At 2:40 A.M. on December 9, 2001, Mike Peterson, aged 58 at the time, contacted emergency services to report that his wife, Kathleen, aged 48, had fallen down a staircase consisting of 15 to 20 steps within their residence. He stated that he had been seated by the backyard pool and entered the house to discover Kathleen deceased.

Peterson indicated that his wife had consumed alcohol and may have taken a Valium, suggesting that she could have tripped as a result. The toxicology report appeared to support this assertion, revealing that Kathleen's blood alcohol concentration was .07, which is near the legal limit for driving.


On February 24, 2017, Mike Peterson entered an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter, which allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that a jury would likely convict him. Having already served a longer period than any possible sentence, Peterson is now a free individual, although he remains officially recognized as a convicted felon.