Donna Peterson, 43
WI, Lac du Flambeau, Vilas Co.
August 7, 2004
Donna's murder has left her 2 adult Sons without their Mother in their lives
Donna was beaten to death by her boyfriend, John Scherer, 39, in the home that they shared. John claims they were arguing about his drinking and ending their relationship when he attacked Donna. He pushed Donna backwards into a dresser, kicked her in the chest and stomach, and dropped both of his knees down onto her torso. Donna had significant head injuries, thirteen fractured ribs, and severe internal injuries.
After killing Donna, John took a drive to think about what he had just done. When he returned, he wrapped Donna’s body in a sleeping bag and placed it under two mattresses and two box springs in the basement. John left Donna’s body there for ten days.
Neighbors had witnessed John’s violence toward Donna. Donna had filed a police report stating that John had injured her, which she later recanted. John was also involved in a number of allegations of domestic abuse – covering four states and spanning over twenty years, though he was only convicted once. John was married twice and domestic violence was cited as the reason for divorce in at least one of these relationships.
In 2004, Donna’s son was in an altercation with John while trying to intervene in a fight between John and Donna. In this incident, Donna’s son was arrested, convicted and ordered to attend domestic abuse/battery counseling. John was not.
John Scherer was charged with First Degree Intentional Homicide and Hiding a Corpse and found guilty by a jury. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the year 2030.
Source:
WCADV.org - Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence - Homicide Reports - 2004 DV Homicide Report
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