Defense seeks dismissal of most charges against twins linked to deadly Fillmore County crash

PRESTON, Minn. (KTTC) – There are new developments in Fillmore County involving twin sisters who face multiple charges in a fatal accident involving an Amish buggy.

The defense attorney for one of the twins wants 18 of the 21 charges against Samantha Petersen dropped.

Petersen is charged with multiple counts of criminal vehicular homicide while under the influence of the September 25, 2023 crash that claimed the lives of Amish children, Wilma and Irma Miller.

The girls, ages 7 and 11, were on their way to school that morning on Fillmore County Road 1, north of Spring Valley. Two other Miller children were injured when their stroller was hit.

Authorities initially reported that the driver of the attacking vehicle was Sarah Petersen, Samantha’s identical twin. However, according to court records, investigators later determined that Sarah was covering for Samantha, who was reportedly high on drugs when the accident happened. Both sisters were at the scene when authorities arrived.

Samantha’s attorney, Carson Heefer, is contesting several areas of probable cause. They include the search warrant used by investigators to collect a blood sample from Samantha on the night of September 26, 2023 – 37 hours after the time of the accident. Heefner also wants the court to disregard the audio recording between Samantha and Sarah that was made the morning of the accident while the two were in a Fillmore County sheriff’s vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, the sisters admitted to switching roles and intentional deception in that recording. Heefer said the Petersens did not know a recording was taking place and therefore did not consent to it.

Defendant Facts and Omnibus Memorandum filed 10/19/2024(KTTC)

In his 22-page lawsuit, dated October 19, 2024, Heefer argued that the prosecution has no evidence to indicate that Samantha was high at the time of the accident: “The answer is an unequivocal no.” He said Samantha never admitted to getting high while driving. He added that she admitted to her work manager that she was high 90 minutes after the accident while speaking to her manager on the phone about the incident. This alleged conversation is included in the criminal complaint.

According to Heefner, there is no way to determine whether Samantha was under the influence of anything at the time of the accident, as no samples were collected at the scene.

The three charges against Samantha that were not contested include speeding, careless driving and failure to provide proof of insurance – all misdemeanor offenses.

Samantha’s next court date is pending, as is Sarah’s. The sisters have separate affairs.

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