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- [00:08]
Nikki
Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm the daughter of a murdered woman. Welcome back to Poppy Killed Mommy. Before we get started, I need to give you a trigger warning. This podcast contains discussion of domestic violence, homicide and other potentially distressing topics. The individual mentioned in this episode is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Listener discretion is advised. In the previous episodes, I walked you through my mother's last day. According to the case file, her boyfriend's interview and the statements from her coworkers. Leaving off in the early morning hours of Friday, July 9th. When CPS makes my sister and I get some sleep, the rest of July 9th was a blur. Once we woke up, my mother's family would just be receiving the news of her death. I remember being very confused. Nobody was telling me anything. Instead, the foster parents took us shopping for clothes. I remember feeling guilty that strangers were spending money on me. Nobody would tell me the truth that day. But my little sister and I refused to believe her. The next day, Saturday, July 10, my mother's family started to arrive. I remember this vividly. This was the second time I remember becoming very aware something was wrong. My Uncle Lance arrived with my Grandma V and instantly started crying when he saw me and my sister. Huge red flags in my 10 year old brain. My Uncle Lance never cried. I knew something was wrong, but I still didn't believe my sister. While my grandma was at the foster home in Cottonwood, Arizona, visiting us, investigators got a chance to talk to her in person. My grandma is quoted as saying the last time she spoke to Stacey was approximately 10 days prior to her death. At that time, my mom, my grandma and my Aunt Wendy had all been planning the big summer vacation to Disneyland. This would be our first time. My mom had been saving money for months just for our trip. When Russell was offered the culinary training experience in Ithaca, New York, he was taking some of that Disneyland money, which really upset her. It became a huge trigger point. Further down in her interview, my grandma describes the relationship between Stacy and Russell as not smooth. She describes Russell as abusive physically and emotionally. She states that Russell is an alcoholic who urinates all over himself and inside the residence. She states that Stacy had advised her on more than 50 occasions that he was abusive. This next part I think is extremely interesting. My grandma's interview goes on to say that Russell had called her on July 9, the day before, telling her that Stacey had shot herself. Not that they had been wrestling over the gun like he initially told 911 and the investigators just prior to I find this extremely telling. Going Back to the timeline of July 10th. It's the first full day after my mom's death. The investigation really ramps up and the investigators start to contact coworkers. I'm including all of these quotes for context on what my mother's co workers were saying about her to the police. I feel it's important to bring all of this information word for word. Peter Korn tells investigators that the victim, Stephanie, has been very distraught lately. According to other employees at the restaurant, she was very upset and unhappy about something and the employees felt it was pending a 10 day trip that Russell was going to take to New York. Mr. Korn stated that he didn't really want to bad mouth Stephanie, but around work it seemed like the relationship between her and Russell was always somewhat argumentative, but she was always the one causing a problem. Peter Korn also stated that he could see her taking action, such as possibly killing herself, but he couldn't see Russell shooting her. Korn had heard Stephanie speak quite badly in a detrimental manner about the time Russell spends at his occupation. He advised that she was very annoyed and appeared distraught because Russell was so wrapped up in his work. She taunted him quite often at work, and according to other employees, she did get quite disturbed on July 8, 1993. So he goes on to say Stephanie quite often talks about her miserable life and the problems that she's having at home. Mr. Korn stated again that he didn't really want to badmouth Stephanie, but it was obvious that there was problems between Russell and her and from his perception, Stephanie was causing most of the problems. On July 10, 1993, at 1pm Investigators contacted Luis Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez advised that he had noticed Stacy was always putting people down and and trying to dig at Mr. Peterson. Mr. Rodriguez advised that one time he asked Stacey why she was always mean to Russell, to which she replied it hurt to be nice. Then investigators spoke with my Aunt Kathy. She advised that my mother was one of six children and that she had had a twin brother that had died when she was 18 months old. Aunt Cathy went on to explain that she was close to her sister and that she would come to Sedona to visit her every couple months and talk to her on the telephone occasionally. Aunt Cathy described Ms. Wassalishin as a person who was a little slow, with no career goals other than being a mother. Aunt Cathy says my mother told her that she was thinking about leaving Russell but was hesitant because of their daughter. And Kathy's interview states that my mom had told her Russell was physically abusive towards her and Kathy also advises. My mom was unsure and increasingly unhappy over the past six months. And Kathy's interview ends with her offer to assist Stacy in leaving Russell. But the assistance was never taken. At 3:20pm on July 10, 1993, a detective and an investigator met with Russell at the Poco Diablo Resort. Mr. Peterson agreed to speak with them. Mr. Peterson was advised that they would be recording this conversation. He was then asked to relate to them the events of July 8th and 9th, 1993. This is that conversation. The audio is a little rough. It's 32 years old. I ran it through a cleaner. I mean, I did the best I could, but bear with me. Put your seatbelt on. You're going to go for a ride.
- [06:08]
Russell Peterson
Speaking of President Peterson. Yes, you know, I'm recording this conversation. Marcel Gary Strong and met Detective Marcus, folks. And Mr. Peterson, we have some other questions on. You would be willing to answer one question? I'd be more than happy to answer any questions real quickly again, why don't you go over. Let's start with the day, just the day. Okay. How. How were things that morning? Some things that morning were fine. It was like any other day. I mean, with two little girls waking up in the house. Stephanie usually sleeps till about 11:30, 12:00'. Clock. Nobody wants to wake her up, so we just let her sleep and she wakes up. Tough times. They get ready for work and we proceed. And we go to work together. Yes. Okay. Are you arguing that morning or anything? No, not necessarily. The only arguments that happen during the morning hours are the house is dirty. I mean, the kids. Let's try and pick it up a little bit and make it nice. How about at work? Any problems at work? Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary. Is she acting okay? She was a little off. When I say a little off. To know Stephanie is to know that on any given day, it all depends on how you accept that. I mean, she might say something to you that she means, but she doesn't. It's an indirect kind of thing. And I just kind of took everything, always with a grain of salt, like there was nothing off. It's just another day. Let's just get done what we have to do and we'll make it home. So see you now. It was basically a regular day for her. Yes. Talk to us about. Talk to you about Stephanie. Stephanie was a loving person. Stephanie loved. I do believe that Stephanie loved me. I know that Stephanie loved her kids. I know that Stephanie, who things that she had never told me, had stuff in her past that had never really Surfaced and she was embarrassed to maybe present them to me. It was almost like while it was an acceptance acceptance or a rejectant type thing, if I listened and I accepted, that's fine. But for the most part it might have been rejectance. So we didn't talk too much about her past. I took her out of the phone, I took her out of abusive environments, ones that where she was with Craig Daly. And when I went to the Crescent Hotel, we kind of. She looked at me. She looked. I looked at her and we bonded to a certain extent there. I had left. She had contacted me when I was in Southern California and found me Then I took her back to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where we lived for a good year, year and a half. Came back to Phoenix while she was pregnant, had her there up to Sedona. We did my brother's wedding in Southern California. The acceptance that she got on a positive level wasn't really what she was looking or striving for or made that medium in her mind. She had been used to, from what she told me on a limited amount of occasions, abuse from her mother, abuse from her family, possible way from a stepfather of things that she never wanted to really bring forward. Because then that would mean that no, Russell doesn't accept me. What about his family? Do they will they, won't they? She always wanted to take a back step and there was no reason for it because she was at the forefront of what we were doing. I mean, she was part of it 110%. There was no question about that. Not only in my eyes, not only in her eyes, but in everybody around her. But she always came across that there was a certain barrier. I kind of knew it, nobody else knew it. And that could have been through her being aggressive at certain points. Not aggressive physically, but aggressive. The only threat that Stephanie ever made to me was had to do with and she liked to use because that was our daughter. She always had the power to take it away, to do whatever she wanted to do and to play the part well. You may never see her again or make sure of certain. Certain things. But when would she make those? Whenever she felt in my eyes. I'm not a psychologist, but I'm a smart person. Whenever she felt that she wasn't getting the attention that she needed. So therefore she would look for other means. Whether it be through a daughter, whether it be through a mother, a brother, a sister, regardless, he always had that subliminal thing on the back of her mind from what I Did she ever make threatening? Maybe you didn't Even take it that way. And if you didn't, then maybe that's what we need to know. Threatening garments to you at work. It all determines on what you consider a threat. Well, what. What? That's what I'm saying. That's what we're trying to. We've heard stuff like she's threatened to come over and stick a knife in your gut. Yeah, she's told me that she's going to stick a knife in my gut. She's going to poke my eyes out. She's going to do all kinds of things. Being two people who are together, who in a work environment. Sometimes if you're in that given work environment, it makes her feel a step above. Not because of the threat, just because other people might hear it or she feels powerful or whatever the case might be. But I was never. I never felt threatened. But she did say that stuff. There were times where. Yes, she did. What other kind of things would she say? Was there. Was there an incident where she actually tried to poke your eyes out? Would you tell us about that incident? We were at 16th street on Maryland, at Mission Palms Apartments. I was working at Giangelo's. I came home from work and this was three and a half, four years ago. As far as specific details, no, I cannot give these to them. I do not know them. It appears to me, and I'm not a psychologist, but it appears to me I've been a policeman a long time. Correct. That you're holding back and not telling us everything here. And let me understand what we're trying. Understand what we're trying to do. The events of that night are not only important, but we're trying to see what you're like in your. In your past, see what you're like and her world and put this thing together. So that's why we're asking about these things. And if that incident did occur, Just tell us what happened. We're not trying to learn a bad picture of her. I know you're not trying to throw me a curve. And I know that you know I am not being nailed to a cross with such a question that four years ago I would be lying to you if I tried to tell you the answer that you're looking for. I'm not saying you're trying to hide it out of me. I don't know the circumstances of that given point that. What happened? I got scratched on the eye. All right, you went home? Yes. And did you guys have an argument? Probably not. Just a young child. I don't even want to know. I don't even want to say that this was Stephanie's fault. It could have been holding the child and, you know, with their hands being as free and far as they are, a scratch across the cornea, which. It's actually very painful, and it only take. It takes 3, 4 days to heal with the patch. But even though light goes with the patch, it's uncomfortable. I will not. And I will sit here and say that happen. I will not blame that on her. That was not her. I'm not blaming that on me. I'm necessarily saying that that was a case from what I could remember, and it hit me in the cornea of the eye. So you don't recall her attacking you and kind of. No, I won't say Stephanie attack me. Not at all. Stephanie there. Yes, she was. When you're saying won't say, does that mean. No, that doesn't. That's not. That's. You just won't say it, or is that the truth? That just means that rather than tell a lie or not come as close to the truth, this is. This is what I feel happened. Okay. Okay. So what is the truth? Yeah. Many other incidents, like the other night where she threatened her knife or a gun, or we never. We never really fought. It all depends what you interpret as fight. Or do you. An argument is not necessarily a fight. Okay. Within arguments, she might have said, well, I'm going to put a knife in your back. I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, and. And that she's letting something out at me, not necessarily directed at me, but because I am the one there. When she said that, did she ever, in fact, use something as a boss? No. Not one at all. You know, I'm gonna hit you with this, or no. Or when you might just take that as well. No, nothing at all. Nothing at all. Let's talk about the other night, then. Okay. When you went home, had you been regular? I had one record work. One record work? Yes. Okay. What kind of mood were you in? I was in a good mood. I'm a day and a half away from going through the second best thing of my life, which. Which is at Cornell University to get a taste of the corn on blue. I mean, I'm happy. I'm excited. I got my hair cut the day before, so, you know, I'm me. I mean, I don't. I don't have a lot of variables. I am me. You go home. Mm. I had a bottle of wine, which I took in with me. Stephanie Is sitting on the couch. Had she been drinking? Yes, she had. Or she appeared after the fact. Not after the fact of what happened. After she told me of this conversation with Craig and with the glass that was sitting right there that I'm sure you took fingerprints off of and looked around, did whatever you had to do. Yeah, she was impaired. What did she tell you about the conversation with Craig? We've always difference on that point. Meaning that I have no problem that Craig is father. There has never been a time where I have said no, it's not right. I mean you should have those lines of communication open because that is your father. It all has to go to how Stephanie puts it. And two and a half hours was not like her. She would normally call Craig maybe for anything for 12, 8, 10 minutes for the money that he might or might not have owed be Stephanie's mother, for dental bills, for things that have happened which I would have paid. But Stephanie always said, no, it's Craig's responsibility. Came out of the shower. But we're still on the. On that. Yes. What was the conversation about? She say she just. Yeah, I just talked to Craig for two and a half hours or what? Cracked for two and a half hours and he knows and had not may have invited her back to go and stay with him to see if they couldn't patch things up. I don't know the level of conversation they were at. She tell you this? No, she didn't threaten anything. She did not threaten anything. And she told you that about that. That was uncomfortable. But because of the fact that I know that it's father and the relationship that we have had, it didn't really bother me all that much. Didn't make you angry? No. Was she saying she was considering? No, I don't think she said she considered it at all. That he just made that he may or may not have. He may or may not have. Gentlemen, I'm telling you everything. It all happened so fast. Told you this the other night. I mean we're there. What you see on tv, screw sitcoms, through movies. I mean the next thing I know, there was not a heated conversation. There was nothing where we were like eye to eye blow to blows, looking for something confrontational. I was sitting there, she was sitting here. Next thing I know she got up, she came into the room. Okay. She got up, should have got here. She say anything? Not a word. Okay. She went into the bedroom, she came back out, she said, russell, I'm going to shoot you. I put my hands up and said, steph, well, Steph, what are you crazy? No, no, no, no, no, no. Is the gun cocked or not? The gun was cocked. A shot went off. She stole my gun on you. I was looking at her. Yes, I was looking at her. And then from that point she turned around, she re cocked a gun, she walked back into the hallway, into the bedroom. Did she say anything? Not a word. I might have said for a second. Did you say anything I said to her before she even shot the shot, when the gun was cocked, it pointed at me. Steph, come on. What are you crazy? What's going on over here? Did she think she was serious? Anytime anybody is holding a piece of equipment like that at you. Yeah. You have to think on a certain level of seriousness. Okay, let's just go ahead. Go ahead and finish what you were starting to say and then we'll go back a little bit here. A bottle of wine, two glasses a piece. And I had one trick of work. You were impaired at that time. And so as I walk that. It all happened so fast. I mean, you guys have the ability to check the powder residue or whatever. The gun was never on my hand. There may or may not have been a scuffle, as I think we might have scuffled a little bit and then it went off and that she dropped. What happened to the gun? The gun itself, it would have had to have been the right hand side of her, I believe the left hand side of her towards the closet or the towards away from the closet towards the bed. Yes, yes. So that would have been your left. Yes. All right. All right. Absolutely. I have no idea. Couldn't have been more than seconds. But you don't know if she saw the whole thing or not, do you? I don't know that you saw the whole thing or not. No, not at all. Then you know we have talked to her. Yes, I know you haven't. And she looked right up at me and she said, you killed Mommy. Mommy's dead. And I said, no, I did not kill mommy. Go back into your room. And I got very nervous. I mean, people who have never put in this situation, you cannot explain the anxiety, what's going through everything. So I looked down and like I told you before, I picked up the gun. The closet. Where was the holster? I think the holster. The holster was either in the closet. Where is the gun normally kept? In the closet. The gun is normally kept on the closet. And that holster? On the top shelf. Underneath a bunch of stuff. Underneath a bunch of Stephanie stuff. The only reason I had it loaded and I told you this the other night. Andre, whose father is a meal, owns the Coffee Mount. We went out one day months ago down lower left, Red Rock Booth Road, where there's that one place where you can turn off and kind of drive in. And he had a bunch of rifles. I had this. He had a.45. And we just popping caps and everything else. And he had these four, I believe. Bonacci. No, the Bonache is the holster. But Italian loads, we shot them all off. I said, look, you know, let me just keep this loaded just in case. How familiar are you with H? I've shot him twice in my life. But I understand her ex boyfriend, Craig, used to have a bunch of them around. How many times she may or may not have went out, shot them? I have no idea. Was anything shared in the bedroom when you went in there? I don't think so. I don't think there was a word said in the bedroom. I don't know. I told you there was a confrontation in there. Asking me, well, where was the gun? What was it in relation to her and everything else. As I came around the corner after what just happened with, without, everything was just like what happened. And I saw the gun that was sitting next to her, I got very nervous. I did not know. I called 911 and said I needed to log out. I said there had been a very bad accident. 25 seconds, minutes there. How you determine time when it wasn't five? No, it was nothing like that whatsoever. How do you determine time when you're in an environment where something like this had just happened and you're flabbergasted, you're lost for words, you don't know what happened. I mean, it's after having a day to sleep and after she had appointed me, I said to her, look, Stephanie, what's going on? What is this? That she took the shot and there was from that point, no hesitation, delighting, turnaround, walk and go. Right point in her life, being someone. What she has told me, coming from a reasonably to very unreasonable, unstable background. I don't have the answers, gentlemen. I don't. Hey. But this is where I'm very. Okay, this is some of the questions I have. Where did the money come from for the school? My vacation money. I've worked for two years for these gentlemen and their vacation money was going to pay for the school? Yes. Okay, enough. That was enough to take care of the school, I guess. Okay, we're Gambarinas. That's weird. Talk to people that maybe she wasn't real Happy about you going. I know that maybe this was her way. I mean, is that so? In a sick manner, yes. That this was the one and only way. I mean, especially after the day before I got my hair cut. I mean, my knives. You check my house. The set of Hinkles are sitting right over there, all brand new in a leather set. You saw the plane tickets. There were $650 in there, which was my last paycheck. I was getting another paycheck come Friday. She was going to get another check of mine come this Wednesday. Not only plus the money she makes, thus the $250 that are in a savings account and 80 to 100 in checking. So she had 1,000 and change dollars to play with while she worked, while I was gone. I guess the question I have. Okay, yes, but we have. Did this create such a financial burden for you? So it was a financial burden. So it was. So it wasn't, hey, you run into this big school and we can't afford it. No. So that had nothing to do with the financial burden. Okay. Okay. No. Since the school tuition was 4000. No, the school tuition was 2500 for both weeks combined. Combined, there was a. Like a preliminary week, and then there was a week that is an intensive course. And I figured as long as I want, as long as I was accepted and as long as I'm going to go because I have not really had a background in French food, that to go through that preliminary week would make me that much stronger to go through the next week. Okay. Okay. And it was all set. It was set. It was done. But she still was trying to get you not to go. She did not like the idea. It's not that she did not want me to go. It's because of the fact of when we kind of first got together and when I brought her to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I was in charge of the White Fun, Bloom Club, Via John Di Tomaso, who has an art gallery in Scottsdale, another one in Jackson. I always told her, because of maybe my age, because of maybe what I have done, that, you know, I had worked with people who came out of culinary schools that they banked so much on a piece of paper that they thought that they can come out and make their 40 or $50,000 a year because they've got this. And I always told her, no, the piece of paper means nothing. It's in the knowledge. Okay, that was six, seven years ago now that I have the knowledge and have never had the ability to have that piece of paper. This means not only something to me, but it means something to you. Because anything I go there and do, I am going to translate and give you the ability. That same thing, whether it be a nice low, a French baguette, the right kind of tart pastry show. That doesn't matter. She wanted to go. She wanted to go. But this is an accepted thing, right? I mean, you have to be accepted. Well, it's an accepted thing and considering that I am, I hate to go back to old world philosophy, but I am the right winner of the house. I'm not leaving you high and dry. I'm not leaving you with. No, I'm leaving you with more than the ability to get along for two weeks. All the options were there to her. From babysitting to people to work to whatever she needed to a bank account. And this is one question I have. You say, you know, if you come home, she's impaired. She's been drinking. Yes. She's been talking to her. That's poisoned. For two and a half hours on the phone. Yes. She makes mention of possibly an invitation to try it over with him. Okay. And you're getting ready to leave town in a day or so. And you know and I know that this isn't back. So this may be a another way of trying to stop people going. That doesn't make you angry? The truth, no. Does not make me. Makes me question. Stephanie. Have not I given. Have not I taken you out of the environment where you were at with Craig, which was a relationship documented of abuse of all kinds of different things, all the way down through her mother where she was 10 or 11 when she started to grow breasts or whatever sends her to a home for two years of her life where she never was visited for Christmas, birthdays or anything else. She had a lot of things that she would direct project onto others who were around because of her own insecurities. Unless you can feel comfortable with yourself how you can. How can you feel comfortable with others? But that didn't make you angry? No. She's approached me with a position like that on one or two different occasions. Was she arrested at Phoenix a couple years ago or three years ago for assault? Oh, I don't know if it was for assault. It might have been for trespassing. It was going to Craig's house where what happened there? I have no idea what happened there. All I know is I sat down at the Madison jail from 5:30 in the morning until about 4:35 in the afternoon until she got until the letter go. She tell you what happens? I might have asked it. I don't know. I don't remember what might have happened on that given situation. It could have been assault. I don't know. But she arrested for assault? I don't think so. And I would doubt that. I mean, although she was like a big girl, I don't think she was arrested for assault. I don't know what the charges were. You gentlemen find out what those charges were. Hey, she might have told me, and I'm not saying what she didn't tell me. We're talking about something five years ago, and, you know, something else happened between then and now that maybe it was more traumatic, you know, for that reason. You don't remember? No, I mean, you know, from that point at the time, it was traumatic. But, you know, if you're a relationship, you go through many different holes and pushes and tugs and turns and everything else. And because I know that she loved me and I loved her. I mean, it was a way of more or less trying to get back at Craig, who was his father. And that's kind of what was based upon her going over there, seeing if she can get back child support or whatever with her sister before she went. No, I did not know she was going to bed before she went. And then, you know, I took her out of that environment. We went from there to Jacksonville, Wyoming, where we spent 15, 18, 22 months and a magnificent million and a half dollar restaurant second to none. It's just too bad that it was built in a town of 4,200 people, that it was like museum in quality. And then. So the restaurant bailed in and far or no, the restaurant change. Maybe the restaurant didn't fail. It changed. It changed. The restaurant was open. John D. Tomaso, who owns D. Tomaso Galleries on Main Street. Okay, I would say open this to give his wife and an opportunity to have something to do, because she never, aside from dealing with kids, had never really anything to do with her life. So this was Annie's baby. And anytime you have to go to somebody who's in a position of authority where, you know, what, you know, then approach her with, well, Ann, should we do this? Should we do that? What do you think? And she says, well, you know, I don't know. Give me a day. We actually caught Ann one time. And the ladies, John Gina Casanova, Don Casanova's wife, who now lives in Wisconsin, caught Andy Tomasso in the stall, literally tearing her hair out because the facility was more than the town commanded and could support. So why I Left Wyoming. Don got himself in trouble. He wound up going back to Wisconsin. It was the end of December, the seasonal closings, May, April into the middle of May, where in memorial weekend in May they reopen and they get anywhere between four and six and a half million people to come to that town of Jackson on the way to Yellowstone Park. So I sat down with Ann and I told her that, look, I'll keep your place open. I'll do lunch, I'll do dinner, I'll do whatever I have to do for you to keep this place open. I already have a two week paid vacation coming to me. Upon that fact of closing, all I want is to be paid for the remainder of the time that you're closed, which would basically be an extra four weeks paid vacation from what I saved them out of money in the kitchen. It was a drop in the pocket that was agreed upon. January goes March, goes April, goes January, February. At the end of March, I sit down with Ann in the office and I say and okay, I've done my part. I've got you open. We've made it through this three months. How do you want to do this? Do you want to give me one two week check? Do you want to send me a check every week? Do you want to give me one lump sum? And she turns around and looks at me square in the eye and says, russell, I don't believe that you lived up to the standards and performances that we expected from you. So therefore we'll give you your two week vacation. But above and beyond that, we are going to restaff this restaurant after you put forth so much, then have that kind of, you know, downfall. Now, I won't say downfall, but have somebody tell you didn't put forth. Wow. I was there seven days. I mean, you did do lunch and dinner seven days a week, didn't you? Once did it. You had elf Su came in, did all the prep work with us. I called John down in Phoenix where he was at the gallery and I explained to him what his wife had done. He said, russell, do yourself a favor, come down to Phoenix. I came down with Stephanie. Tell me what you feel is owed to you and I will give you whatever we can both agree on. So once I moved from Jackson Hole to Phoenix, I called up John and I said, look, you know, I don't want to take advantage of your wife. Did give me the two weeks, but I do feel that everything else that I gave posed to what was promised. If you give me $1,000, I'll be happy. We can call it done. It's a done deal. And he did do that. And that was the end of my sting in Jacksonville. Back to the thing at hand the other day. Yes, sir. You told us you wouldn't have to grab the wrist today. You're saying you don't recall that she may have shot herself. Did you. Did you see her shoot herself? You know, it might sound. It might sound lame to you, and I don't want to sound that way. I think of a confrontation as. After you looked at her body. I mean, you took pictures of me and everything else. I might be contradicting the fact of I might have saw her shoot herself. And that's why there's this complete and total. Like just a wall unwilling to go underneath. I mean, hypnosis, if it means a lie detector test. I'm looking at you square in the eye. I don't know. I think there was a confrontation. There might not have been a confrontation. I do believe I told you that all this is a mere scratch. Where did it come from? It could have came from work. It could have came from there. You don't know. I don't know. But you're willing to go under hypnosis? Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove that I truly had nothing to do with this set of events that happened. Nothing at all. It's so far beyond me that to be lost for words is one thing. For me to look at you and say, well, how come you don't look? How come I don't look like any more spo. Talk to friends of mine. Talk to people. Talk to anybody who you want to talk to. We are doing that. I mean, I simply. I don't know why and what went about to make this whole thing transpire and come to the culminated head of what it came to know. We're working on that. I mean, this is the. This is the mother of my kids. This is not only her. It's my wife. I mean, we had. With everything going for each other, there was no reason for this. Did you understand that you and her were the only ones there? Yes. And your daughter, but the only ones there. We are. We know what the crime scene tells us. Okay. And some of the things he could tell us. He tells a lot of things. Mm. That's what you know. But. And I would not want you to lie to me under any circumstances. But all I'm saying, as an investigator put yourself on the other day, you tell us there's a struggle today. Not the other day. Yesterday. Yesterday. That's what I told Jay. You tell us. I don't know. She may have shot herself. I'll tell you the truth, officer. I was. I went on tape and I'm on tape now. And no, I was not under the influence of drugs. I was not impaired. I'm not blaming anything I said at that point in time, anything, it was, I tell you, numb. Numb. Not because of anything, none. Just because of the extent of everything. And I went back there today. And even as we went over there yesterday and you told me you needed my change of clothes and everything which I gave you, which is no problem, I truly seek. And I looked inside myself to look back and say what? What? What? I don't have the answer for you. I mean if these things, if there's a powder test, some kind of test. Did you say you went over day? Yes. I didn't go over there today. What? What, what did you think? I went over there today for one reason and that's because her duck brother Kevin called me up. Somebody from your guys offices called me and said he would like to go over there and pick up her truck and get some clothes. And from what my mother and father told me, who were already there earlier in the day, all the doors were locked. So I called Joel Everett and Associates and try. And I had a locksmith over there. Your mother has a key. Okay, but my mother's down in Phoenix. Oh, okay. Because we. We made a special trip. Not a special trip. We were never see yesterday you were asleep. Yeah. Gave them the keys. Okay, but the keys were in, from what I understand, single key. We're going to give it to him. Single front door key. Those were the keys to the entire house. That's the one I gave your mother. Okay, well another one D back down to cleaning it last night and I asked my father, do you have the little leather case? And he said no, I just lunk you up. And I just wanted to give into the house. So when his. So when Stephanie's brother in law did come out that there wouldn't have to be a problem. When you got into the house, you got into the house, right? Yeah. What? I got into the house and I looked around and it almost was like Stephanie was a fanatic as far as cleaning, as far as keeping things right. If it's here, it's going to be here. It doesn't mean it's over an inch. It's right here. So as I go and I look and everything looked right, but I knew I Didn't want to go into the bedroom. Like I said, my mother, my father and brother had already been there and they took towels and covered up around. Where was the television? In the bedroom. So I went and I got a pair of socks and I left the bedroom and I made sure all the doors were locked and I looked at the phone machine and I answered the eight messages that were on there or at least listened to them. And then we left. Right. That's what I know that's what you're looking for. And believe me, that's that myself. That's what I'm looking for. If we went back there with you, think it might complain? No, I. I understand exactly where you gentlemen are coming from. If we can help you remember anyway what happened. And it's best for you to get it out for feeling. And I'll be saying, and that would be a help because I mean, you gentlemen do what you do the same way I do what I do. But being in such unfamiliar territory and when we talk about it, it sounds maybe a little dragged out. Maybe it was more than that. Seconds. We understand how fast things happen. I mean, it was, it was seconds. There was dramatic situations. Honestly, there was legitimately little and nothing for anybody to think about. I mean, it was just tell me what you're feeling inside after she fires around at you. I'm stunned, I'm amazed. I'm. I'm. Every emotion that you can possibly put into your mind was that. And she didn't look to see, came out walk pointed. She said, russell, I'm gonna shoot you. I put my hands up, I said, stephanie, what's going on over here? She shot, turn around and she went right back bedroom, another gun cocked. You don't recall if you saw her shoot herself the way she was shot? If that fact did, she in fact was going to shoot herself. If there's some kind of struggle, some of that can make a little bit more sense. I told you last night that I thought there was a struggle and there very well have may been a struggle. Have you ever taken any martial arts courses? I've never taken anything. Okay. You were going to try to get a gun out of my hand. How do you think he would do it? I would have no idea, way, shape or form to even consider wanting to take it out of your hand. You're going to take it out of her hand? Just how would you take it out of her? Legitimately and honestly? I don't know. Was Stephanie seen anybody else? She used to throw several different names out at Me one gentleman in particular named Bradley. I don't know the last name. I don't know what he does. Maybe through you talking to other people up to Susie's breath. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Some guy named Bradley was. He pumps Don. And she buy it that she. Oh, yeah, yeah. She. You know what she would do? She would imply it and then she would reject the fact of it. So it was implied and then it was taken away. Look, here, have a piece of steak. No, the steak's really not there. It's just a pee. Did you get tired of the fashion selecting? No, I didn't. I. I didn't get tired. It made me more rather than get tired to wonder. And the wonder being of, you know, I'm giving you a beautiful house, I'm giving you shelter for your kids. I mean, I'm doing everything I can. I'm taking another step in a direct to try and pinnacle not only myself, but her, because she's going to be part of the whole thing after it's said and done. And I think. You know what I mean, it became almost her ploy on me to try and invoke a reaction, whether it be one of negativeness or positiveness. Then because, I mean, my whole life, I mean, I'm not one. If you want to confront me very aggressively, I'm not going to be the one to come back at you and then cause a step in beyond that type of confrontation. I would rather. Yeah, I would rather sit on the outside and you can come and you can provoke, you can talk, you can do whatever you want. Then I become a real good listener and just, okay, fine. Okay, fine, okay, fine. And sometimes for some people, or for a lot of people, it works. I like to think of it working adversely. If you become aggressive at me and you want an aggressive reaction, you have established and you are successful in what you kind of wanted to happen, that seeing what you're gonna. My reaction on that kind of level, as opposed to if you get as aggressive as you can and come at me and I just kind of like sit here and I talk to you or whatever. It puts more of a wonderment as opposed to the justification of, yes, I see, and I know where and how I can press his buttons, more or less. So she was looking for. She was more or less looking for buttons of the cheeky push. Yes. How is your intimacy? My intimacy with Stephanie? I mean, aside from what you may or may not already know, I wouldn't say we were the most sexual active couple as Opposed to, you know, let's get it down every day, every night. I mean, twice a day. We had our moments, and it was always very comfortable, and it always seemed good for her.
- [56:46]
Nikki
Okay, so let's break down the second interview. It's something like 30 hours after the event. So now Russell has had some time to think about it, and his story is shifting a bit. In the second interview, he's still claiming that there was a struggle over the weapon, but towards the end of the interview, he's quoted as saying, I think she committed suicide, and sticks with this narrative through the rest of the interview. The investigators also asked him where the money was coming from for his upcoming trip to New York for culinary school. He answers, my vacation money, not mentioning that he took my mother's money, the money that she saved for Disneyland. During this interview, Russell confesses that my mother would threaten to take his daughter away from him. I feel like those quotes in the second interview are pivotal as they create motive. If my mom made plans to leave him and go back to her ex, of course she's taking her daughter. And on this night, she made those exact plans. So the threats that used to be threats are now becoming a reality. I want to once again stress the importance of this piece of evidence. Russell brings up the conversation with my father without being prompted by police. In the second interview, investigators will jump on this and continue to question him about that conversation. Russell admits that Craig invited her to go back and stay with him to see if they couldn't patch things up. Investigators ask Russell, how did you feel about that? He answered with, I wasn't comfortable, but because of the fact that I know that it's Nikki's father and the relationship that we had, it didn't really bother me all that much. Or so he claimed. It didn't bother him, but he keeps bringing it up over and over again. During his interviews, they also asked him if she was seeing anybody else. His answer was, she used to throw several different names out at me. One gentleman in particular named Bradley. They go on to ask, do you think she was seeing him? Did she imply it? His answer was, you know what she would do? She would imply it, and then she would reject it, the fact of it, so that it was implied, and then it was taken away. If you remember, back in episode one, during my dad's interview, he mentioned that during that final phone call with my mom, she admitted she was having an affair. It wasn't exactly a secret. Several family members knew about her stepping out, not because she was reckless, but because she was lonely. She was searching for connection. And Russell admits right here in his interview that he was aware of my mom's boyfriend giving the Sedona Police Department an investigative lead, which they never attempt to track down again. During the second interview, investigators ask him how long it takes to call 911, which he responds, it could not have been more than a minute, 25 seconds, a minute and a half. Conveniently leaving out the 136 phone call with his father. Once again, at this time on July 10, Russell also agrees to go under hypnosis and take a polygraph test. It should be noted Russell Peterson never complied with this request. Then are you picking up on the endless ranting? Investigators ask him a question and he goes off on a whole tangent about something else completely different, sidestepping the question. And it's usually rounds about to him. From what I can find in the case file, that 3:20 interview is the last of the investigators activities for July 10, 1993. The next day, July 11, is the day they finally tell me the truth. And that's where I'll leave you for now. By August 1993, Sedona PD knew my mother's death was a homicide. But knowing it and proving it are two different things. No subpoenas, no polygraph. And Russell Peterson, he would only sit down with investigators one more time. Next week, I'm going to take you into the final interview. The last time Russell Peterson ever spoke to police about my mother's death. What he says and what he doesn't say will leave you questioning everything. Thank you for listening to Poppy Killed Mommy. I wouldn't be here telling you this story if I hadn't avoided tables at TGI Fridays. I want to take a moment to thank someone who's been absolutely instrumental in this journey, Sarah Turney. If I hadn't waited tables with you all those years ago, my mom's case would have been forever forgotten. You've kept me grounded, you've kept me focused and handled more of my panic attacks than I care to count. Always with grace, like it's just part of your job. I truly can't thank you enough for your friendship, your guidance, and your constant support. I'm headed to Denver in September. I've launched a Go Fund to help fund merchandise for Crimecon and to help keep this story alive. If you're able to donate, the link is in the story notes. If you donate, I'll send you a thank you card and a first generation merch subscriber sticker. I already have several cards to send out this weekend. So exciting. Thank you so much. And I want to give a shout out to Tiffany. Thank you, Tiffany for supporting the show. I've worked hard to keep Poppy Killed Mommy ad free, but the truth is, creating the show as an independent podcaster is like having a second full time job. I was in the studio for seven and a half hours last night after working my eight hour job yesterday. No production team, no staff, just a daughter telling her mother's story. If you'd like to help support the show, there's a support the show button at the bottom of the episode notes. Every little bit helps. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you. And if you know anything, anything at all that could help bring justice for my mother, please contact the Sedona Police Department at 928-282-3100. Thank you for listening.
- [62:12]
Russell Peterson
Sam.