Damien Peterson didn’t say much to investigators when he was arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old shot to death last summer. According to a criminal complaint, he simply said “OK.”
Peterson’s arrest came nearly eight months after Frank Woodford was shot at a Mat-Su home. On June 27, Alaska State Troopers (AST) and emergency responders found the teen with a gunshot wound to his chest.
When asked what happened, Woodford said he “didn’t know,” but that he didn’t shoot himself. He was medevaced to Providence Hospital in Anchorage, where he later died.
Several minors were at the house at the time of the shooting, including Peterson and Austin Barrett — also 19, and charged with murder in the death of slain valley teen David Grunwald — according to AST incident report.
In the complaint filed against Peterson Friday, investigators wrote that when they arrived at the Wasilla home, there were still several minors at the property, but Peterson was gone.
Barrett isn’t specifically named in the complaint, as the copy KTVA received on Monday had many names blacked out with just initials scribbled over top. But detectives did speak to someone with the initials A.B.
A.B. said he was living at the house at the time of the shooting and that Peterson had been staying there for a couple of days. He claimed he didn’t know where the gun came from or how it went off. He denied that he or Peterson were in the possession of the gun when the fatal shot was fired.
According to the document, Peterson did speak with law enforcement by telephone on the night of the shooting. He told them that Woodford had picked the gun up, but he warned him to be careful. Then the shot went off a short time later.
In January, police spoke with someone only identified as a cooperating witness. The witness, described as a close friend to Peterson in the complaint, said Peterson told them what happened — referring to the June shooting — in October. Peterson claimed the only people that knew what happened were his mother and his brother, Devin — also charged in connection to Grunwald’s death.
“Damien told CW1 (cooperating witness one) ‘I got a body on me’ and stated that he killed (Woodford),” the complaint states.
Peterson told the witness that he and A.B. were “messing around” with the gun, when he pointed it at Woodford.
“CW1 asked Damien if he did it on purpose,” the complaint says. “Damien said he did not think the pistol was loaded.”
Another witness, described in the document as CW2 (cooperating witness two), explained that he was in the room when Woodford was shot. The trooper incident report stated only Barrett and Peterson were in the room at the time, although the criminal complaint does not specify. The complaint says, CW2 was “offered consideration” for another open criminal case for cooperating in the Woodford’s death investigation.
The witness told investigators he was smoking marijuana with Peterson before the shooting, which was normal in the house, he said. The witness claimed to have seen Peterson with the gun in the days leading up to the incident.
“CW2 said during the process Damien had intentionally pointed the pistol at him (CW2). CW2 also described Damien’s finger as being on the trigger while he was pointing the gun at his head and chest. CW2 said he acted tough like it didn’t bother him but he was afraid at the time,” the criminal complaint says.
According to the complaint, the interview with CW2 was emotional. CW2 said Woodford was afraid and Peterson pointed the gun at Woodford’s chest, too. After the trigger was pulled, CW2 said he looked at Peterson who pointed the pistol back at him, and told him that Woodford “shot himself.”
Peterson called his brother for a ride and then threatened to kill the witness.
“CW2 indicated he believed Damien would have killed him, and possibly his family, if he knew CW2 spoke to police,” the complaint says.
Later in a recorded phone call, Peterson told the witness: “I didn’t kill him, but the police are stupid and they’re gonna tell you that they’ll give you a deal just so you can talk and it’s not going to really happen, it’s the same thing that is happening with Jaylyn.”
Peterson was arraigned Saturday. His bail was set at $500,000, plus a third-party custodian. He’s facing a single second-degree murder charge.
The post Complaint: Witnesses shed light on Wasilla teen’s death appeared first on KTVA 11.
