VAN WERT — An attorney for a man facing the death penalty over the slaying of a 15-month-old boy said Monday they will not be using an insanity defense.
A pretrial was held for Christopher Peters in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court to go over many pending matters and motions. Peters’ attorney, Bill Kluge, also was asked if Peters could assist in his defense to which Kluge said Peters had an 11th grade education and was active in talking with the defense team.
“I don’t anticipate there will be any problem with Mr. Peters working with us,” Kluge said. “He self-educated himself quite a bit.”
Kluge also told Judge Martin Burchfield it was early in the case and he is still preparing and going over evidence, when the judge asked if he would be filing an alibi.
Burchfield said he wants to have a pool of 400 names to pick a jury and four alternates.
Peters, 27, is charged with aggravated murder with a death penalty specification in the killing of Hayden Ivan Ridinger on Nov. 15. Ridinger was found unresponsive in an apartment at 23239 Lincoln Highway by his mother. Peters was not at the apartment when authorities arrived. He was arrested in the days that followed in another county.
Peters is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 18. His next pretrial is May 8.
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