State v. Petersen

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction for first-degree premeditated murder and his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release.The State in this case initially filed a complaint charging defendant with second-degree intentional murder. Defendant attempted to plead guilty to the charge, but the district court refused to accept the plea when it learned that the State had amended its complaint to charge first-degree premeditated murder. Contrary to Defendant’s arguments on appeal, the Supreme Court held (1) the district court did not abuse its discretion under the circumstances of this case when it did not accept Defendant’s straight guilty plea to second-degree intentional murder; and (2) sufficient evidence supported the district court’s conclusion of law that the State proved premeditation beyond a reasonable doubt. View "State v. Petersen" on Justia Law