The Final Interview

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Papi Killed Mommy"
Episode: The Final Interview
Host: Nikki Wassolichen
Release Date: July 28, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode

In "The Final Interview," Nikki Wassolichen delves into the last recorded conversation with Russell Bennett Peterson, the man accused of murdering her mother, Stacy Wassolichen. This pivotal episode provides listeners with unprecedented access to the final interview conducted by the Sedona Police Department on September 3, 1993. Nikki emphasizes the significance of this interview, highlighting Russell's inconsistent narratives and evasive behavior, which have cast long shadows over the quest for justice in her mother's case.

Notable Quote:

"Listen closely not just to what he says, but to what he avoids saying." [00:10]

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The Final Interview with Russell Bennett Peterson

The core of the episode revolves around the detailed transcript of the interview between Detective Walters, Lieutenant Dana Schmidt, and Russell Peterson. Nikki presents this conversation to showcase the discrepancies and contradictions in Russell's account of the night Stacy was killed.

Initial Statements and Phone Call Analysis

Russell begins by discussing unusual phone calls from Stacy to another individual, Craig, suggesting possible premeditation on her part. He offers to provide his telephone bill as evidence, implying that Stacy's repeated calls were suspicious and may indicate her intent to harm him.

Notable Quote:

"There was no reason for her to really have to call back... which leads me to believe that something went on with the conversation." [03:27]

Contradictions in the Struggle Narrative

As the interview progresses, Russell oscillates between claiming there was no struggle and suggesting there might have been one. He describes the physical evidence, such as the placement of the gun and the trajectory of the bullet, to argue that Stacy had premeditated the attack. However, forensic evidence and witness statements contradict his version, indicating Stacy was in a defensive posture during the shooting.

Notable Quote:

"I never in six years ever raised a hand to her." [07:54]

Inconsistencies in the Description of the Shooting

Russell's account of how Stacy fell after being shot is notably inconsistent. Initially, he describes her legs buckling and her falling forward, only to later claim he couldn't see her hands due to darkness and that she fell on her back. These conflicting descriptions undermine his credibility and suggest a deliberate attempt to obscure the truth.

Notable Quote:

"How do you explain forgetting all this?" [29:12]

Evasive Behavior and Lack of Cooperation

Detective Walters confronts Russell about his changing stories and refusal to undergo a polygraph test or participate in a reenactment of the crime scene. Russell's evasiveness and sudden withdrawal of cooperation raise suspicions, further weakening his defense.

Notable Quote:

"I can't explain it." [22:53]

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Nikki's Analysis and Reflections

Following the transcript, Nikki provides a critical analysis of Russell's interview, highlighting several key points that cast doubt on his innocence:

1. Shifting Narratives: Russell's story changes with each interview, indicating potential dishonesty.

2. Premeditation Claims: He attempts to portray Stacy as having planned his murder, contradicting other evidence.

3. Scripted Aggression: The statement "Russell, I'm going to kill you" appears rehearsed and manipulative.

4. Contradictory Descriptions of Stacy's Fall: Different accounts of how Stacy fell suggest memory fabrication.

5. Distraction Tactics: Russell diverts attention to his career and relationship issues to appear sympathetic.

6. Misrepresentation of Witness Statements: He attempts to undermine his sister's account of witnessing him move the gun.

7. Scientific Evidence Contradictions: Forensic findings do not support his claims of Stacy acting in self-defense.

8. Unexplained Behavior: His refusal to continue cooperating with the investigation through polygraphs and reenactments raises red flags.

Notable Quote:

"His story shifts with every telling. He creates a convenient villain out of my mom..." [36:52]

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Investigation Closure and Subsequent Developments

Nikki details the timeline following the final interview:

• October 14, 1993: Russell provides his current telephone number.

• October 15, 1993: He voluntarily submits a copy of his July telephone bill.

• November 9, 1993: Yavapai County Attorney Jim Landis concludes there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Russell, citing inconsistencies and inconclusive forensic results.

• November 18, 1993: Scientific examinations on the weapon are canceled, further stalling the investigation.

• December 8, 1993: The Sedona Police Department and Yavapai County Attorney's office officially close the investigation, declaring the case unresolved.

Nikki expresses frustration over the abrupt closure of the investigation despite tangible evidence suggesting foul play.

Notable Quote:

"The investigation was over. Nothing really moved on my mom's case again for years." [35:22]

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Impact on Nikki and Her Family

The unresolved case deeply affects Nikki and her family. Christmas 1993 becomes a poignant memory, as the absence of their mother disrupts the usual holiday magic. A year later, during a postponed Disneyland trip, Nikki's little sister alters her narrative from accusing Russell to claiming their mother committed suicide, adding another layer of complexity and confusion to the case.

Notable Quote:

"Poppy killed Mommy. Poppy killed Mommy. Poppy killed Mommy." [36:52]

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Conclusion and Upcoming Episode Teaser

Nikki concludes the episode by emphasizing the persistent inconsistencies in Russell's accounts and the investigative process's shortcomings. She sets the stage for the next episode, which will explore the drastic change in her sister's testimony and the ensuing decade of uncertainty.

Notable Quote:

"I'll keep telling this story until there is no more story left to tell or no more breath in my body. Thank you for listening." [Final Remarks]

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Supporting the Podcast

Nikki encourages listeners to support "Papi Killed Mommy" to continue uncovering the truth behind her mother's tragic death. She provides avenues for donations and ways to contribute information that may shed light on the case.

Support Links:

• Support on Buzzsprout
• GoFundMe (Link in episode notes)
• Social Media: Follow on TikTok and Instagram @ikolewassolichen

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Final Thoughts

"The Final Interview" serves as a crucial piece in Nikki Wassolichen's relentless pursuit of justice for her mother. By presenting the transcript alongside her insightful analysis, Nikki underscores the pressing need for accountability and truth in unresolved cases of domestic violence and homicide.

Listeners are left with a heightened sense of urgency and anticipation for the forthcoming episodes, which promise to unravel more layers of this haunting mystery.

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Disclaimer: The podcast contains discussions of domestic violence, homicide, and other potentially distressing topics. Listener discretion is advised.

Transcript

[Nikki Wassolichen]

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 gotta give you the trigger warning. This podcast contains discussions 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. I started Poppy Killed Mommy with the hope that media pressure might finally lead to justice in my mom's 32 year old domestic violence death. For weeks I've walked you through the events leading up to my mother's murder, the aftermath, and the police investigation that followed. Today you're going to hear something very few people have ever heard. The final interview with Russell Bennett Peterson, conducted on September 3, 1993. It runs just over 30 minutes and it's the last time he ever spoke to police about the night my mother died. Before I play it, I want you to keep in mind that this is the fourth version of events he has given and by now his story has completely changed. He contradicts himself, rambles about irrelevant details, and when pressed, falls back on a selective memory. Listen closely not just to what he says, but to what he avoids saying. Pay attention to the way he paints himself as the victim and how quickly he crumbles when the detectives call him out.

[Detective Walters]

Any three president is myself, Detective Walters, folks, Lieutenant Dana Schmidt of the Sedona Police Department, and Mr. Russell Peterson. We're here to discuss the death of Ms. Watch Volition a couple months ago or a month or so ago. Okay, Russell, we've talked before, a couple of times and everything. And again, you're not under arrest. You're free to leave at any time. I called, asked you to come here and you agreed to come here. Speak to me again. You can leave if you want, anytime. You can stop and interview. It is an interview. You know, we're just talking. And again, since it's been allowed since we started talking, I'm just going to advise you of your rights. Again, just so you keep them in mind and you're aware of them. And that's all. That's the only reason for that. Again, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to the presence of an attorney to assist you prior to questioning and to be with you during questioning if you so desire. If you cannot afford an attorney, you have the right to have an attorney appointed for you prior to questioning. You understand these words?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes, I do.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. You agree to speak with me today?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes. I do. I will need to hear if I do.

[Detective Walters]

Yeah, that's in the same spot I had folks before last time, so I read them that way. Okay, let's start out, if we can, by going over the events again of the night of July. July. And if we can start wherever you want prior to whatever. Let's start when you last talked to Stephanie.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

She called me three times and between 10 and 1115 when I actually left. And it was very odd, the fact that she, you know, I mean, once. Okay, when you're coming home to call me again when you're coming home. And to the repetition of it after the fact. Well, that he leads me to believe, which I have believed from the start, that the conversation. Something went on with the conversation. I'll give you my telephone bill that she had with Craig. And she called him back at 11:20, which is approximately when I did walk in the door.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. If you do have that bill one, I'd like a copy.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I'll give it to you. I'll give you a copy.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. Yeah.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

So there was. There was something that there was no reason for after our two hour conversation, which was highly unusual. There was no reason for her to really have to call back. To call back because to confirm something.

[Detective Walters]

I feel was this calling Craig back?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes. Okay. I feel that the act I forgot. I can't forgive her for wanting to kill me, but I feel that the act was premeditated because the gun that I had, that I have, that you guys have was in a place. And in such a place, on the second shelf of the closet, underneath clothes, behind this thing, that the time that she took to get up, to go into the bedroom, to come back out of the bedroom. And the last words I ever heard out of your mouth for Russell, I'm going to kill you. You're not tall enough to get it. You didn't leave your. It was put somewhere where it was more accessible to. I don't know what else I can tell you guys. Okay.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. Well, you got home at about 11:20.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I got home.

[Detective Walters]

What happened?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I come, I sit down. Russell, you stink. The basic language. He was kind of hardcore. Not kind of very hardcore straightforward. Coming home from work, fine, I had a bottle of Jordan wine because I knew that in less than 30 hours, a culmination of 15 years of work, I was accepted to Ithaca, New York to go to the taste of the Cordon Bleu. It was paid for, the tickets were, I'm there, the restaurant bought me a fucking thirteen hundred dollar set a night to Go with me. My gains were like her losses. My achievements were a piece that would probably something that she couldn't accept. And all I wanted to do was have sex that night. All I wanted to do was come Homestead. I know that Friday's gonna be a very hectic day for me. Everything's gonna be packed. My father's coming to pick me up early Saturday morning. I'm gonna be out of here by 7 o'.

[Detective Walters]

Clock.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

At 10 o', clock, I'm on the plane and I'm, I'm doing my thing. I'm doing a dream. She didn't want me to go.

[Detective Walters]

Okay, we came home, I took a shower.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I came home. You stink. Okay, fine. I take a shower. I come out of the shower, we sit on the couch and we're just talking. And you want to know something? I, I. Because it was no relevance, because the conversation, it was not, it was not argumentative, it was not vicious. Most of it was based on this conversation that she had with Craig. Oh, I talked to him. Oh, I did this. Oh. Everything else, fine. You know, I don't have the buttons that you can push to make me want to put me into that mode. We're just sitting, talking, talking. Not a big deal. You know, it's. I may or may not have told you this. It's one thing to see something on television. It's another thing to come home on the verge of what you're doing and everything else and have the person, person. The person that has been part of your life for six years, that you. I trained her. I gave her the skills in the restaurant to do desserts. I gave her a sense of risk. But she comes home, I'm sure you checked her out. She comes from a very unstable, shitty background. One of which that I don't come from. Obviously you guys don't come from that. But when we met at the Crescent Hotel, I would see her, she'd come in and I'll never forget the statement that you and the other detective, Gary Sharavo, okay, when you guys came in to me, you came to my house and you said, Stephanie's mother or Stephanie's sister has told you that on at least 50 occasions that I had beaten her. I never in six years ever raised a hand to her. That is something that's a way of trying to put this picture together and lay on me. Her ex boyfriend did Craig. Documented, has to be. Put her in the hospital a few times. He used to knock the out of her. And that's maybe their way of dealing with this. I don't know. I don't know. And to have such an act happen, it's.

[Detective Walters]

It's. So you went home, you were sitting on the couch.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

We had a glass of wine. We're talking. We had a glass of wine. Everything else. Guy was out of the shower. I'm sitting in the center of the couch. The next thing I know, she gets out. Not a word said. Not out of aggression, not out of. Not out of. Not out of anything. Just get up. Okay, fine, to get up, you go to the bedroom. You could have went to the bedroom to piss. You could have went to the bedroom to lay down. You could have went to the bedroom to do whatever, but to go to the bedroom and come out and let her kill me.

[Detective Walters]

So she went to the bedroom.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

She went to the bedroom. She went to the bedroom. She came out of the bedroom standing eight feet, if that from me. And she comes out of the hallway and I'm sitting like this on the couch and I'm watching television, but I see her come out, look out of the corner of my eye, and she comes out, russell, I'm going to kill you. And I. And I looked, I turned, I put my hands up and I said, wait. Stephanie, what's going on? What's the matter? Whoa. The shot goes off. I fall back into the couch. I hear the gun recock. She turns around and she doesn't wait to look or to see if I am dead, if I've been hit. You guys know from what I've told you where that bullet went through and went outside and where I was sitting, that if I was a more reactional person and if I would have went, wait, Seth, she would have hit alert. If she would have aimed for my chest, she wouldn't have missed che for my head. And she was only about to spot off, becomes. I almost thought I was shot. I mean, to look at the barrel and the size of that freaking gun that my father gave me. I never thought I'd be looking down the bill of a.44 Manda. And I fell back into the couch as if I was. She turned around, she goes into the bedroom. My daughter got up. I don't sleep because of the noise. Time becomes very difficult. Now. I'm not talking minutes, I'm talking seconds. I get up off the couch. Now I know that there's a loaded cock.44 Magnum in the bedroom. And I'm not going in there. I'm not going in there. I'm going in there basically to see, because I kind of know what, what are your choices?

[Detective Walters]

Okay.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I go through the hall, I walk. The door is three quarters of the way closed. I open the door, I take a step, I'm in the bedroom. I know I told you guys of this fight. I know I told you guys of this confrontation, of this struggle. I really don't think, and I am not excluding, that maybe it did or did not happen. And that's the point of light, darkness for me, I don't think there was a struggle. The struggle was my own struggle. I wanted to, I wanted to grab her. I wanted to stop. Why'd you shoot at me? Stop the madness. Why did all this happen? You never gave me the chance. What happened? I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened. It'll come to me. I never, I don't think, think I ever put my hands on her.

[Detective Walters]

Why don't you think that?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Because I saw her fall from a distance. Yes, I saw the link's buckle.

[Detective Walters]

How did she fall? Okay, and then what? How did she land her head?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Because she was in a corner. She was in the corner. And the corner was created because the television sat there in the closet. She was standing right there. She just went limp. The light was gone from her.

[Detective Walters]

When she hit, was she on her front, on her back, on her side?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Her head? Her head hit the television at the knobs on the towel, and then it hit the table because the table was on top, the television was on top at the table. And her head went under the table. She landed on her back. She landed on her back. And I saw all of this and it was just, no, no, no. This isn't part of reality. This isn't my life. This didn't happen too much too. And I looked, I, I, I, I kind of knew she was dead, but I, I didn't want to accept it. I had to take a step to get to her. And I took the step and she's laying there and there's a lot of blood and the gun is right next to her. And my first reaction was, wait, I'll take the gun, I'll put it over here. Which exactly what I did. Then I stood there for a second and something clicked off in my mind that, no, you can't do that. Muscle. So I took it back and I set it back down. And I went down to one knee and I lifted up her head. It was almost a pick her up. Come on, get up. No, this is. Come, get up. And I set her head back down.

[Detective Walters]

She laying on her back at that time.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes. She's laying on her back. I set her head back down and I turn around and this is where I know that kind of is a little stuck. As I open the door and as I take the step and as the gun falls off, she's up and she's down the hall. But if I'm standing there, she can't really see, but she saw her mother fall. And the act of myself. We're talking about a four year old. She just turned four. August 8th. One person up, one person down. She sees me pick up the gun, put it here. She sees me to get and put it back down. She sees me try and pick her up. She trees, sees me set her back down and make the phone call. With the noise in the finality, what else is she going to think? But my dad shot my mom.

[Detective Walters]

Obviously there's been a bunch of or a number of discrepancies in how you've told the story. A couple of times you're sure you're on a mission. At one point you told us that I said yes, and at the other point you said that you didn't. And then when I went over and I talked to you, I called you.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Up and I volunteered information Sunday. Yeah.

[Detective Walters]

Okay, so. And then when we talk to you again at OCO Diablo.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yeah.

[Detective Walters]

The Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, then today when we talk to you, that's probably, that's the four major times we, we interviewed.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yeah.

[Detective Walters]

Fourth or fifth time. Every time we've talked to you and every time we've interviewed you, the story's been different.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Okay.

[Detective Walters]

And I thought it's, it's been at that, that one point, you know, where the, the main event happened, the tragedy. Okay. Happened. So, you know, again, one minute you say you struggle with them, then another time you said you didn't struggle. Then you described how she fell. Okay. Now we got, and how she landed. We also, we've talked to your daughter who described how she, she was laying on the ground. Okay. We also have what you said on the 911 tape. You talk to the, the fire dispatcher, emergency dispatcher and our police dispatcher. But we also have the autopsy results and the forensic evidence that was gathered at the scene and the evidence that was, was gathered, learned the information learned from the autopsy. And we have, we have. This is not the gun, but this is the same basic gun, that's the same model, the grip's a little different. And what I'm doing, I'm showing you is a Ruger.44 Magnum. Okay.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

It's not Vented at the front.

[Detective Walters]

Right. It's not vented. That, that's an option. This is the basic gun, the same model. If you were to go out and buy it stock. Okay. It has different grips on it and everything. We've taken this gun. We've got a person who matches Stephanie's dimensions exactly. You measured her arms? You measured her. Stephanie's arms. When we were doing our investigation, we found someone who matches the arms. You know, the same, you know, as reasonable as expected, same. We went through and we tried to reenact the scene of what happened and it doesn't, it doesn't work, that she shot herself. And when we talked to you the last time, we told you that we didn't believe it was a suicide.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Right?

[Detective Walters]

Right. Because of the evidences. Someone of her same build using this gun, they weren't able to squeeze the trigger. And you told us she was right handed.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yeah.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. There is no evidence that she fired the gun in her right hand. Did I know. I'm sorry. The testing is such that it's inconclusive if she fired the gun in her right hand. What we do have though, and what the medical examine believes and the evidence shows is a defensive position with her left hand, meaning that there was, there was some evidence that showed that she, she was pushing the gun away with her left hand. One of the reasons why we. It wasn't a suicide. Okay. The actual event, and we're concerned with, you know, everything in total, but the actual event when the gun went off and she. And she died. Okay. How that happened. We're concerned that she came out and that as you state, and unfortunately there's no one else to back you up. Okay. That she came out and shot at you first. Okay. You handled the firearm on your own self admission?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes.

[Detective Walters]

That you handled it. Okay. The, the results just from you handling it and the, and the powder residue on your body and everything all comes from the fact that you were in an area when a gun went off, whether you shot it or whether she shot it.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Okay.

[Detective Walters]

So those are like inconclusive. Doing your hands. If the powder residues had come out, it would have been inconclusive because you, you readily admit that you handled the firearm.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yes.

[Detective Walters]

And that's all it really, it shows. But with the powder in her thing there, the medical examiner's under the opinion that only defensive posture. How can you, how do you explain maybe that.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I can't explain.

[Detective Walters]

You don't. How could she. Again, you're saying she's right handed and trying to pull the Trigger like this, we have. We have the evidence. We have the trajectory and everything on how the bullet was.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I don't even know where she was shot. I.

[Detective Walters]

Everything appears to be. There was a struggle. Okay. There was a struggle.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Okay.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. What happened?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

We need.

[Detective Walters]

Again, we just want the truth. If it's an accident, it's an accident.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Above and beyond myself, the truth.

[Detective Walters]

Now, you've heard your story, okay, And I've related to you basically some of the evidence that we have and some. And I've kind of basically given you some of our concerns as to why it's hard to believe that it happened as you're remembering it. Right. You understand that? Yes. I'm trying to. To give you, you know, an opportunity to respond and to help us. I mean, again, because if it was an accident, we want to prove it was an accident. As we told in the very beginning, if it was an accident, we're not out to hang you. We're not out to get a conviction on you because of an accident. I mean, accidents happen. Reasonable people can believe accidents happen.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Correct?

[Detective Walters]

Evidence can show that an accident happened, or an evidence can necessarily show that it was an accident, but can operate that it was an accident. You know, it makes it easier for a reasonable person to believe that there was a struggle. If there was, again, we told you that if it was premeditated on your part or if it was a murder, then we would prosecute you to the. To the best of our ability. To the best. And then that's. That's an understanding we've had. You have been. I believe you've been truthful with us up to a point. I believe now that you get to where the event happened, and I believe you know what happened. You know what happened during that event because you explained it to. To us how you believed it happened initially. You were very clear, was corresponding with what your daughter said. Everything was going. Was. Course, everything was falling into place. Now, you don't know what happened now, if you don't know what happened now, the second and third time that we interviewed you, we put the evidence together, and it's like the evidence is showing that she did not commit suicide. Okay. There was no one else present in the room, correct?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

No, no, it was her and herself.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. She can't speak for herself. We have to represent her and her interests here. What do you think the outcome to a grand jury or two would be on what we have?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I don't know because I don't know what you guys have.

[Detective Walters]

Okay.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Five weeks ago, four weeks ago, On Thursday. And I said, russell, we need to talk. And you said. I said, okay, fine. And it was planned for like, Tuesday and you never called me back. And so, you know, the thing of it is that I'd been left victim and everything was left of me throughout this, and I would. I want to know myself.

[Detective Walters]

Well, you said you, you were. Everything was strict from you. I think we've been. We've been more. No, no, let me finish, okay? I think we've been more than understanding with you, okay? You've canceled appointments with us, okay? We've scheduled them for you. With you. Okay? I tried calling you. You moved. You promised me you'd give me your phone number as soon as you got a new one. And you had the phone. You just didn't recall it. You never returned that. You know, we've gone out of our way. I mean, we've been over backwards to show that it was an accident for you, okay? We, we. We've done. We're trying. We have no reason to doubt what you were telling us initially was true. Initially what you were telling us. We had no reason to doubt what you initially. And, and your. The statements and the evidence at the scene, what was saying. And then when you change the story, we have to be able to convince. I have to convince this man that it was an accident. And just from what you said today, he wasn't convinced before that it was an accident. And I don't, I don't. I can't. He was sitting here, but I don't see you showed anything to convince today that it was an accident or that she committed suicide. And again, it's going to go up before reasonable peers, okay? And that's where the decisions are going to be made. If it goes to a grand jury, a group of reasonable people, we're going to present it again. When we told you before, we want the truth, and the truth means consistency. And what happened. It's just, you know, you're saying you want things, and we're also looking for the rights, and something's happened here. We. And we want the truth. And.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I don't know.

[Detective Walters]

I mean, you know, once you, you know, if you were in the room, if you struggled or not, there's no way an event of that sort you would forget. I mean, I don't care how tragic it is. I mean, it is tragic. It's. It's probably the biggest thing that's happened in your life.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

It's the biggest thing that'll ever happen in your life.

[Detective Walters]

The biggest thing that happened in your. Your children's life and in the life. And it's Stacy's life. I mean, it's. It's a traumatic event. Normally when you forget things. Unselectively forgetting what happened, you forget it from the very beginning. You don't make up a story to say that you were trying to stop something. I mean, you remember what happened and was fresh and clearest in your mind right after the event. And that's when we talk to you. You know, one minute you were saying she crumpled forward. Now you're saying she landed on her back.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

No, she just tracks.

[Detective Walters]

And we asked you how she landed. You said she was on her back. But that's not what initially was reported. Initially, you said that she fell forward down because of the struggle, and then she just dropped straight down forward, almost into a fetal position. Straight down, you know, face down. Okay. How do you explain forgetting all this?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I can't explain it.

[Detective Walters]

Do you have anything you want to add or anything else you want to talk about or.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

No.

[Detective Walters]

Or discuss?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I just wish it was all. I wish it was on over, over.

[Detective Walters]

And we want to get it over.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

So I can continue and go forth with my wife and raising my daughter and just going and achieving the goals that I've set throughout this.

[Detective Walters]

Russell, that's the problem we're having. We want to help you do that also. We want to get this cleared up. We want to get it over with. We want you to go on with your life, and we go on with other things we've got. The problem I am having, and I know the Walton Deer have had, also, is up to a certain point, we were getting to where we understood or thought that what you were telling most was the way it happened. And then there became a point after the first few interviews or first few days interview, where you cancel the polygraph, which would have helped you clear this up. Would have helped us clear this up. You cancel the polygraph, the reenactment, which would help the detectives get a better grasp of exactly how it happened. You cancel that, you become not maybe intentionally or whatever, but uncooperative up to a point, which is leaving you and leaving us with a real problem here. I can't, in all consciousness, believe that it happened the way you say it happened, when all of a sudden, like one says, you kind of selectively forgot and selectively quit cooperating with us to get to this point. If it was an accident, you struggled. We can all live with that.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

That's not a problem.

[Detective Walters]

That's.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

But.

[Detective Walters]

But you remember the one Way up to a point. And the polygraph, like I said, and the reenactment would have helped us immensely clear up some doubts in our mind, which you've left us with now. I mean, I've got some real doubts. And when it goes to the grand jury, we'll have to see. Now, the grand jury. And like Walt says, the grand jury before, just. Your peers are reasonable people.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Correct.

[Detective Walters]

If I was sitting on a jury and I saw. Well, he cooperated up to this point, and then the officers tried to get a polygraph cell set up and a reenactment, and all of a sudden you quit cooperating. That's not going to leave me with.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

A real foreign, fuzzy feeling about the whole thing.

[Detective Walters]

So you got to understand where we're coming from.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

You guys want to get this done as much as I know.

[Detective Walters]

And we understand, you know, we can't understand. We've seen enough deaths.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yeah, we see them all the time.

[Detective Walters]

But they still aren't easy for us to deal with either. And I can't. I can't.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Maybe they won't mind either.

[Detective Walters]

Neither one of us can really comprehend what you're feeling. It's 12:35. We're continuing our conversation with Mr. Peterson. The tape had stopped. It wasn't observed. Stopped, and we just turned it over at this point. Okay, just let me ask that question again, just so I make sure we have it on tape coming out with a pistol. How long was she gone?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Less than 10 seconds.

[Detective Walters]

Okay, so it would just let you walk right in there?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Walk right in and clean right back out?

[Detective Walters]

Yes.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Okay.

[Detective Walters]

Along the same lines, how long after she fired the round at you.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Prior, before you went into the bedroom.

[Detective Walters]

Did you sit on the couch and think about it? Did you jump right up and go follow her?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

No, I fell back into the couch. Almost as if I. I thought. I felt. I was shocked. It wasn't. It wasn't less than a.30 seconds.

[Detective Walters]

So after you recovered from the initial shock of the. Of the shock, you got up and.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Walked into the bed? Right.

[Detective Walters]

Okay. Where was the holster?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I don't know. I don't know. Because I have a custom Bonacci holster that. That thing goes in. I don't know.

[Detective Walters]

You don't know where. Where it was during the struggle or. Or the.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

No, because I didn't.

[Detective Walters]

You ever touch the holsters? No.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I don't know where the Holst.

[Detective Walters]

You don't know where the holster was? Sheath down.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

If they got up off the floor, I put it in the closet on the shelf. I Look. And I say to myself, no, Russell, you can't do that. I take it back down, I set it where it was. I go and lift her head up, I set it back down, and I call 91 1.

[Detective Walters]

Just like that. You don't go anywhere else.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

You don't do anything else.

[Detective Walters]

She drops somehow. Do you hear the shot or do you see the shot? Do you see her pull the trigger?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I can't see her hands.

[Detective Walters]

Why?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Because it's dark.

[Detective Walters]

It's dark. So you can't see your hands?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Yeah. No.

[Detective Walters]

So she. You go into a bedroom that's dark with somebody with a.44 Magnum who just tried to kill you. You don't look to see where her hands are.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

I didn't have the chance to see her hand.

[Detective Walters]

So she falls. They then go over to her, see, she's down, and they call 91 1. Where was your daughter?

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

After I turned around to go and get the phone, I turned and I looked and I saw her standing in the hotline. Buy her room right outside of her bedroom door.

[Detective Walters]

If you want to take a break at any time, you're more than welcome to.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

Well, you want to know. It is a Friday, and it is the beginning of a big weekend, and I've got a lot of stuff to do. And if you want to talk to me again the beginning of next week, I'll be happy to come back down there.

[Detective Walters]

Okay.

[Russell Bennett Peterson]

But I would truly choose. I have to go to work. Okay. We don't want to.

[Detective Walters]

Yeah. Okay. It's 12:40. We ended our interview with Mr. Peterson.

[Nikki Wassolichen]

Now that you've heard it for yourself, I want to share my thoughts. Number one, he completely changes his story again. Earlier, Russell had claimed that there might have been a struggle. In his interview, he swings back and forth, first insisting that there wasn't a struggle, then saying that maybe there was, then saying it was just his own struggle inside his head. He even admits, I know I told you guys of this fight. I really don't think maybe it did or did not happen. That's the point of darkness for me. So what is it, Russell? No one forgets if they physically fought someone for their life, that's not a memory lapse, that's a lie. Number two, the absurd claim of premeditation by my mom. Russell actually tries to paint my mom as having premeditated his murder. And he says she dug his.44 Magnum out from underclothes on the closet shelf and came out with it. He tells detectives, I can't forgive her for wanting to kill me. This Is the same man who admitted in a prior walkthrough that he picked the gun up, put it away, then put it back. Now suddenly it's her plan and he's the victim. He's not just lying, he's rewriting her entire personality to fit his narrative. Number three, his she told me she was gonna kill me line is straight out of a script. He insists the last words my mom ever said were Russell, I'm gonna kill you. That's convenient, isn't it? It's a built in defense, a one liner to frame her as the aggressor. But detectives had already told him the forensic evidence showed otherwise, that my mom was in a defensive posture when she was shot, pushing the gun away. Number four, the contradictions about how she fell. He tells detectives, I saw her legs buckle. She just went limp. Then seconds later admits he couldn't actually see her hands in the dark room. At other times, he claims she fell forward into a fetal position. Now she's on her back. His story changes every time, and the detectives call him on it. His rambling monologues are rehearsed deflections instead of clear answers. He goes off on tangents about her unstable background, their relationship and his career plans. He talks about being accepted to culinary school, the expensive knives he just bought, and how his gains were her losses. He wants the detectives, and now us, to see him as a successful, sympathetic man with a dream and not the man who pulled the trigger. Number six, he actually explains away my sister's words. Russell admits my little sister saw him pick up the gun, move it, put it back down. He tells detectives, what else is she going to think? But my dad shot my mom. This is chilling. He knew exactly what she said after the murder. Poppy killed mommy. Poppy killed mommy. Poppy killed mommy. And here he is trying to explain it away like it was a misunderstanding instead of the truth. Number seven. They lay it out clearly in this interview. The reenactment proved my mom physically could not have fired the gun at that angle. The medical examiner confirmed she was in a defensive posture. Gunshot residue tests were inconclusive only because Russell admitted to handling the weapon. And what does Russell say when confronted with this science? I can't explain it. He shuts it down when the pressure builds. As soon as detectives push too hard, Russell pulls the classic I need to go back to work excuse. He says, it's a Friday. I've got a lot of stuff to do. I'd truly choose to leave. And they let him walk out just like that. Number nine. The Polygraph and the reenactment he canceled. Detectives point out the elephant in the room. He had agreed to a polygraph and a scene reenactment and canceled both. They tell him directly that his cooperation stopped when things got serious, leaving them with real doubts. And yet nothing came of it. My thoughts listening to this final interview is infuriating. Russell's story shifts with every telling. He creates a convenient villain out of my mom, a woman forensic evidence shows was fighting for her life. He rambles to distract, drops self serving details to look like a victim, and when pinned down, he suddenly can't remember. He moves the gun, contaminates the scene, and then blames my 3 year old sister's words on her imagination. And despite detectives telling him to his face that the evidence didn't match his story, despite the contradictions and his refusal to take a polygraph, he walked away free, never questioned again. And that was September 3rd, 1993. Moving on with the timeline. Six weeks after that last interview, on October 14th, 1993, Russell Peterson contacted investigators and provided them with his current telephone number. How convenient. The next day, on October 15, 1993, as requested, Mr. Peterson dropped off a copy of his July telephone bill. 98 days later, it was not subpoenaed. It was voluntarily dropped off by the suspect by request of the detective. 98 days after the altercation, the phone bill showed a call at 1:36am giving him at least three minutes to stage the crime scene before dialing 911. Once again, I want to tell you that call was never investigated. Four days later, on October 20, 1993, investigators met with the county attorney, Chuck Hastings. They reviewed the investigation and after discussing the case, Mr. Hastings suggested to investigators that they contact a psychologist and review Mr. Peterson's statements with them and ask for an opinion. The investigator with the Yavapai County Attorney's Office, Gary Cevaro, advised that he would make the contact. Mr. Hastings advised that if no new information was revealed after the review of the psychologist, he would consider the investigation complete and make a charging decision. At that time, as far as I can find going through my mother's case file, this evaluation was never conducted. A psychologist was never contacted to go over Russell Bennett Peterson's statements in 1993. On November 9, 1993, three weeks after the Sedona Police Department obtained that phone bill from Russell Peterson, and 20 days after the Yavapai county requested a psychological evaluation, the Yavapai county released a statement summarizing my mother's case as having insufficient evidence. To prosecute, the statement reads. As such, I have now had the opportunity to review both reports together with the interview transcripts, including four separate interviews of the suspect. While there are inconsistencies in the suspect stories, the inconsistencies together with all of the other evidence, still does not amount to sufficient evidence to prosecute. The suspect goes back and forth between whether there was a struggle or whether it was suicide. The physical evidence, however, does not clearly support either one of his stories to the exclusion of the other. The suspect's confusion over the facts could be the result of trauma and or wishful thinking. It is true that the suspect ultimately revoked his offer to take a polygraph and cooperate in the scene reconstruction. His four interviews, coupled with the consent search of his house make him a far more cooperative than uncooperative suspect. In summary, there appears to be insufficient evidence at this time even to present the case to a grand jury. My recommendation is to decline to prosecute at this time based upon the available evidence. Signed, Yavapai County Attorney Jim Landis. I then found a report canceling tests on the weapon. Nine days later, on November 18, 1993, scientific examinations were canceled on the weapon. Per Lt. Schmidt, the request for examination has been withdrawn at this time. This is another part that I've had a hard time with because the county attorney is asking for more evidence, but they are quite literally canceling examinations on the evidence that never made any sense to me. By December 8, 1993, the Sedona Police Department and the Yavapai County Attorney's office. We're done investigating. I have a report dated for this day to Chief Bob Irish from the Yavapai County Attorney Charles Hastings. It states as such, enclosed is a copy of a memo for my chief, Jim Landis, which is the basis for our decision to decline prosecution of Russell Peterson at this time. I want to point out that I do not have a copy of that memo, just an office communication dated for December 8 stating that there was a memoir. And poof, just like that, the investigation was over. Nothing really moved on my mom's case again for years. And I close out 1993 with the next memory I have of seeing my sister. And that was Christmas 1993. My aunt and my grandma did their best to make it a magical holiday like usual. But the magic was gone without my mom. I was forced into some ugly printed green two piece number and my sister arrived in a hot pink tracksuit. I remember thinking my mom would never have dressed her like that for a Christmas event. We opened presents and got to spend a few hours together. But not alone. I won't have a chance to be alone with my sister again until summer 1994. The next time I see her is for the big Disneyland trip, a year later than planned. The trip we were supposed to go on with my mom, Aunt Wendy ended up taking us in the summer of 94, a year after her death. There, my sister tells me a different story. In that moment, everything shifted. The words that had been her truth, Poppy killed Mommy. Were suddenly replaced with the version I had never imagined hearing Mommy killed herself. Next week, I'll take you into one of the most devastating moments of my life. The first time I was finally alone with my little sister after our mother's death in the squad car, she told me, poppy killed Mommy. She told every police officer, every social worker, every adult who would listen. But one year later, on the long awaited trip to Disneyland, those words were gone, replaced with something I never expected to hear. Mommy killed herself. What happened in that year? How did my sister's story change so drastically and why? Join me for the next episode of Poppy Killed Mommy as I revisit the summer of 94, the cracks in my sister's memory, and the decade that followed before she finally ran away from Russell Peterson and found her way back to me. Thank you so much for listening to Poppy Killed Mommy. This podcast is completely independent. Just me, no production team, no corporate backing, fighting to bring my mom's story to light one episode at a time. If you'd like to support this journey and help me share her case at CrimeCon this September, please consider donating to the GoFundMe. The link is in the episode notes. There's also a Support the show button at the bottom of the show notes where you can support the show monthly. A big shout out and thank you to the newest supporters of the show, Erica, Bethany and another Tiffany. You can also follow me on TikTok and Instagram ikolewassolishion for updates and behind the scenes content. I am always posting and if you or anyone has information about the death of my mother, Stacy Wassolichen, please contact the Sedona Police Department at 928-2823 100 and as always, I'll keep telling this story until there is no more story left to tell or no more breath in my body. Thank you for listening.