A widow beamed from ear-to-ear as her son was spared jail for killing his father when he was 15 years-old.
Abigail Peterson beamed as her 16-year-old son, Lincoln Peterson, was released on parole following the 2024 incident where he shot Jeremy Peterson, 45, at their home in Las Vegas.
Jeremy was gunned down after seizing his son’s electronics to punish him for getting bad grades.
Now 16, Peterson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon in April.
During his sentencing on August 14, prosecutors had asked for Peterson to be locked away for six to 15 years.
Instead, a Nevada judge decided to let him off without any prison time.
‘Nothing can compare to the loss of my husband, the love of my life, and the pain of knowing it was my son’s actions that caused it,’ Abigail Peterson expressed to the court, as reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal.
‘Unless you’ve stood in my place, you cannot understand the depth of the pain that coexists with forgiveness and love.’
Lincoln Peterson, shown here, avoided jail time after fatally shooting his father last December. At the age of 15, he became enraged when his father Jeremy took away his electronic gadgets.
Lincoln’s mother Abigail, pictured right in navy blue, grinned from ear-to-ear as the son who killed her husband was paroled last week
Parents Abigail and Jeremy Peterson had taken away their son’s electronic devices when his grades fall, leading to the December 28 shooting
The death of Jeremy Peterson, 45, stemmed from the parents decision to take away their son’s electronics as punishment,
When his son’s grades dropped, they decided to take his devices.
However, the parents ‘believed he was sneaking electronics,’ resulting in the family argument Dec. 28.
His mother had hit him with a belt during the despite, according to court documents.
As Peterson was trying to get away from his parents, the teen found a handgun that had been left on top of a dryer and fired it.
He ‘denied any knowledge of hitting anyone.’
The teen expressed remorse during his sentencing Thursday in Nevada.
‘None of this was ever my intention,’ he said. ‘I regret all of it.’
Lincoln Peterson, 16, cried as his family reads impact statements during his sentencing for killing his father in Las Vegas, Nevada on Aug. 14
Jeremy Peterson, 45, was remembered in a memorial service on Jan. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Peterson will be on probation for the next five years. If he violates any of the terms of his probation, he’ll be placed in prison
But prosecutors pointed out that the 15-year-old had threatened violence before.
Investigators learned from the teen’s sister that he had previously brandished an unloaded gun at his family and pretended to shoot himself weeks prior to the tragic event.
‘A 15-year-old with some impulse control issues made a really terrible mistake,’ prosecutor Laura Rose argued that probation was not enough.
She added she could not ‘ignore the violence of the case as well as doing something this severe without any type of adequate provocation.’
Nonetheless, Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones mentioned in court that probation was granted due to the unprecedented level of support surrounding the defendant.
Peterson’s probation will last for five years, until he 21, according to local station KLAS.
As part of his probation, the teen will have to take counseling and get a high school diploma or GED.
The judge also ordered his provide all passwords for any computers, computer storage, cell phones, and all social media accounts to parole officers.
He’ll also have a curfew and must not consume drugs or alcohol.
If he violates any of the terms of his probation, he will have to serve prison sentence of 3 to 7.5 years.
