Teo Peter
Romanian musician killed in a traffic collision with a US Marine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Romanian musician killed in a traffic collision with a US Marine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Teofil Nelu Peter (11 April 1954 – 4 December 2004) was a Romanian rock musician and bass player for Compact.
Peter was born in Cluj-Napoca,[1] in Romania, in 1954. Compact was formed in Cluj-Napoca in 1977. Teo Peter had a brother.[2]
Peter was killed in a traffic collision at 04:30 on 4 December 2004 when 31-year-old U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Christopher Van Goethem serving as a Marine Security Guard at the U.S. embassy in Bucharest,[3] while driving his Ford Expedition, collided with a taxi carrying Peter. Van Goethem did not obey a traffic signal to stop, which resulted in the collision. Peter was buried on 7 December in Mănăştur Cemetery, in his native Cluj-Napoca.[4]
Although Van Goethem had admitted to drinking about three and a half beers over the course of the evening, tests of his blood returned negative for both alcohol and drugs,[5] and he fled to Germany[6] before charges could be filed in Romania. The Romanian government requested the American government lift his diplomatic immunity,[7] which it has refused to do. Van Goethem was later cleared by a court martial of both manslaughter and adultery while convicted for obstruction of justice and making false statements.[5]
Peter's death and Van Goethem's court martial were very controversial and led to protests from Romanians[8] in the United States.
In 2005, the U.S. Embassy announced the establishment of a memorial commemorating the life and work of Teo Peter.[9] The memorial is an annual professional visit program awarded to a distinguished Romanian cultural figure whose work addresses young people or helps to advance the careers of new artists and performers.
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