Durham, N.C. — The attorney for the daughter of a slain Nortel Networks executive said Wednesday they have reached a "partial" agreement in a civil lawsuit against Durham novelist Michael Peterson.
Jay Trehy, however, would not disclose details of the settlement reached between Peterson and his client, Caitlin Atwater.
Peterson, 63, was convicted Oct. 10, 2003, of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Kathleen Peterson. She was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's home on Dec. 9, 2001.
In October 2002, Atwater, Michael Peterson's stepdaughter, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him, with the intent that he would never be able to profit from the crime.
Peterson was declared indigent shortly after his conviction, and last year, declared bankruptcy. But Trehy has acknowledged that a civil judgment would show that Kathleen Peterson's life had value.
The case was set to go to trial last June but was delayed because of Peterson's criminal appeal and a bankruptcy filing.
Earlier this month, Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson set June 25 as a new trial date and ruled that Trehy could depose the convicted killer.
If a deposition were to have occurred, it would have been the first time Peterson's responses to questions about his wife's death would be on record during a court proceeding. Peterson never testified at his criminal trial and has maintained that his wife died because of a fall down the stairs.
Testimony in Peterson's trial lasted 54 days, consisted of 66 witnesses and more than 500 pieces of evidence. Prosecutors were neither able to establish a clear motive for the crime nor produce a murder weapon.
Evidence and testimony during the trial, including the 1985 staircase death of a family friend, Peterson's bisexuality and testimony about finances were the basis of Peterson's criminal appeal.
In September, a three-judge state Court of Appeals panel issued a split decision rejecting Peterson's arguments. Last week, the North Carolina Supreme Court formally accepted the case
'Partial' Agreement Reached in Peterson Civil Suit
- Reporter: Julia Lewis
- Web Editor: Kelly Gardner
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
4 Comments
-
- N.C. GOP denies push for closed primaries
Updated at 7:19 a.m. - Coupon queen dishes on Thanksgiving meal deals
Posted 1 minute ago |
- Network keeps kids busy after school in hard-hit city
Updated at 8:24 a.m. |
- Christmas parade marks start of holidays
Updated Nov. 21 11:31 p.m. | Slideshow |
- Wake County holds flu vaccine clinics for children
Updated Nov. 21 11:43 p.m. |
- N.C. GOP denies push for closed primaries
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- 2009 Raleigh Christmas Parade crowd
Posted Nov. 21 2:41 p.m. - 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade
Updated Nov. 21 6:16 p.m. - Pet Photos | November 16 - November 22, 2009
Nov. 20, 2009
- 2009 Raleigh Christmas Parade crowd
Photo Spotlight
-
Bands, marchers in holiday paradeChoose your group to watch their performance in the 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.
-
Web only: Complete 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas ParadeWatch the parade in its entirety from the comfort of your computer any time.
-
Search for missing IRS refundsThe Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.
-
North Carolina unemployment ratesView an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.
-
A year of N.C. Drought MapsView a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.











STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS


Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.