Support the Timberjay by making a donation.

Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Peterson pleads not guilty in Boshey hit-and-run death

David Colburn
Posted 1/24/25

REGIONAL- Eric Scott Peterson, 50, Virginia, was formally arraigned in federal court on Tuesday on two charges of involuntary manslaughter after allegedly causing the death of Amanda Boshey in a …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Peterson pleads not guilty in Boshey hit-and-run death

Posted

REGIONAL- Eric Scott Peterson, 50, Virginia, was formally arraigned in federal court on Tuesday on two charges of involuntary manslaughter after allegedly causing the death of Amanda Boshey in a hit-and-run accident on the Bois Forte Reservation on Dec. 17.

Peterson was present with his attorney in a Duluth federal courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Judge Leo Brisbois set a tentative trial date of March 31. Pretrial motions could cause the trial to be rescheduled to a later date.

The charges differ slightly in their underlying rationale. The first charge of involuntary manslaughter zeroes in on the allegation that Peterson unlawfully killed Boshey while committing the unlawful act of driving under the influence of alcohol. The second charge does not mention alcohol, but focuses on Peterson driving without due caution, also noting that he failed to stop at the scene.

History
According to court documents, on Dec. 17, the St. Louis County 911 Center received several calls regarding an apparently intoxicated woman walking on Tibbets Trail near the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino. Officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered Boshey lying motionless and cold in the snow. She was transported from the scene and pronounced dead.

Vehicle debris at the scene included pieces from a dark blue vehicle and pieces of plastic that appeared to be headlights or turn signals. Given this information and the location of the accident, law enforcement worked with Fortune Bay employees to review surveillance footage that identified a dark blue Dodge Durango departing the casino. Footage from cameras at the Y-Store showed that the Durango had a damaged headlight that was not damaged on the casino footage.

Peterson was determined to be the registered owner of the vehicle. A search warrant was executed at his Virginia residence, where a blue Dodge Durango was found in the driveway with damage consistent with the debris collected from the accident scene. A breath test conducted approximately seven-and-a-half hours after the incident showed Peterson’s blood alcohol content to be 0.048 at that time.

A charge of involuntary manslaughter was originally filed on Dec. 20. Peterson was indicted on the dual charges on Jan. 8.