During his nation-gripping trial, Scott’s former lover Amber Frey told police that she and the killer had been having an affair during Scott and Laci’s marriage. She later agreed to record her phone calls with Scott, so that law enforcement could gather potential evidence.

Inside Edition obtained the recording of a particularly chilling phone call between Amber and Scott, which was published on Wednesday, Dec. 20. In the conversation, Scott says, “My God I wish I could tell you everything, Amber.” In response, Amber told Scott to “save [his] tears” and said, “Tell me why I should not be afraid of you.” Scott then insisted that he was “not an evil person” and claimed he “would never hurt anyone.”

Over the years, it has been speculated that Scott planned to kill Amber after Laci’s murder. He reportedly had a knife, rope, shovel, and a map to Amber’s workplace before he was sentenced to death. In 2015, Amber told Inside Edition that Scott’s possession of those items was “pretty creepy.”

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Detective John Buehler, who worked on the case from the very beginning, recently told the outlet that Amber’s phone calls were helpful in his and others’ efforts to convict Scott. “This was strand upon strand of circumstantial evidence that was weaved into a big strong cable that led back to Scott,” he said.

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