Michael Peterson (author)
| Michael Iver Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Michael Iver Peterson October 23, 1943 Nashville, Tennessee, US |
| Occupation | Soldier, columnist, writer |
| Criminal penalty | Life without parole |
| Criminal status | Free, waiting retrial |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Sue Peterson (1965-1987) Kathleen Hunt (1997-2001) |
| Children | 4 |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. On December 15, 2011, Peterson was granted a new trial which is scheduled to begin on May 8, 2017.
Michael "Mike" Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Eugen Iver Peterson and Eleanor (Bartolino) Peterson. He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in political science. While there he was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and was editor of The Chronicle, the daily student newspaper, from 1964–1965. He attended classes at the law school of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After leaving Duke, Peterson took a civilian job with the U.S. Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam.
In 1965, Peterson married Patricia Sue Peterson, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Gräfenhausen, West Germany. They had two children, Clayton and Todd. In 1968, he enlisted in the Marines and served in Vietnam. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability. Years later, during a mayoral campaign, Peterson claimed he won a Silver Star, a Bronze Star With Valor and two Purple Hearts. He had all the medals, but said he did not have the documentation for them. He claimed he had received one Purple Heart after being hit by shrapnel when another soldier stepped on a land mine, and the other when he was shot. Peterson later admitted his war injury was not the result of the shrapnel wound in Vietnam, but was the result of a vehicle accident in Japan, where he was stationed after the war as a military policeman. The News & Observer said records did not contain any mention of the second Purple Heart Peterson said he received.
...
Wikipedia