Word: petersons
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Peterson stopped near a park, lowered the seat back and initiated sex. During intercourse, another personality, that of a six-year-old known as Emily, suddenly intruded. Peterson told Jennifer to tell Emily to keep their activities "a secret." Instead, Franny and Emily "told" Sarah, the predominant personality. Sarah subsequently phoned the police to report that she had been sexually assaulted...
...main issues before the Wisconsin court are whether Sarah was mentally ill at the time of the sexual act, and whether she was able to appraise Peterson's conduct. A third issue is whether Peterson knew of Sarah's condition; it is a crime in Wisconsin to engage in sexual intercourse with a person you believe to be mentally ill and who cannot assess your conduct...
Therein lies the core of Peterson's defense. "I'm not convinced that ((Sarah's)) mentally ill or deficient," says his lawyer, Edward Salzsieder. As to the issue of consent, he argues, "If she appears to be perfectly normal and we have sexual contact between consenting adults, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it." Salzsieder maintains that the defendant had no idea that Sarah was mentally ill. At the time of his arrest, though, Peterson admitted to the police that he knew Sarah had several personalities and said that young Emily was "peeking" during their sexual activities...
Winnebago County district attorney Joe Paulus believes he can demonstrate that Sarah was mentally ill and therefore victimized. Peterson, he charges, "learned about her disease, then called upon the personality that most wanted to have sex. He even told the manipulative personality ((Jennifer)) to keep it their little secret...
...Frank Putnam of the Maryland-based National Institute of Mental Health counters that people with the disorder are no less honest than anyone else. But, he warns, "they may have trouble with memory of some facts, since amnesia is one of the complications of this condition." Peterson's trial, however, is one that no one else is likely to forget...