This is a follow-up to a July 15 Sedona Red Rock News article on the Sedona Police Department taking another look into a 1993 death.  

Sgt. Michael Dominguez, of the Sedona Police Department, is attempting to put the pieces of a three-decade old puzzle together using little more than a 400-page document, attempting to bring some closure to the family of the deceased.

On July 9, 1993, Sedona police responded to a home on Coffee Pot Drive following a report of a death. There, they found the body of 32-year-old Stephanie Marie Wasilishin. With her in the house at the time of the incident was her live-in boyfriend, 31-year-old Russell Peterson, and two children — a 4-year-old the couple had together and a 10-year-old from Wasilishin’s prior relationship.

According to an article in the Sedona Red Rock News just days after the incident in 1993, police received a 911 call from Peterson at 1:40 a.m. Then- Police Chief Bob Irish said a domestic violence alter­cation between Wasilishin and Peterson had occurred around 1:15 a.m. Peterson reportedly told police that Wasilishin fired one shot at him and then went into the master bedroom. Peterson reportedly followed her and a struggle ensued for the gun. The gun went off again, striking Wasilishin in the neck, Irish said at the time.

While the medical examiner at the time ruled the incident a homicide, no arrests were made and none have been made since.

Dominguez said he went into the reopening of the case with an unbiased mind, but in reviewing the report more than once feels that something happened that night that is not listed in the documents. But exactly what that may be is not so clear.

The 1993 medical examiner’s report states that in discussion with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, Wasilishin was right-hand dominant but that gunpowder residue from a .44 Magnum revolver was found on both sides of her left hand.

“The character of the wound is such that it is a contact wound [next to the skin] and the presence of gun powder residue on the left hand is more consistent with deposition in a defensive posture than with any self-inflicted injury whether intentional or otherwise,” the original report states. “It remains the opinion of the pathologist that the manner of death is homicide.”

The entry wound was on the left side of Wasilishin’s neck, near her jugular vein, with the exit on the right rear side of her neck.

“If you’re solely focused that this was a right-handed individual and they only could have used their right hand, which to me is not practical, then having that trajectory would have been difficult,” Dominguez said. “Is it impossible? No. However, if you take that pistol and put it in the person’s left hand, and you move the gun up, it’s exactly at that location [of the entry wound].

“The family has over-focused on the fact that she was right handed and that she could have only done this with her right hand.”

Dominguez said one has to take the theory that Wasilishin could have only used her dominant hand to shoot herself “with a grain of salt.” He used himself as an example being right-hand dominant but over half of what he does in everyday life is with his left hand. In most cases, there is a contact wound on those who commit suicide with a gun, Dominguez said. In homicides, the gun is not normally pressed up against the victim.

“That’s a statistic — not an absolute,” Dominguez added.

Last week, Dominguez met with Yavapai County Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Nine to review the case. He showed him the 1993 report and autopsy photos.

“He told me that based on what he had in front of him, he was not able to make an assessment in terms of manner, ‘manner’ being suicide or homicide or unknown,” Dominguez said. “I think that was a fair assessment and I trust Dr. Nine because he’s been doing autopsies for a very long time.

“This doesn’t change anything for me. My direction from the beginning was to take the information I had to make a determination of ‘can I show that a crime occurred or not?’ Based on what I’m seeing right now, I cannot see a crime here for me to be able to say there’s probable cause.”

Dominguez’ next step is to go to Phoenix and hope that Peterson will be willing to discuss what happened that night 27 years ago.

At the time of the incident, police interviewed Peterson on three separate occasions within a week’s time. Dominguez said what’s known is that two shots were fired that night. Peterson claimed that Wasilishin went into the bedroom, retrieved the gun, and fired a shot at him while he was sitting on the couch.

Dominguez said they have only Peterson’s account to go by so there’s no way to determine who fired that first shot in the living room, which was later recovered from a wall. The report states that Peterson said Wasilishin then went back into the bedroom and he followed her and then she shot herself.

“When you do multiple interviews with someone, you expect variations,” Dominguez said. “I’m more suspicious when someone has the exact same story three different times because to me, that’s a rehearsal. Variation is human nature because we all forget things, especially if we’re traumatized.”

The initial police report states that Peterson began performing CPR while on the phone with a 911 operator when police and emergency personnel arrived. Wasilishin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Peterson reported to police that the two had been drinking and arguing. Wasilishin’s blood alcohol content was listed at 0.17%, which, to put into perspective, is currently twice the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.

“His story changed a few times, content wise,” between the three interviews, Dominguez said.

Peterson’s changes were specifically on whether or not there was a struggle between the two in the bedroom and if he attempted to take the gun away from Wasilishin.

Once the initial police department’s investigation was complete, it was sent to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office for review to see whether or not an arrest should be made. The YCAO’s report on Nov. 9, 1993, stated that while they acknowledge the inconsistencies in Peterson’s account, there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute.

“Can we prove that it’s a homicide? Right now I can’t say that we can prove that,” Dominguez said. “From a legal sense, it’s ‘what can I prove?’ That’s where I’m at right now.”

In the meantime, Dominguez said he will provide the evidence he has to the county attorney for review and opinion before the possibility of making any kind of formal request to pursue the case.

“I won’t have a decision until I can prove it to myself, because I’m the one who has to say there’s probable cause,” Dominguez said. “I don’t have that. There’s too many inconsistencies. Short of a confession, I’m not sending this for prosecution.”