# Coincidence or more? \[Scott Peterson and Drew Peterson\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 29, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597 "2013-05-29T01:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/1 "2013-05-29T01:39:40Z")
Does anyone know if convicted wife-killers Scott Peterson and Drew Peterson are related? Or is it just a coincidence that two men with the same last name were so willing to consider their wives disposable? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/2 "2013-05-29T01:48:17Z")
Well, [according to these guys](http://names.mongabay.com/most_common_surnames.htm), “Peterson” is the 68th most common surname in the United States (more than one American in a thousand is a Peterson, and more than one in a hundred is a Smith, the most common surname), so I’d guess… coincidence. But what if they _were_ related? Should we be looking for a wife-killer gene? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/3 "2013-05-29T01:53:10Z")
[Michael Peterson](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Peterson_(murderer)) may have done it _twice_. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/4 "2013-05-29T01:53:34Z")
Well they sure don’t _look_ related. They look about as un-related as two white guys can get. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/5 "2013-05-29T01:58:52Z")
Correction – the first (less proven) victim was a friend/neighbor, not his first wife (whom he divorced). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/6 "2013-05-29T02:17:25Z")
That Scott Peterson and Drew Peterson share the same last name is merely a coincidence, but what’s not a coincidence is the [large number of murderers and other criminals with the middle name of Wayne](http://www.freakonomics.com/2006/09/28/the-next-time-your-daughter-brings-home-a-new-boyfriend-be-sure-to-ask-his-middle-name/). ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/7 "2013-05-29T02:43:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That Scott Peterson and Drew Peterson share the same last name is merely a coincidence, but what’s not a coincidence is the [large number of murderers and other criminals with the middle name of Wayne](http://www.freakonomics.com/2006/09/28/the-next-time-your-daughter-brings-home-a-new-boyfriend-be-sure-to-ask-his-middle-name/). Not one of which has the last name Peterson… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/8 "2013-05-29T02:48:55Z")
[moderating] I added a parenthetical to the thread title to make it clearer what it’s about. **Seanette** , please read through our FAQs, including specifically the one titled “[Use descriptive titles when you start a thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697092#post7697092).” Thank you. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/9 "2013-05-29T03:00:52Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidence-or-more-scott-peterson-and-drew-peterson/659597/10 "2013-05-29T03:03:50Z")
I have some doubts about Scott. The evidence against him seemed mainly: a=He was a real douchebag b=The crime was really heinous. wiki; _The only piece of forensic evidence identified was a single hair, thought to have been Laci’s, found in a pair of pliers from Peterson’s boat._