Peterson wants out of house arrest

Durham, N.C. — Durham novelist and one-time mayoral candidate Mike Peterson says he should be allowed free rein while awaiting a new trial in the death of his wife.

Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in the Dec. 9, 2001, death of his wife. Kathleen Peterson was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's upscale Durham home.

Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson ruled last December that a key prosecution witness in Peterson's 2003 murder trial gave false and misleading testimony, and he ordered Peterson released on a $300,000 bond pending a retrial.

Two conditions of his bond were that Peterson be under house arrest in Durham and remain on electronic monitoring. He recently filed a motion seeking release from those conditions.

Peterson argued that he has never violated a condition of his bond – either before his 2003 trial or since his release last winter. Also, he said, he suffers from a "physical condition" that makes it painful to wear the monitoring bracelet on his ankle.

Prosecutors have appealed Hudson's ruling, and no date has been set for the retrial.

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Latest Comments

charmcclainlovesdogs2... My LOL comment was in reference to the comment left by "Obamacare" at 11:23am. It was a good one that I enjoyed.

Sorry you misunderstood my comment in that regard.

NoRespect
August 2, 2012 12:27 p.m.

Will other prisoners in NC be allowed to do this? Then why do we have prison and keep sending them there is they are going to go above the law and get themselves out after a period of time. Something is wrong with this picture.

charmcclainlovesdogs2
August 2, 2012 12:26 p.m.

Its just another phase of being free. I hope the authorities don't fall for it. He is making a joke out of our system and he should really be locked up for the community's sake. Why is this friend not being charge for having this killer out of prison? Is the friend's life in any danger as well as his family?

charmcclainlovesdogs2
August 2, 2012 12:23 p.m.

Yellow_Hat,

First the agent who testified didn't lie. He testified to the outcome of testing that not just he, but his entire investigative TEAM, conducted. Those results were not very well liked by the defense and their witnesses, however. Differences of opinions. And how come "some guy from out of town" is always better/smarter than local folks?

Secondly, if you followed the trial you would recall that the agent's testimony was NOT the deciding factor in the jury's guilty decision. What was the deciding factor was their actual visit to the Peterson home/crime scene. Some jurors stated later that when they observed the blood evidence in the stairwell, they came to the conclusion that the death could not have occurred in the way Peterson stated that it did. And it was not the prosecution's request to visit the home. It was the defense's. A decision that backfired on them big time.

So if Peterson is set free, it won't be because of the "liars in the SBI" as you put it.

ssi
August 2, 2012 12:21 p.m.

Awe, come on ya'll the ankle monitor is probably itchy & possibly annoying..it probably looks awkward & bulky under his pants. Besides it's been so hot, it probably is very uncomfortable to boot. He just wants to go outside and play..... sarcasm off now. Unbelievable.

beaulahjackson4
August 2, 2012 12:18 p.m.