Michael was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1943 before moving to work for the U.S. Department of Defense after college. He later met his first wife Patricia Sue, an elementary school teacher, in West Germany. They wed in 1968 and had two boys together, Todd and Clayton.
After serving in the Vietnam War, he began to write novels and newspaper columns about his experiences following his honorable discharge in 1971.
What happened to Michael Peterson’s wife?
On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson’s wife, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of their staircase with severe injuries. Peterson was charged with her murder, convicted at trial, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
He was released in 2011 on bond ahead of a retrial but in February 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter, meaning he admitted the evidence against him would likely lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but the did not have to admit he committed the crime