In the quiet, remote landscape near the ghost town of Hiawatha, Utah, a devastating series of events unfolded on the evening of November 2, 2016, ending the life of 45-year-old Susan Hansen Peterson, a White/Caucasian female. A loving mother to fifteen children, Susan was known for her active role in her community and church. Her life, however, was tragically cut short in an act of violence that also claimed the life of her 23-year-old son, James Peterson.
The incident occurred around 6
p.m. when a call was made to Price dispatch reporting a shooting. When deputies from the Carbon County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene near the base of Gentry Mountain, they encountered a suspect fleeing in a vehicle that matched the description from the dispatch call. A chase ensued, and deputies were able to apprehend the individual, who was identified as another of Susan's sons, 25-year-old Seth Gordon Peterson of Ferron.
Upon reaching the scene of the shooting, other deputies discovered the bodies of Susan and her son, James. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The investigation that followed revealed a troubled background to the horrific events. Seth Peterson's defense attorneys would later argue that he was in a state of "meth psychosis" at the time of the killings, believing that his mother and brother were "demons." In the days leading up to the incident, he had reportedly been paranoid, convinced that he was being followed by police and that his phone was bugged.
Seth Gordon Peterson was subsequently arrested and booked into the Carbon County Jail. He faced multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree felony murder for the deaths of his mother and brother. He was also charged with attempted murder, theft of a motor vehicle, and failure to stop at the command of an officer. Though initially charged with aggravated murder, a potential capital offense, prosecutors later decided not to seek the death penalty. A jury ultimately found him guilty, convicting him of manslaughter for his mother's death and aggravated murder for his brother's. He was sentenced to a term of 25 years to life in prison for the murder of his brother, with a concurrent sentence of one to fifteen years for the death of his mother.
