NORWICH – In a decision rendered Thursday morning by the State of New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, the second degree murder conviction of Peter M. Wlasiuk was overturned. According to the court’s decision, Wlasiuk is now entitled to a new trial.

Wlasiuk was convicted in Chenango County Court in 2002 for the murder of his wife, Patricia. The jury took three hours and 23 minutes to deliberate Wlasiuk’s role in the events of April 3, 2002 in which his 1998 GMC truck plunged into the freezing water of Guilford Lake with his wife Patricia somewhere inside. Wlasiuk had told originally told authorities the couple had swerved to miss a deer and cascaded down the embankment into the water. Later, his story changed: Patricia had been suicidal, he claimed, and she drove the car into the lake.

Following his conviction, Wlasiuk was sentenced to 25 years to life and has since been working on his appeal.

Thursday’s 10-page decision listed a number errors the court felt were made by County Judge W. Howard Sullivan and District Attorney Joseph McBride which may have affected the outcome of Wlasiuk’s trial.