Defense: 'Reckless disregard for the truth' in West Duluth homicide investigation A key witness' account was unreliable and police omitted conflicting information when applying for a search warrant at James Michael Peterson's home, his defense attorney asserted. 5:48 pm, Dec. 10, 2020 × James Michael Peterson Police "polished the facts to create the luster of probable cause" in the investigation of the West Duluth shooting death of Timothy Jon Nelson, a defense attorney argued in a court filing this week. Public defender Matthew Benfield said a judge should allow an inquiry into the veracity of the search warrant that was authorized for James Michael Peterson's residence in September 2019.