110 years in jail

POLSON – District Court Judge C.B. McNeil sentenced Ronald Lon Petersen to 110 years in Montana State Prison without parole on Monday for the shooting death of a 24-year-old Ferndale man on New Year’s Eve 2007.

Emotions ran high as the Lake County district courtroom was filled with teary eyes and sniffling noses for the sentencing hearing of the 20-year-old Bigfork killer who murdered Clyde “Colin” Wilson nearly 15 months ago.

Lake County prosecutor Mitch Young called Wilson’s brother and mother to testify at the hearing. Dianne Wilson played a 24-minute memorial DVD of Colin, including pictures set to music spanning each year of the victim’s life. The victim’s mother said it was important for the killer to watch the DVD in order to show what he had taken from the family.

As family photos and songs such as “Free Bird” played on the DVD, the only person present in the courtroom who did not appear to show any emotion was Petersen — who only broke stare with the TV monitor once to temporarily avert his eyes.

“You shot him in the head, watched his body shake, and then you shot him in the heart,” Dianne Wilson said. “I want you to know that when you did that you left a hole in all of our hearts.”

Colin’s brother Erik took the stand after his mother, calling the murder a “heinous act committed in the most cowardly way possible.”

The brother asked that this act be recognized for what it was — the execution of a father of four.

When given the opportunity to speak, the killer stood, turned and faced the victim’s family sitting in the first row and claimed that he killed their son because Colin was a “child molester.”

“I take no joy in your pain, but better yours than that of an innocent child’s family,” Petersen said. “You have no reason to feel compassion for me, but your anger hurts no one but yourself.”

Lake County Sheriff’s detectives reported that the claim - which Petersen heard from another person second-hand - was investigated at the time of Petersen’s arrest and discovered by authorities to be erroneous and unfounded, making the killer’s crime that much more horrifying. According to investigators, Petersen and Wilson had never met.

Petersen was scheduled to enter into a jury trial facing murder charges on Feb. 2,  but pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide in Lake County on Jan. 2. Petersen’s plea agreement called for a joint recommendation of one hundred years in prison with no chance of parole, and Judge McNeil added a 10-year concurrent sentence for committing a felony with the use of a firearm.

When McNeil read aloud the judgment he stated that the murder was committed in a “senseless and cowardly manner.”

At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2007, Wilson was reportedly shot to death in his Meadow Creak Road cabin in Ferndale while his 20-year-old girlfriend and five-month-old infant child slept nearby in the residence. According to the girlfriend’s accounts, a masked male intruder entered through the back door, fired three shots, and fled through the back doorway.

According to a police affidavit, investigators received a break in the case on Jan. 26, 2008 when the killer’s brother called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office with information that Petersen had killed Wilson, stating that he had shown him a handgun and told him it was used to kill someone in Ferndale.

According to the brother’s accounts in the affidavit, Petersen said he received the gun from a friend – Zachary Forkin – who loaned it to the shooter while he was staying at his Bigfork home during military leave. Forkin was arrested, questioned and released uncharged in the case in February of 2008.

The gun that Forkin confirmed to have loaned – despite days of search and rescue recovery efforts – was never found.

Petersen was arrested at Fort Bragg, Army Base in Fayetteville, N.C., where he was stationed with the U.S. Army, in January. According to the affidavit, Petersen described the shooting to investigators at the army base before being extradited back to Montana.

The victim’s mother described her son as the type of person who loved adventure and loved people, helping others whenever he could. Wilson was an avid fisherman, and — as his mother explained to the court — once saved a friend who had undergone seizures and fallen overboard on their boat while fishing.

“Colin loved life and he lived a lot in 23 years,” Dianne Wilson added. “So much has been taken.”

Wilson’s tragic death occurred the day after his 24th birthday.

Alex Strickland of the Bigfork Eagle contributed to this story.

Local agencies recognized by state for case

POLSON — After the sentencing of Ferndale shooter Ronald Petersen Monday morning, Lake County Commissioner Bill Barron headed a ceremony in the courthouse congratulating and thanking the seven agencies involved in the case investigation.

 Barron presented representatives of the local agencies with award plaques from Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s office that read “Award the men and women of Lake County and Flathead County for their selfless performance above and beyond the call of duty on behalf of Clyde Wilson.”

Bag pipes performer Carol Thompkins played “Amazing Grace” and “Taps” to open and close the ceremony.

“We are truly blessed here to have the family of support between agencies in both Lake and Flathead counties,” Commissioner Barron said.

Agencies involved in the case were: Lake County Sheriff’s and Communication Officers, the Lake County Attorney’s Office, Flathead Sheriff’s Office, Flathead County Dive Team, Mountain Rescue Team, Montana State Crime Lab and the Polson Police Department.