California teen ID’d as suspect in teacher’s 1978 fatal stabbing

A teenager named Harry Nickerson, suspected of fatally stabbing teacher Diane Peterson at Branham High School in San Jose, California, in 1978, was identified after a relative revealed a confession made shortly after the murder. Nickerson, who died by suicide in 1993, had previously been a suspect, with some witnesses claiming he implicated himself; however, DNA efforts to confirm his involvement were unsuccessful. A recent statement from a relative provided unique knowledge of the crime, leading investigators to reconsider the long-unsolved case, with Peterson’s family expressing gratitude for the renewed efforts.