Jordan Peters appears in Waupaca County court, Feb. 5, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Attorneys put the finishing touches on trial preparations Monday for Jordan Peters, who is scheduled to stand trial Oct. 9 for allegedly killing his mother.
Peters, 20, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the Sept. 4, 2023, murder of Angela Zahn in Clintonville. He has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
In addition to the usual pre-trial motions, Judge Vicki Clussman lifted an order issued earlier this month which removed the case from public view for the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access website. No reason for the move was cited at the time, but in court Monday, the judge said there was a concern about potential viewers accessing information in the case. However, due to recent adjustments in the selection process, the online access was restored.
The trial is currently scheduled to last two weeks.
Because of the not guilty by reason of mental disease plea, a two-phase trial is planned. First, the jury will determine if Peters is guilty. If he’s convicted, the same jury will hear the second phase of the trial to determine if he should be held responsible for his actions due to a psychiatric condition. If the panel deems Peters could discern right from wrong, the conviction would stand and he would face a mandatory life prison term. If the jury decides he suffered from a mental disease, Peters would be committed to a secure psychiatric facility.
According to the criminal complaint, after Zahn was stabbed, she identified her attacker as Peters.
“He hates me,” she told police, the complaint states. Peters’ explanation to police cited their past history.
“During the interview when asked about what happened Jordan stated ‘I guess I got really angry and was thinking about the past and got to that breaking point and just stabbed her’. Officers asked Jordan why he had the knife with him today and Jordan stated ‘because I had plans to hurt (Zahn).’ Jordan went on to tell investigators that he had wanted to kill (Zahn) for the last year and had begun planning it over the last week,” the complaint states.
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