Alleged Ferndale murderer pleads not guilty to deliberate homicide

By JENNIFER MCBRIDE / for the Eagle

Alleged Ferndale murderer Ronald Petersen pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide during his Lake County District Court appearance Wednesday.

His attorney, Noel Larrivee, said Petersen, 19, would not sign an acknowledgment of rights to preserve the right to argue "mental health issues."

The acknowledgment of rights spells out in writing the constitutional protections of alleged criminals.

Petersen is accused of killing a Ferndale man, Clyde Wilson, with a gun loaned to Petersen by a friend. According to court documents, Wilson's girlfriend called 9-11 around 5:38 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 2007 to report that an intruder had shot her boyfriend three times.

Officers from the Lake County Sheriff's Department arrested Petersen in late January after receiving a call from Petersen's brother, who allegedly told police that Petersen had admitted murdering a Ferndale man while on military leave.

Officers reportedly searched the residence Petersen had been staying at and found a holster and a black ski mask. They have not yet recovered a gun Petersen is thought to have thrown off a bridge in Bigfork.

Petersen is currently being held without bond. At minimum, if convicted, he must serve 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty for deliberate homicide in Montana is the death penalty.