Authorities said Monday that a 61-year-old man has been accused in the killing of a 30-year-old man who was stabbed many times outside an apartment building in Maplewood on July 29 and passed away 11 days later.
On August 10, a day after St. Paul resident Richard Williams passed away from his wounds, Ramsey County prosecutors filed two charges of second-degree murder against Kevin Dwayne Peterson of Maplewood. According to court and prison records, a judge approved the prosecution’s request to seal the criminal complaint against Peterson and the arrest warrant up to his Saturday arrest.
Peterson appeared in court for the first time on the accusations on Monday. Judge Maria Mitchell ordered a $1 million bail for him, and he is still incarcerated.
The criminal complaint claims:
After receiving a complaint of a stabbing at 1:44 on July 29, police were sent to an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Larpenteur Avenue. Williams was discovered on the ground bleeding heavily from his chest. He said he was unable to breathe and was repeatedly becoming unconscious.
Until medical personnel transported him to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, officers applied pressure on his wounds and sealed a wound near his heart with a chest seal.
Officers questioned witnesses who said Williams and Peterson had engaged in physical conflict. According to a witness who spoke to police, the two men “had a disagreement,” and Peterson allegedly stabbed Williams six or seven times before riding off on a red motorbike with whiskey license plates, according to the complaint.
Although the event was not caught on the apartment complex’s CCTV system, a witness did record the verbal dispute that preceded the stabbing on their phone.
Williams was seen standing on the right side of the motorbike, while Peterson was seen standing on the left. In his right hand, Peterson had a knife with the blade outstretched. Williams flexed his arms, challenged Peterson to use his knife, and snatched a cigarette from the man’s lips. Williams was twice slashed by Peterson with the knife.
Williams briefly moved out of sight before coming back and “verbally berating” Peterson, according to the accusations. Williams’ jersey was tugged on by a bystander in an effort to separate him from Peterson. Williams said that he didn’t care and continued to go toward Peterson’s motorbike after a witness informed him that he was injured and bleeding.
The lawsuit said that Peterson had instructed Williams to get away from him.
Peterson was begged by a witness to leave. Williams threatened to strike Peterson as Peterson had the knife at his chest. Williams had blood on his left forearm. Williams saw Peterson cry to get away as he looked to swipe at him. The two guys exchanged angry yells.
According to the lawsuit, “Peterson shouted at (Williams) to leave him alone.
then turned to face the floor.
Officers discovered Peterson’s motorbike at his close-by apartment, which had blood on the handgrips and brake lever. He was detained.
Peterson admitted to the police during an interview that Williams had punched his nose and threatened to beat him up. According to him, he ordered Williams to stop striking him and to leave him alone. According to the accusations, Peterson said that Williams was “(expletive) with him” when he stabbed Williams with a knife. Police would never recover the pocket knife, according to Peterson, who claimed it had vanished.
Peterson was arrested on charges of felony second-degree assault and sent to the Ramsey County prison. In the absence of official accusations, he was freed.
According to Minnesota court records, Peterson was found guilty in 1996 of disorderly conduct, 2003 of breaking a protective order, 2009 of first-degree property damage, and 2011 and 2018 of driving under the influence.
