Monday, January 8, 2007

Man, accused of stabbing wife, in court

By Fally Afani Ruzik, Jesse Fray

VIDEO: A Junction City man accused of stabbing his wife to death had his first day in court.

Junction City — Cedric Peterson, 38, was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary one day after police arrested him for stabbing his wife to death in an apparent case of domestic violence.

Rachelle Peterson, 28, was found murdered in her apartment Sunday morning. District Attorney Steve Opat described it as a crime of extreme brutality and viciousness.

Apartment Manager Tim Woodruff says Rachelle came to him three weeks ago, urgently looking for a place to live.

Domestic Violence Resources

The Battered Women's Task Force here in Topeka says there are several ways to spot warning signs of an abusive relationship. The perpetrator may use coercion, threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, and isolation to control the victim. Perpetrators may also keep the victim from getting or keeping a job.

For more information on domestic violence, you can call the Kansas State Hotline at 1-888-END-ABUSE.

"She came to me and said she needed a place to live and she was just in a situation she needed to get out of," he said.

Rachelle was very quiet and a pleasant woman, said Woodruff.

"I've got so much going through my head right now, with previous conversations I've had with her, it's just hard to put it all together," Woodruff said.

He said her children were her priority.

"She had two kids that lived with her and fortunately they weren't there at the time that it happened," said Woodruff.

Woodruff said the kids were out-of-town with Rachelle's extended family at the time.

Cedric Peterson was booked into the Geary County Jail on a $250,000 bond. He'll be back in court for his preliminary hearing next week.

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