Bio 

William Hamilton Little was born on October 25, 1960. Little lived in the Old Snake River Subdivision in Liberty County, Texas. Marilyn Peter also lived in the same subdivision. This made him familiar with the area where the crime happened.

Little had a criminal record before Marilyn Peter’s murder. During the punishment phase of his trial, prosecutors presented evidence of earlier convictions for involuntary manslaughter and assault. He had also been placed on probation, but he violated probation conditions and did not complete a required drug-rehabilitation placement.

Little also had a history of violence and threatening behavior. One woman testified that he attacked her while she was working as a motel desk clerk. He grabbed her, threw her down, dragged her toward stairs, choked her, and said, “I like to watch people die.”

Before the murder, Little was also connected to several burglary accusations. Witnesses described him as someone with a bad reputation for being peaceful and law-abiding. Alcohol and drug use were also part of his life, and witnesses saw him drinking and using marijuana on the night before Marilyn Peter was killed.

By December 1983, Little was 23 years old and already had a record involving violence, drug use, and criminal behavior. His known capital murder case centers on the killing of Marilyn Peter inside her home in Liberty County, Texas.

Murder Story

On the morning of December 3, 1983, Michael John Rammel and Pat Faulkner went to Marilyn Peter’s home in Liberty County, Texas, to install a clothes dryer. After finishing the work, Rammel went to the front door and saw blood on the doorjamb. Rammel knocked and entered the home after hearing a baby crying. Inside, he found Marilyn Peter’s young son crying on top of the kitchen counter. The child was not physically harmed, but there was blood throughout the kitchen and living room.

Marilyn Peter’s body was found in the living room. She had been stabbed many times across different parts of her body. The scene showed signs of a violent struggle. A broken high chair, blood throughout the house, and injuries on Peter’s body showed that she had fought during the attack. The autopsy found that Peter died from five stab wounds to the chest. She had also been choked and had other cuts, wounds, and bruises. A mark on her neck may have been caused by contact with the high chair during the struggle.

William Hamilton Little was arrested early on December 6, 1983, on an unrelated charge. During questioning, he gave a written statement. In that statement, he admitted that he went to Marilyn Peter’s home, had sex with her, and killed her with a butcher knife from inside the apartment. Little claimed the sex was consensual and said he killed Peter only after she attacked him with the knife. He said he took the knife from her and stabbed her while trying to keep her away. He also said he threw the knife off a bridge into the water while walking home.

The prosecution argued that Little raped and murdered Peter. Physical evidence connected him to the crime scene. Police found blood-stained jeans and towels at his home, and a bloody handprint inside Peter’s residence was matched to him. Witness testimony also placed him in the area around the time of the murder. At trial, evidence showed that Little had been drinking beer and smoking marijuana the night before the murder. A witness said Little was carrying a knife, trying to start fights, and making violent claims about having harmed people before.

Little was indicted for capital murder in February 1984 in Liberty County, Texas. He pleaded not guilty. On April 3, 1985, a jury found him guilty of capital murder. On April 5, 1985, after a separate punishment hearing, the jury answered the required sentencing questions in a way that resulted in a death sentence. Little appealed his conviction and death sentence. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the judgment on March 23, 1988, and denied rehearing on April 27, 1988. The United States Supreme Court refused review on October 31, 1988. Later state and federal appeals also failed.

William Hamilton Little was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas, on June 1, 1999. He was 38 years old. He declined to make a formal final statement. He was pronounced dead at 6:20 p.m.