The Twin Sister Actually Driving In Deadly Amish Crash…Will Now Plead Guilty Too
Sarah Beth Petersen was the sister who tried to take the fall for the car-buggy crash which killed two Amish girls in Fillmore County, Minnesota.
She pleaded guilty in February and was later sentenced to three months in jail.
Now the sister who was actually driving, Samantha Petersen, has decided to plead guilty as well, forgoing a trial which had been scheduled to begin in July. From ABC 6:
(ABC 6 News) – A woman accused of killing two children in a 2023 Amish buggy crash will enter a guilty plea by the end of the month, according to new court documents.
Samantha Jo Petersen, currently living in Wabasha, faces multiple counts of criminal vehicular homicide after allegedly killing two children in an intoxicated crash on County Road 1, Spring Valley.
Fillmore County attorney Brett Corson confirmed that a judicial directive filed June 5 ordered Samantha Petersen and her attorney to file a signed Rule 15 plea agreement with the court as soon as possible — but no later than June 25.
A plea hearing was scheduled for 3:15 p.m. July 11.
While four charges related to THC use were dismissed, Samantha Petersen still faces 17 charges: “six counts of criminal vehicular homicide, six counts of criminal vehicular operation, two counts of DWI, and counts of no proof of insurance, careless driving and speeding.”
As for sentencing:
Attorney Carson Heefner, representing Petersen, requested that the defendant’s sentencing be scheduled in September to account for a medical procedure.
Corson, prosecuting the case, requested that the sentencing be scheduled no later than Aug. 30 — or if Petersen continues to claim she could not be sentenced sooner, he asked the court to communicate directly with Petersen’s doctors.
“The request for verification is needed since this is believed to be routine surgery with short recovery period, since past cases have shown that defendant may not always give accurate information, and since this case has its origins in the defendant’s alleged deception and trickery associated with tragic vehicle crash,” Corson said in a filing.
Other Petersen Twin To Plead Guilty
Forgive my negativity here, but why do I get the feeling the judge in this case will sentence Samantha Jo Petersen as lightly as he did her twin, Sara Beth Petersen?? It’s especially irritating/disappointing as MN is my native state. Guess I had no idea how lenient judges can be on child killers. Of course, had she been kept in jail much longer due to another court matter, the little Miller girls might still be alive. Shame on the Justice System in MN!!!