A former biotech executive has been found guilty in the shootings of his ex-business partner and his brother-in-law in La Jolla.
Hans Petersen, 50, was convicted of two attempted first degree murder counts Wednesday. A jury determined he tried to kill his estranged wife’s brother, Ronald Fletcher, and old partner Steven Dowdy.
"We're ecstatic," said Dowdy. "This'll be the first night we've slept in a year and a half. We couldn't be more happy with the outcome of this."
According to prosecutors, Petersen stood outside Dowdy’s home on Waverly Avenue in Bird Rock in the early morning of Sept. 18, 2013, pointing a gun through the bedroom window.
Dowdy testified that he saw a hooded man outside his home, and when the man opened fire, he said he threw framed photos out the window to distract the shooter and keep him from getting inside.
But one round hit Dowdy’s lower back. The victim’s wife, who was in the room, was not injured. According to Dowdy, Petersen blamed him when he lost his job and the shooting was retribution.
Four hours later, Petersen broke into Fletcher’s home on Cottontail Lane. The defendant’s wife Bonnie told NBC 7 her brother had been protecting her as she began divorcing Petersen.
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Fletcher said he was getting ready in the bathroom when he heard a man demand he open the door and his safe. The man said he would count to three, but before he reached the end, Fletcher said bullets started flying.
The victim was hit in the stomach, but he managed to grab the gun from Petersen and hold him there until police arrived.
The defense never disputed that Petersen carried out the double shooting. They argued that the defendant was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs at the time.
"He truly believes that he does not have any memory of what took place," said defense attorney Marc Carlos. "We believe that the medication actually played a significant role in his conduct that evening."
Deputy District Attorney Amy Maund said the evidence showed Petersen had minimal amounts of medication in his system on that morning.
For his part, Petersen is having a hard time facing the mandatory life sentences that come with his conviction, said Carlos, because he has never been in trouble before.
But Dowdy told NBC 7 the damage Petersen has done to his family — making them wake up frantic at every bump in the night for the last year and a half — is irreparable and a life sentence is deserved.
"He's already taken so much time from our lives and from our family's lives that we don't want to waste another minute thinking about him," the victim said. "So he will rot in jail for the rest of his life and we don't care what happens to him. It's all his doing."
