Back In Court
Instead of appearing in court for a retrial, the media gathered to watch the unthinkable happen in late February 2017. Over 15 years have passed since the murder and after this hearing, Michael Peterson is about to walk out of the courthouse a free man. Michael Peterson pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter. However, he claims he is innocent and wasn’t involved in his wife’s death. Actually, Peterson insists, during a press conference, that the conviction was a conspiracy against him. Wait, what?
Back In Court
Alford Plea
Let’s break this down for you. So on that historic day, February 24th, 2017, Michael Peterson entered what’s known as an Alford Plea for the voluntary manslaughter of his late wife, Kathleen Peterson. However, the judge sentenced the maximum, 86 months in prison, but credited him for the time he already served. Since, he already served more than that maximum sentence, he faced no additional prison time. The Alford plea meant he was not admitting guilt, but rather, acknowledging the state of North Carolina has sufficient evidence to convict him.
Alford Plea
