OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) – Disturbing details emerged about the CEO and founder of the Oxford Center in Troy at her arraignment Tuesday for a hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed a 5-year-old boy. 

Tamela Peterson is charged with second-degree murder in the was given a $2 million bond after being described as flight risk with reported incidents of interfering with the investigation. 

The backstory:

Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Chris Kessel rattled off a list of troubling accusations against Peterson, 58, of Brighton, starting with the fear witnesses have shared about her.

“Judge I would note there are witnesses in this case who have indicated that this defendant has bullied, threatened, harassed, humiliated and filed lawsuits against people who, for lack of a better phrase, stand in the way of whatever it is she wants to do.”

Peterson, 58, is one of three suspects charged in the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper who died in the blast, which severely injured his mother on Jan. 31 at the Troy center.

Kessel was concerned about Peterson being a flight risk, due to her having plenty of cash on hand from her business – offering non-traditional health treatments like the chamber for Cooper’s sleep apnea that were not covered by insurance. 

Peterson has a China Visa, and recently purchased an amount of uncirculated Iraqi currency, he said, adding she has ties to people out of the state and country.

“She has shown time after time that she has no problem trying to impeded the investigation into her,” Kessel said. “There is no better way to impede an investigation than by not being here.”

‘(Her) history troubles me’

Among the claims made about Peterson’s interference into the case:

• Peterson allegedly ‘wiped her laptop’ to dispose of potential evidence.
• Peterson is accused of overseeing the tampering of the hyperbaric chamber to “turn back” the number of cycles it had been used for.
• Peterson allegedly lied to investigators to prevent access to video of chamber’s explosion in the case.
• Peterson allegedly ran from detectives when they asked for her to hand over her phone.

Magistrate Elizabeth Chiappelli said she was troubled at the accusations of disregarding safety protocols and called into question Peterson’s alleged lack of cooperation in the investigation.

“I heard there was inappropriate use of still photographs taken from the (Closed Circuit Television) of this incident,” Chiappelli said. “The history of Miss Peterson troubles me as far as impeding investigations.”

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The other side:

Defense attorney Gerard Gleeson said Peterson voluntarily turned over her passport preemptively and said had the Troy police contacted them ahead of time, they would have appeared in court without her arrest being required.

“All they had to do was call me and we would be standing here voluntarily,” he said. “Instead, we’re handcuffed in box being recorded by the media.”

Gleeson said the reason for the China Visa was that Peterson’s son got married to a Chinese immigrant in China and that it is dated August of 2024, well before the recent incidents.

He also denied her interference in the investigation.

“With these (claims) about threatening people and wiping (evidence), we would see an obstruction of justice charge,” he said. “If that had occurred we would see a call for obstruction of justice – and we don’t have it.”

The magistrate said safety protocols could have saved Thomas Cooper’s life, adding that a grounding line (to reduce the static electricity risk) was not used, as well as talking about the altering of the hyperbaric chamber itself.

“Had a tally for the number of cycles for the chamber not been altered – it read less than it did in 2022 – this child would be alive today,” she said. “If this is how this operation is being run, I’m so relieved this hasn’t happened before.

“But I’m horrified for the family and I’m not going to call it tragic, I think this was foreseeable, a tragedy is not.”

The Source: Information for this story came from the charging press conference from the Michigan attorney general and the Oakland County court arraignment.

Crime and Public SafetyTroyOakland County