Overview

• The 16-year-old, Lincoln Peterson, was sentenced in mid-August to probation after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the December 28, 2024 shooting of his father.
• District Judge Tierra Jones rejected prosecutors’ request for a 6–15 year prison term, noting extensive support for Peterson from loved ones in court.
• Probation is set to run through age 21 and includes counseling, a requirement to earn a high school diploma or equivalent, password access for electronics and social media, a curfew, and sobriety conditions.
• A suspended prison term of up to 15 years remains in place if Peterson violates any probation conditions, according to court reports.
• Court records say the shooting followed the confiscation of electronics, a belt strike by his mother, and the teen firing a handgun while fleeing, with prosecutors also highlighting prior troubling behavior.