Christopher Peterson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Christopher Peterson (born January 20, 1969 in Gary, Indiana, USA) is an American accused of being a serial killer and is also known as the "Shotgun Killer" & "Shotgun Peterson". He is now known as Obadyah Ben Yisrayl.

[edit] Victims

  • October 30, 1990: Insurance agent Lawrence Mills was shot to death in his car in front of the American Legion Post 66 in Griffith. No eyewitnesses.
  • October 30, 1990: Two and a half hours later, Rhonda L. Hammersley, who worked at a gas station in Cedar Lake, was shot in the parking lot. An eyewitness described the perpetrator as a young white man with long, stringy hair.
  • December 13, 1990: Harchand Singh Dhaliwal (54) was shot while working at a gas station. $327.55 was missing from the cash register.
  • December 15, 1990: Marie Meitzler was shot while working at a motel reception desk. $467 was stolen.
  • December 15, 1990: Six minutes later, Ora L. Wildermuth was shot in front of an automated teller machine.
  • December 15, 1990: One hour later, Robert S. Kotso was shot in a highway toll booth. He survived.
  • December 18, 1990: Brothers Eli and George Balovski were shot in an adjoining building to their tailor shop in the late afternoon. They were the last victims.

All were killed with a shotgun.

Peterson confessed to the crimes and was convicted despite eyewitnesses reports that the killer was white—Peterson is black. He was given two death sentences. He now maintains his innocence, claiming that he was forced into a false confession at the time, and is currently sitting on death row where he is considered one of many potentially wrongly convicted prisoners.

American death metal band Macabre have made song about him, titled "Shotgun Peterson" on their Sinister Slaughter album.