Amazon Prime has produced a three-part docuseries about the mysterious death of a woman in B.C. in 2010.
In Cold Water: The Shelter Bay Mystery tells the story of Laura Lett-Beckett who drowned in August 2010 near Shelter Bay in Upper Arrow Lake while on a vacation with her husband.
Peter Beckett, who was the only witness, told police his wife fell overboard from their inflatable boat and she was unable to swim and he was unable to rescue her.
A year after Laura drowned, Peter was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
I was very concerned about this relationship,” Pat Boon Anderson, Laura’s childhood friend told Global News.
“And she lived in the same gated community, her and Peter, as my mom lived. So I knew of this relationship right away. And yes, I was always very, very worried about it. I can’t explain that. I guess my heart just spoke to me about that. This wasn’t a good relationship.”
Anderson said her mom expressed to her that she was worried about Laura.
In September 2017, Peter was found guilty of first-degree murder in his wife’s death.
However, three years later, his conviction was overturned.
Peter, who is now a free man, plays a central role in the three-part series.
Director and producer of the project, Trish Neufeld, said she wanted to cover this story because it is one with many twists and turns and interesting characters.
“He comes across as himself, so he is the most of himself that he is,” she said about Peter being involved.
“He’s a challenging character. He’s highly, highly intelligent. He’s spent nine years in prison. And any of the … lawyers will tell you that spending nine years in prison doesn’t make you a better or easier person.”
Neufeld said the entire situation is a tragic one.
“I think Peter feels there was a miscarriage of justice and that there was no evidence to convict him,” she added. “And according to our laws, that is the case.”
Neufeld said she made sure not to sensationalize the story.
“I’m trying to really, you know, make it a story so that her voice is heard, too, so that … what you could avoid in relationships or how … things can kind of go off the rails,” she added.
“So there’s lessons to be learned, I think, in telling any stories and especially in true crime, if you choose to dive into the genre.”
In Cold Water: The Shelter Bay Mystery can be streamed on Amazon Prime.