Oxygen's Snapped: Where are Peter Zeihen's killer in-laws now?

Peter Zeihen was brutally murdered by his revengeful in-laws over a dispute over the custody of his three-year-old daughter. JoAnn Peterson and Mel Goldberg, parents of Orinne Goldberg, Zeihen's estranged wife, plotted against him and made several attempts on his life. In 1991, Peter Zeihen was murdered, and his in-laws were the prime convicts in the case.

Every week, Oxygen's Snapped introduces the audience to a female felon who commits a heinous crime against a family member. The latest episode of Snapped brought to viewers the story of Peter Zeihen's murder.

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Who killed Peter?

It all began when Peter Zeihen's marriage to Orinne Goldberg, whom he met at a marathon, started failing. The couple dated and soon started a life together. They had a daughter, but soon their marriage started to falter and they separated. Orinne took their daughter and moved in with her parents, Mel Goldberg and JoAnn Peterson. Peter Zeihen would get to spend weekends with his daughter.

Things started getting worse when Zeihen filed for divorce. The prospect of him getting partial custody of the child was not appealing to his in-laws, Goldberg and Peterson. His mother-in-law was especially opposed to the idea.

To eradicate this minor inconvenience, Peter's in-laws decided to make several attempts to kill him. Zeihen was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun on the head on November 18, 1991, while he was sitting in his car outside his girlfriend's Spokane Valley apartment. He had a bulletproof vest on.

JoAnn Peterson, the matriarch of the family, had shot Zeihen with assistance from her husband, Mel. The weapon was supplied by Zeihen's brother-in-law, who later admitted to the crime. He claimed that he had been troubled for years about his parents' involvement in the murder, and had decided to come forward with it.

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Where are Peter Zeihen's killers now?

JoAnn and Mel were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to prison. According to Washington law, the crime carried either capital punishment or prison without parole. The murderers were served with the latter.

The brother-in-law, Theil Goldberg, was given a shorter sentence since he had cooperated with investigators. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Orinne Goldberg was not charged with anything in the case.

Mel Goldberg was 70 when he was sentenced in 2000, and he expressed no remorse for his crime. Later, he made an appeal to the Supreme Court to have his sentence reduced to 27 years. In 2009, he sought clemency under the claims that he was reformed and in poor health, but his request was denied.

After spending nearly two decades in prison, 89-year-old man Mel Goldberg died at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. He was tested for COVID-19 but his reports were negative, which ruled out COVID as the cause of death.

JoAnn Peterson was incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor. She was the prime culprit who fired the shot and was sentenced to 26 years behind bars. However, before she could complete her term, Peterson died in prison only two months after her ex-husband’s death.

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Catch Oxygen's Snapped to learn more about the gruesome murder of Peter Zeihen.