Bill Peterson or William Peterson is the brother of Michael Peterson. He is one of the four children born to Colonel Eugene I Peterson and Eleanor Peterson. Eugene was born to John and Della (Mellander) Peterson on 7 July 1918 in San Francisco. He grew up in Golconda, NV.
Bill’s father Eugene attended grammar school and graduated from Galileo High School in San Francisco. Then, he returned to Reno where he attended and graduated with a B. S. Degree from the University of Nevada in 1940. He was the first University of Nevada athlete to win the tennis championships in the Far Western Conference, Reno City, and Nevada.
Eugene served in the pearl harbor during World War II where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant of Infantry. In 1945, he was commissioned in the Regular Army and served through 1972, retiring as a Colonel. He attended all senior service military schools including the Army War College. His 32 years of active service included 15 years overseas.
Michael and Bill also have a brother named John Peterson from Las Vegas, Nevada, and a sister named Ann Christensen, Mill Valley, CA.
However, there has been an alleged falling out between Michael and his sister Ann. Their mother died on 20 June 2002. Three years later on 26 July 2005, Eugene died in Reno, Nevada.
Meet Bill Peterson, Michael Peterson Brother
Throughout the trial of Michael’s first-degree murder for killing his wife Kathleen Peterson, Bill Peterson was with his brother before Michael was sent to prison. After Kathleen died, her family discovered his bisexuality. Bill told them that it was a “family secret” and it was something Mike had known for most of his life.
Bill also claimed that Kathleen knew about her husband’s sexual preferences and was fine with it. However, Michael’s step-daughter Caitlin didn’t believe that her mother was okay because she shared that Kathleen and Michael were on a verge of divorce because he repeatedly cheated on her.
During the trial, the News & Observer stated that Michael Peterson borrowed $300,000 from Bill Peterson to cover “growing legal expenditures.” Michael Peterson had already sold a Durham property to help pay for legal expenses.
“We are helping my brother pay for the cost of defense of this case, which is quite extremely expensive,” Bill Peterson said at the time.
Throughout the trial and the jury deliberations, Bill Peterson remained by his brother’s side. As the jury deliberated in October 2003, the N&O noted that Michael Peterson frequently conversed in the courtroom with “friends, his brothers Bill and Jack, or his former wife, Patricia.”
In the same N&O report, Bill Peterson was reported to have borrowed attorney David Rudolf’s copy of “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot” by Al Franken to read in the courtroom during deliberations.
At one point during “The Staircase” documentary, the Peterson family, including Michael, Bill, and some of Michael’s children, gather at the dinner table, while Michael was still on trial, to celebrate Bill’s birthday. In a toast to Bill, Michael Peterson said, “I could not have gotten through this without my brother.”
However, viewers noticed that Bill was not in any of the trials after Michael was eligible to go home for retrial after doing 8 years in prison. However, one Redditor pointed out that, as a lawyer himself, he was caught up on his own work during that period which answered why he wasn’t there supporting his brother.
Where Is Bill Peterson Today?
Bill Peterson is currently living in Reno, Nevada carrying on with his life.
Bill Peterson Age
Reportedly, Bill Peterson was born in July 1947. As such, he is 74 years old as of 2022.
Bill Peterson Job
Based on his LinkedIn, Bill Peterson is a partner at Snell & Wilmer since March 2012. Before that, he worked as a partner at Morris Peterson from 2004 to 2012. Whereas, from 1994 to 2003, he served as a general counsel at Sierra Pacific Power Company.
According to his profile in Snell & Wilmer, Bill has been a commercial, administrative and personal injury litigator for over 30 years. His practice encompasses energy law, utilities, complex torts, and all facets of commercial litigation in state and federal courts.
Bill has tried over 40 cases to jury verdict and approximately 50 bench trials to judgment, many of several weeks duration. He has over 20 reported decisions in the Federal Supplement, Federal Reporter, Nevada Supreme Court Reports, and the California Appellate Reports.
He has also spent ten years as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for Sierra Resources (now NV Energy), Nevada Power Company, and Sierra Pacific Power Company. In 2018, the State Bar of Nevada honored him with the Presidential Award. The recipient of the award should have more than 20 years of experience.
The bar appreciates the honoree for their conduct, honesty, and integrity represent the highest standards of the legal profession.
Bill also serves as a member of the Judiciary Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
He earned his BA from the College of Holy Cross, University of California Berkeley. Whereas, he secured his J.D. from the University of Southern California, Gould School of Law in 1975.
Fun Fact: Bill served in the United States Army as First Lieutenant from 1969 to 1972.
Who Is Bill Peterson Wife?
Bill Peterson’s wife is Suellen Fulstone. Born in January 1947, Suellen is 75 years old as of 2022.
Suellen hailed from Coleville, California. She attended Coleville High followed by the University of Nevada, Reno where she graduated in 1972. Later, she enrolled at Stanford University and graduated in the class of 1976.
Suellen is also working at Snell & Wilmer LLP as a trial lawyer. She has more than 30 years of experience in pleading and motion practice through discovery, settlement, trial, and appeal, including jurisdictional issues and injunctive and extraordinary writ relief.
On 7 November 1960, when Suellen was 13-year-old, she purchased five minutes of television time on a Reno television station to make the case for John Kennedy’s presidential candidacy. She reportedly paid $100 ($971 today) for the five minutes of time on Reno’s KOLO.
Suellen invested $50 from the prize money she received from an American Legion speech contest. The remaining $50 from her small sheep herd.
The day after the election JFK learned what the girl from Coleville had done. She received a wire from him promising her the first inaugural invitation, followed by a hand-written note from Jacqueline Kennedy.
Related FAQs
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Is Bill Peterson On Instagram?
No, Bill Peterson doesn’t have an Instagram account. However, he is on Facebook.
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Who Plays Bill Peterson In HBO Max’s The Staircase?
Actor Tim Guinee plays Bill Peterson in HBO Max’s The Staircase.
