Grisham's Folly
The Truth Behind "The Innocent Man" & Ada, Oklahoma
About Bill Peterson:
Bill & Dean Peterson
My name is Bill Peterson. Thank you for coming to this website and giving me the opportunity to tell you a little about myself, and Mr. Grisham and his novel. I was born in 1943 and have lived most of my life in Ada, Oklahoma. My father was a doctor, my mother a housewife and I have 2 sisters and a brother (deceased). I am an avid sports fan (especially football and basketball) and I attend all the Ada High School and University of Oklahoma games that I can.
I graduated from Ada High School, went to college then volunteered for the Air Force. After receiving an honorable discharge as an E-4, I moved with my wife Dean to Norman, Oklahoma where I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1971 then finished law school at Oklahoma City University in 1975. While attending the University of Oklahoma we had two children and are now the proud grandparents of four.
I was in the private practice of law until becoming an Assistant District Attorney in 1979 then District Attorney in 1980 and have held that office for the last 27 years. During those years my office has filed thousands of cases and I have personally tried a large number of jury trials from misdemeanor D.U.I. cases to murder cases. I have represented the State of Oklahoma in criminal cases across the state at the request of the Attorney General when other District Attorneys have recused from cases.
I now have a staff of 35: 7 Assistant District Attorneys and 28 support staff. I take great pride in the fact that these attorneys, with the exception of the replacement for one who was recently elected to a judgeship and a part time assistant, have been with me over 20 years and many of the support staff equally as long. I was named Outstanding District Attorney in 1990, started the first rural Victim Witness Center, helped start the first rural Drug Court in Oklahoma and participated in development of a new Domestic Violence Court. I am a supporter of the internship programs at all three law schools in Oklahoma and furnish a position for at least one intern a year in one of my three counties. This program helps 2nd year law students get hands-on experience in the courtroom before going out to begin the practice of law. One of my Assistant District Attorneys, Chris L. Ross, was awarded Oklahoma Prosecutor of the year in 2004 for, among other things, outstanding work in the courtroom and has been an instructor for prosecutors across the country through the National District Attorney Association and other prosecution associations.
I am a long time member of the Masons, Shriners and I am a Lay
Reader in my church here in Ada. My Professional memberships include
the Oklahoma Bar Association, Pontotoc Bar Association and
the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association.
Again I appreciate your interest and hope after reading
this website in its entirety, you will have a better understanding
of what really happened in the investigation in 1982 into the
death of Debbie Carter by the police, hearings and trials that
followed and see the bias, spin, and intentional "mistakes" of Mr.
Grisham.
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The Innocent Man John Grisham Bill Peterson District Attorney D.A.
DA Ada Oklahoma Dreams of Ada Fritz Williamson
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