Man who killed daughter gets 13 years

Published 4:29 pm Tuesday, December 1, 2009

EVERETT – A Marysville man was sentenced this afternoon to more than 13 years in prison for killing his daughter last year.

Richard Peters, 40, was convicted last month of first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Stormy Peters. Stormy was shot between the eyes inside the family home Nov. 16, 2008. Prosecutors alleged that Peters was drunk when he had Stormy get him a loaded gun from a bedroom nightstand. The first-grader brought her father the gun.

Peters admitted that he shot his daughter. He called the shooting an accident. He told investigators that his .45-caliber Colt discharged as he was removing the ammunition magazine.

Prosecutors argued that Peters intentionally aimed the handgun at his daughter. Peters was charged with second-degree murder. Jurors acquitted Peters on the murder charge during a weeklong trial last month. They weren’t persuaded that Peters was trying to scare his daughter by pointing the gun at her.

A judge this afternoon sentenced Peters to the high-end of the range. Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Michael Downes said the shooting was preventable. Peters failed to protect his daughter and ignored the risks of being drunk and handling a loaded gun around children.

Peters didn’t speak at today’s hearing. He plans to appeal his conviction, his attorney Karen Halverson said.