An Inclusive Litany

12/21/92

Mark A. Peterson of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, thought the woman he had sex in his car with was named "Jennifer." It turns out that "Jennifer" was one of eighteen distinct personalities sharing the body of a former waitress identified in subsequent press accounts only as "Sarah." Another personality, a six-year-old girl named "Emily," happened to be "peeking" as Peterson and "Jennifer" made love. "Emily" told "Sarah," the so-called "host" personality, who became enraged and called the police.

At the ensuing rape trial, several of Sarah's personalities—each of whom were sworn in separately—testified against Peterson, including Emily, who demanded a teddy bear before she would agree to answer prosecutors' questions. Peterson was convicted of second degree assault and sentenced to up to ten years in prison. Sarah, the London Daily Telegraph reported, was so traumatized by the events that she subsequently developed twenty-eight new personalities.