Benjamin Ashford|Estranged husband arrested in death of his wife 31 years ago in Vermont

HYDE PARK,Benjamin Ashford Vt. (AP) — A Vermont man has been arrested in the killing of his estranged wife 31 years ago, state police said.

Carroll Peters, 70, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Friday in the death of Cheryl Peters in September 1993 and was being held without bail. He was arrested Thursday and is accused of shooting her in the head at her Morrisville home, police said. The body of the 42-year-old woman, a lab technician at Copley Hospital, was found in the house on Sept. 2, 1993.

Lamoille County state’s attorney Aliena Gerhard said in an interview that there’s no new evidence in the case.

Vermont State Police hired two cold case specialists. One of them has been working on the case for the last six years and brought it to the attention of the county prosecutor’s office a few years ago, Gerhard said.

“I want to take this forward, I want to find justice for this family and for our community,” Gerhard said. “This violent crime tore this community apart.”

Cheryl Peters’ five children believed their stepfather killed her and in 1996 they sued to hold him accountable for her death. The estate sued Carroll Peters in civil court for sexual assault and battery, and wrongful death. The wrongful death claim was dismissed because it was filed after the two-year statute of limitations had expired.

The jury found that Carroll Peters assaulted his wife while she was unconscious after a night of drinking. The jury awarded her estate $125,000 in compensatory damages and $480,000 in punitive damages.

The Vermont Supreme Court later upheld the $605,000 civil judgment against Carroll Peters who admitted sexually assaulting his wife shortly before she was murdered.