6. The Final Interview

 

It was three weeks before my 11th birthday, when my mother, Stacy Wasilishin, was killed. For weeks now, I’ve taken you back to July of 1993 — to the night she died, the hours after, and the painful days that followed. In this episode, we reach a turning point: the final interview Russell Peterson ever gave to police about my mother’s death.

On September 3, 1993, detectives sat down with Russell for over 30 minutes. This was his fourth version of events, and by then his story had completely changed. He claimed my mom pulled his .44 Magnum from a closet shelf, stood eight feet away, and said, “Russell, I’m going to kill you.” He rambled about his career plans, expensive knives, and culinary dreams — but avoided talking about her, or the fact that her two young daughters were in the house that night.

When pressed with the forensic evidence — that she couldn’t have fired the gun at that angle and that she was in a defensive posture — Russell admitted, “I can’t explain it.” He explained away my little sister’s words, “Papi killed Mommy,” saying she must have misunderstood when she saw him moving the gun. The detectives called him out directly: “Every time we talk to you, your story changes.” His response? He asked to leave. It was Friday, and he said he had to get to work. They let him walk out.

That was the last time Russell Peterson ever spoke to police. Weeks later, he  dropped off his July phone bill — evidence that revealed a 1:36 a.m. call giving him at least three minutes to stage the scene before dialing 911. Investigators never subpoenaed that phone record, never followed up on the call, and by November 1993, the county attorney declared “insufficient evidence to prosecute.” Soon after, the Sedona Police Department even canceled further tests on the murder weapon.

And just like that, the investigation into my mother’s death was over.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Next episode I’ll share one of the most devastating moments of my life — the first time I was finally alone with my little sister after our mother’s death. In the squad car, she told me “Papi killed Mommy.” She told the detectives, our foster family, and every adult who would listen. But one year later, on a long‑awaited Disneyland trip, those words were gone. Replaced with a version I never expected: “Mommy killed herself.” What happened in that year? How did her story change so drastically — and why?

This podcast is completely independent. It’s just me, no production team, no corporate backing — working full‑time while pouring every spare hour into telling my mother’s story. If you’d like to help me bring her case to more people, especially as I prepare for CrimeCon this September, please consider donating to the GoFundMe linked below:
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