GUILTY UT - Ryker Peterson, 5 mos, shot to death, American Fork, 5 April 2013

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MsFacetious

What a Kerfuffle...
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American Fork doesn't have hardly any murders, much less children.... this was more than a little shocking to see.

I am unclear on if the father shot the baby intentionally, but was stopped from shooting himself...
Or if the father was trying to shoot himself and during the struggle accidentally shot the baby.

I think it was intentional... because it says he was prevented from pulling the trigger "again."
This is all very early on however.


Police took one man into custody, the child's father according to family members.

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/to...-in-American-Fork/TXEzYJu41UaUKewYp2p5DQ.cspx


Just before 1 p.m., police were called to a home near 500 North and 500 East on a report that a child had been shot.
They found the baby boy with a gunshot wound to his head.

-------------

A family friend told KSL News it was the child's father who shot him.
The person said the father was about to shoot himself when someone in the house tackled him before he could pull the trigger again.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24676243&ni...n-american-fork&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1


Neighbors say that an older couple lived in the home, along with adult children and grandchildren.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/loc...cle_bb9c8c62-9e45-11e2-95f2-001a4bcf887a.html
 
A family friend told KSL News it was the child's father who shot him. The person said the father was about to shoot himself when someone in the house tackled him before he could pull the trigger again.

Because police are so early into this investigation, they aren't ready to talk confirm any of those details.

"It's very early on in the investigation. We're pursuing a lot of different leads and whatnot," said American Fork Police Sgt. Gregg Ludlow. "At this point, we are investigating this as a homicide."

The family friend who spoke to KSL News also said the father suffered from depression and had other mental challenges.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24676243&ni...n-american-fork&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1


So he allegedly shot his baby then turned the gun on himself but someone tackled him before he could shoot himself.....is that correct?

Prayers to the baby's family......
 
Investigators said Petersen laid his son, Ryker, on a couch, went into another room and loaded a single .22 round into a rifle, then returned and shot the baby.

Investigators said Petersen told them he had been planning to kill his son and then himself for the past month.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24676243&ni...father-arrested&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1


Here is his facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/josh.petersen.904


Why the baby? Are the older kids not his?
I don't understand the motive here (not that I ever understand...)
 
The grandmother of the 5-month-old baby shot to death in an apparent murder-suicide attempt involving his father said Saturday the boy was "a sweetheart, all smiles and giggles."

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She said Ryker was "a beautiful little boy, (with) the beautifulest blue eyes and happy."

----------------------

Judd said she was last with Ryker on Tuesday, the same day her stepdaughter, Amanda, told her she had broken up with Petersen. "She finally kicked him out," Judd said, describing Peterson as abusive to her stepdaughter and two older grandsons.

------------------------------

Judd said her stepdaughter was not ready to talk publicly about the tragedy. "She's doing pretty good. We've been talking about funeral services," Judd said, as well as how to tell Ryker's brothers, ages 5 and 7.

The father of the older boys died a couple of years ago, Judd said, declining to discuss his death further other than to say the older boys were in therapy.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24690702&ni...-before-killing&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-4
 
If he only loaded one bullet in the rifle, how was he going to kill himself?

'Investigators said Petersen laid his son, Ryker, on a couch, went into another room and loaded a single .22 round into a rifle, then returned and shot the baby.

Investigators said Petersen told them he had been planning to kill his son and then himself for the past month."
 
An American Fork man accused of shooting and killing his 5-month-old son will be held without bail, a judge ruled Monday.

------------------

"Mr. Petersen advised he had been planning to kill the child, Ryker, for about a month and decided Friday was the day he was going to do that."

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Ludlow was emotional as he told the judge that Petersen had taken the infant to the basement of the home before going into another room and loading a single round into the rifle.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24712195&ni...ll-not-get-bail&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1



"We would like to make a statement on behalf of our sister, Amanda Merrill Pilling and the tragic death of her 5-month-old son, Ryker Petersen. Amanda is heartbroken over this loss, her sweet baby Ryker was a treasure and she misses him immensely and is overcome with grief.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to all of you who are suffering from the loss of baby Ryker, including the father’s family.
We can not imagine how hard this must be for you, we know that you love Ryker and we send our love and support to you."

-------------

“We just feel that Amanda needs to have as much support as possible and not just family and friends, but the community as well," said the lead organizer and a family friend, Kristeena Petersen. "And to show respect to Ryker.”

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Petersen said it was vital, considering the circumstances, that the vigil focus on the life of Ryker rather than the tragic way it ended.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=24695838&ni...h-old-holds-vigil&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-16


Focusing on Ryker:

ryker.jpg


ryker2.jpg


ryker3.jpg
 
This baby was intentionally shot and killed by his dad? intentionally? SMH
 
Yes.
Planned and premeditated.
Whether he really planned to kill himself is not really clear.
Perhaps he had another plan for himself and didn't realize family would be on him so quickly. I don't know.
 
Man accused of shooting 5-month-old 'wants to die,' attorney says

"Roll the cops, roll an ambulance, shots fired, a baby’s been hit in the head. Please come now," she said.

-----------------

The woman told dispatchers that the infant was still breathing.

"Who shot the baby?" the dispatcher asked.

"His daddy," the woman responded.

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=24988281&n...e-attorney-says&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1
 
Too bad someone stopped him from killing himself.
 
Father pleads guilty in death of 5-month-old son

Petersen sat in the corner with his head down, crying at times, as he waited to plead guilty Tuesday to killing his newborn son.

"This is the first time he saw Amanda, the mother of Ryker, since he was arrested," said defense attorney Dusty Kawai.
"It is emotional for him. He feels the gravity of his actions and he is devastated. He is devastated by what he did."

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26804126&ni...of-5-month-old-son&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-1
 
As a mother, they would have had to sedate and restrain me for the hearing or I would kill him myself. Nothing the justice system could do to him would be bad enough to make me feel that justice had been done.
 
Judge Darold McDade said the decision he announced on Monday had been weighing heavily on his mind for a "long, long time."

His pronouncement regarded the fate of a young depressed father who killed his 5-month-old son earlier this year by shooting him in the head with a .22-caliber rifle.

Ryker Petersen would have turned 1 year old on Wednesday.

McDade decided that Joshua David Peterson, 22, will serve the rest of his life in prison. He will have no possibility of ever being paroled.

----------------

Prosecutor Craig Johnson spoke with Thompson before she left, apologizing for her loss and assuring her that the life-without-parole sentence was not "vindictive."

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27326709&ni...-death-of-baby-son&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-1
 
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