Peterson indicted on four felonies in connection with shooting death of Wasilla teen

PALMER — A Grand Jury indicted 19-year-old Damien Alexander Peterson of Anchorage Thursday on four felony counts related to the June, 2016 death of Wasilla teen Frank Woodford.

The indictment, filed in Palmer Superior Court, charged Peterson with second-degree murder, manslaughter, criminal negligent homicide and third-degree assault. Jurors allege that Peterson "...knowingly engaged in conduct that resulted in the death of Frank Woodford under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life."

The document also alleges Peterson "...recklessly placed Austin Barrett in fear of imminent serious physical injury by means of...a pistol."

Peterson, and Austin Barrett, who is currently jailed on murder charges in the death of fellow Valley teen David Grunwald, were the only two people in the room when Woodford was shot at a Wasilla residence just after midnight on June 27. Both teens told police that Woodford had accidently shot himself with a 10 mm Glock pistol.

Alaska State Troopers (AST) responded to the scene to find Woodford on the floor of a downstairs bedroom at the residence with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was still alive at the time police arrived and when asked, told troopers he did not shoot himself. When Woodford was told by medics on-scene his wound was fatal and police needed to know what happened, troopers stated Woodford reiterated that he did not shoot himself.

He was medi-vaced to Anchorage and later pronounced dead. An autopsy conducted following the shooting was inconclusive in determining if the fatal shot was self-inflicted.

Police closed the case ruling it an accidental shooting pending further leads. The case was reopened after the Nov. 13 kidnapping and murder of Grunwald.

Since then, troopers spoke with cooperating witnesses who alleged Peterson accidently shot Woodford. One of those witnesses, believed to be Barrett, also alleges that Peterson threatened to kill him if he told police what he knew.

The Grand Jury heard from 18 people, including Barrett, before rendering its indictment. Peterson remains jailed on a $500,000 cash bail. Online court records stipulate no further court dates have been scheduled.