Peiper was convicted of war crimes committed in Belgium. He was imprisoned for almost 12 years. He was also accused of war crimes in Italy. However, Italian and German courts decided that there was not enough evidence. After his release from prison, Peiper worked for both Porsche and Volkswagen. He then moved to France. In France he translated books from English to German under the pseudonym Rainer Buschmann. Peiper was murdered in France in July 1976. He was shot by unknown people who then burned his house to the ground using Molotov cocktails.