KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) - A 58-year-old Nebraska man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he killed his former wife and his former divorce attorney.
Michael Petersen, of Glenvil, entered a plea Tuesday in Hall County District Court, The Grand Island Independent said (https://bit.ly/1dMDnXZ ).
He’s charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon in the slaying of 52-year-old Todd Elsbernd, who was shot in the back with a rifle on Nov. 13 outside his Grand Island law office.
Last week Petersen pleaded not guilty to the same charges in Buffalo County. He’s accused of shooting his former wife, Nancy Petersen, on the same day Elsbernd was slain. Nancy Petersen was found dead outside her rural Buffalo County home.
Elsbernd represented Michael Petersen in the couple’s divorce, finalized in 2005. Hall County Attorney Mark Young has said Michael Petersen and Elsbernd had been wrangling over attorney fees, and Petersen tried to sue Elsbernd in 2009. The case was dismissed because the statute of limitations had lapsed.
Michael Petersen remains in Hall County Jail, awaiting the May trial.
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Information from: The Grand Island Independent, https://www.theindependent.com
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