Michael Peterson's Real Name: Michael Peterson
Michael Peterson → Michael Peterson
Quick answer: The novelist is known as Michael Peterson. The Associated Press and WRAL independently record that on February 24, 2017, in Durham, North Carolina, he entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter in the death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson. This page titles him under the public name.
Real name and early life
Independent publishers identify him under the name Michael Peterson. The Associated Press, in a February 24, 2017, report, describes him as a novelist, then 73, and lists fictional works including The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace, novels it says were centered on the conflict in Vietnam, where he served as a Marine. WRAL independently covers the same 2017 Durham court proceeding under the name Mike Peterson and Michael Peterson, and does not independently list a longer legal form.
Career highlights
Court record
The Associated Press says Kathleen Peterson's body was found at the bottom of a staircase in their North Carolina home on December 9, 2001, and that Peterson's initial 2003 murder conviction and life sentence were later overturned after questions arose about the reliability of a key witness, among other issues. The same account says Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson, who had earlier ordered a new trial, took the 2017 plea, and that under an Alford plea Peterson could maintain his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him of manslaughter. WRAL independently reports the same proceeding, including a courtroom exchange in which he pleaded guilty pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford to voluntary manslaughter, a Class D felony, and was told the court would treat him as guilty for purposes of sentencing even though he did not admit the fact of his guilt. According to the WRAL record of the plea arrangement, he was to serve an active term of 64 months minimum to 86 months maximum, with credit for time already served. The Associated Press independently notes that Alford pleas are generally treated the same as guilty pleas by criminal courts, and quotes Durham District Attorney Roger Echols as saying the law would treat him as guilty. The AP report also records that Peterson continued to maintain that he did not kill his wife.
Name notes for searchers
People looking up Michael Peterson, Mike Peterson, or the Michael Peterson trial are looking for the same novelist and the same Durham court record. This page uses the public name.
FAQ
What is Michael Peterson's real name?
He is known as Michael Peterson. The Associated Press and WRAL use that name, and WRAL also uses Mike Peterson.
What earlier court outcome is recorded here?
The Associated Press says an initial murder conviction and life sentence were later overturned, and that a new trial had been ordered.
What plea did he enter in 2017?
An Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter, on February 24, 2017, according to The Associated Press and WRAL.
What sentence is recorded for that plea?
WRAL records an active term of 64 to 86 months, with credit for time already served. The Associated Press describes the agreement as a plea deal reached that Friday in Durham.