HBO Max's latest true crime series, The Staircase, chronicles the lengthy saga of Michael Peterson, an author who was convicted of killing his wife, Kathleen, who died on the stairs in their Durham, N.C. home in December 2001. The True Story Behind Netflix's New Docuseries Bad Vegan, The Tinder Swindler True Story: Everything to Know About Netflix's New True Crime Documentary, Anna Delvey, German Con Artist Who Scammed N.Y.C. He was caustic and sarcastic and mean sometimes, Rudolf said. The political thriller Jeux dInfluence had two seasons released between 2018 and 2022 in the European streaming service Arte. Folks can sign up for HBO Max for a monthly rate of $14.99. The Staircase, starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette as Michael and Kathleen Peterson, explores the life of Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen at their sprawling North Carolina home after she died under suspicious circumstances in December 2001.. He had been living with his first wife, Patricia, (although divorced) for the past two years until her death from a heart attack, his son Clayton told North Carolina's News & Observer in 2021. Petersons wood-paneled office (which Aphrodite Jones describes as an imposing, ominous and intimidating space, saying It was understood that Michael Peterson didnt want people in there.) had a prominent role in the film and in a macabre foretelling was the site of a very bloody murder scene. Soon after Georges death in an overseas operation, in 1983, Elizabeth lost her life in circumstances so similar to Katherines death that her body was exhumed during Michaels trial in search of evidence of foul play. Likes science fiction, true crime, coming-of-age stories, teen dramas, and some other things as well. In 2003, the North Carolina medical examiner reexamined Ratliffs remains after they were exhumed in Texas. His guilty plea notwithstanding, Michael still asserts that he did not kill Kathleen Peterson. In 1983, George died from a military accident, and in 1985, Elizabeth was found dead at the foot of her staircase with head injuries. But since it's been some time since the 2001 alleged crime and initial trial in 2003, where is Michael Peterson now? Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? Michael opted out of the trial before it was due to begin in 2017. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Still estranged from her step-siblings, she currently lives with her husband and twin children in Virginia. Then I went and realized, no, I can't. She said: "My mother and Mike had an absolutely loving relationship and there is no way that either of them would ever wish any sort of harm on the other one.". The writer produced a memoir in 2009 called Behind the Staircase, and a sequel Beyond the Staircase. Duane Deaver, a blood splatter expert, had testified that the evidence pointed towards murder. They also became the legal guardians of two young girls, Margaret Ratcliff and Martha Ratcliff, following their mother's death in 1985. Michael's late wife Kathleen will be played byToni Collette. In April 2001, they took out a second mortgage to help with the squeeze in finances. Everything about Alla Bout. Instead, Peterson is now living the life of "a 75-year-old grandfather" and surviving "[on a] fairly modest pension," Rudolph told "True Crime Interviews" host Steve Wraith. Elizabeth Ratliffs death had a huge impact on her youngest daughter, Martha (Odessa Young). In 2017, Michael submitted an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. But with only eight episodes, the show has to leave a few details out, including the aftermath of the initial trial, and what happened to Michael Peterson after the jury gave him their verdict. After breaking up with Sophie (Juliette Binoche) and refusing to move to Paris, Michael went to live with his ex-wife Patty (Trini Alvarado). They took care of each other.. Defense attorney David Rudolf talked toOxygenabout Michaels current living situation: He is living in Durham Im not sure why hes living in Durham, but he is. To boot, the couple was in severe credit card debt, to the tune of $100,000. The TV drama miniseries focuses on the real-life 2003 murder trial that saw Michael accused of . Though the kitchen island was moved (it was formerly attached to the kitchen counter, cutting across the room at a diagonal), the space still looks much as it did when Michael lived there. The Staircase airs on Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. To be fair, according to A Perfect Husband, Aphrodite Jones 2004 book about the case, Petersons defense attorney David Rudolf had the staircase boarded up on December 14, 2001, just days after the killing, in order to preserve evidence. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor . The latest offering from the HBO crime series is The Staircase which takes an in-depth look into the saga of Michael Peterson, an author who was convicted of killing his wife, Kathleen Peterson. The pair divorced, paving the way for Michaels marriage to Kathleen Atwater. Despite claiming his wife had fallen down the stairs, Michael Peterson was charged with her murder and convicted to life imprisonment in 2003 after one of the longest trials in North Carolinas history. Peterson was charged with her murder, convicted at trial, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He said that when he previously prepared for a role, he liked to delve right in and get "to the heart" of the character. "I didn't know if Michael Peterson's presentation of himself was going to be helpful to me in terms of finding out what lies underneath, and I found it kept moving," Firth explained to The Wrap. Who is Viktor Bouts wife? Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Since Deavers testimony was what eventually led the jury to agree upon Michaels guilt, the writer was released in 2011 under a $300,000 bail and placed under house arrest. He's published at least one, maybe two books, since he's been out and, and he goes to the gym, and he sort of lives a normal life," the attorney told Newsweek. He stated Kathleen Peterson was aware of his interest in men and his first wife, Patricia Sue, was also there to support Michael Peterson's bisexuality claims. Investigators swiftly homed in on Michael as a prime suspect as he was alone in the premises with Kathleen when she passed away. In this case, the house was an innocent bystander. Buyers didnt agree, though. After serving in the Vietnam War, he began to write novels and newspaper columns about his experiences following his honorable discharge in 1971. "We could have put a little blimp over my head saying, 'Jewish lawyer from New York,'" he said. In an interview with Variety, he fired off numerous criticisms, including HBO's depiction of him eating a pastrami sandwich during his first meeting with Peterson. And the fact that another woman very close to Peterson was also found dead at the bottom of a staircase 16 years before Kathleen. However, back in 2002, streaming hadnt been invented yet, and young Margaret had no idea just how much her life would be in the public eye in the following decades. Usually when you're convicted of murder, you're sentenced to something like life, or close to it, in prison and that's essentially that. While there have been several retellings of the chilling case, like Netflix's take on it in 2018, HBO Max's rendition strives to reveal untold sides and different angles of the harrowing story, with Colin Firth as the lead. Im innocent. Click back to the main page for more Dirt on the house. On the flip-side, Petersons former sister-in-law, Candace Zamperini, said during the hearing in 2017 that shell always see him responsible for her sisters death. In the final episode of the miniseries, we see Michael Peterson starting to get his life back on track as a free man. "That we dont cheat or invent evidence, that we actually care about truth and representing people as well as they can be represented. In an odd twist, before the Petersons called the place home, it was featured in the 1990 dystopian drama The Handmaids Tale, based upon Margaret Atwoods 1985 novel of the same name. His character in the show is a troubled young man who decides to turn his life around. Since his release, Michael has avoided staying in houses with staircases, which is perhaps a good idea. As The News & Observer noted, the former columnist's Alford plea was distinctly tied to the charge of manslaughter, which means that Peterson asserted his opinion of his innocence while simultaneously accepting charges (via Metro). It soon came to light that not only had Deaver exaggerated the number of cases in which he had worked, he also had no proper forensics training and was guilty of lab misconduct. So beloved was the residence that Kathleen and Michael decided to tie the knot there, surrounded by family and friends, on June 21, 1997. But perhaps most disconcerting is the fact that the crime scene, complete with blood-splattered walls and floors, was left intact for years while Peterson and his children continued to live in the home! Is Riley Keough Singing in Daisy Jones & The Six? Lincoln Rileys wife, Caitlin Buckley: She attended Rileys rival school, first-degree murder and sent him to prison for life, Michael still asserts that he did not kill Kathleen Peterson, Isabella Russos ethnicity Her Asian roots explained, What is Ines Tazis ethnicity? The steps sit just beyond the darkened opening on the right side of the kitchen in the photograph above. The pair moved in together in 2019. In 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter and was released on time served. Peterson, who shared a fortune with his wife Kathleen Peterson up until the time of her death, referred to himself as "indigent" during the later episodes of "The Staircase," which were filmed following his 2011 release from prison. He explained: These are created characters but we all know what the source is. What happened to Olivia Walton on The Waltons? However, Rudolf is the one who finds the dramatization most egregious. According to CNN, Patty Peterson loaned Michael Peterson $168,000 to help him fight his case. A new HBO series, The Staircase, follows Peterson's murder trial after his wife, Kathleen, was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's home in 2001. They didnt really care whether he did it or not, Rudolf said Friday at CrimeCon in New Orleans. 21. At the time of Kathleens death, Deaver (portrayed by Myke Holmes in the show) worked as a blood spatter analyst for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Peterson sold the house he owned with his wife Kathleen back in 2004.Today, the 78-year-old is completely free and out of prison. In 2001, Kathleen died on the staircase of the Peterson home in Durham, North Carolina. It also chronicles the work of French documentarist Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who, from 2003 to 2018, worked on a docuseries about the case also titled The Staircase. From the comments Ive gotten from a lot of people, it [The Staircase] achieved that purpose; it opens eyes to what criminal defense lawyers do.. "I'm too old. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she said that Lestrades The Staircase cost her many job opportunities in the documentary world, including at Netflix. However, Brunet claims to have waited until she was finished with the eight original episodes of The Staircase before sending her first letter to Peterson. Michael and Kathleen led an extravagant lifestyle and were, by all accounts, happy. The dried blood atop her head was a clue that she'd been there for a while, and since Michael was the only person in the house at that time, he was the only suspect. They wed in 1968 and had two boys together, Todd and Clayton. In a recent interview with the Wrongful Conviction podcast, he talked about the role of the documentary in his trial and criticized the HBO miniseries, calling it an abomination and stating that Campos trashed his familys life. He later met his first wife Patricia Sue, an elementary school teacher, in West Germany. The 9,400-square-foot mansion at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, North Carolina was listed for $1.9 million on Tuesday, according to local outlet WRAL. While the multi-part true-crime docuseries "The Staircase" might not be the gold standard of the genre like it once was at the time of its 2004 debut, it's become the go-to source for the strange case of Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who may or may not have murdered his second wife, Nortel executive Kathleen Peterson. The couple discussed moving to France and settling in the capital once the trial was finally over. Ever since Patty died, Todd changed his mind about his dads involvement in Kathleens death, and now believes to have murdered not only his stepmom but also Elizabeth Ratliff. At the center of the story is Kathleen and Michael's sprawling Colonial home, located in Durham's tony Forest Hills neighborhood. They married in 1987 and together they raised a large, blended family with children from previous relationships. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an. In Michael Peterson's case, however . Peterson had a different rationale, Rudolf said. As the later episodes of "The Staircase" covered, Peterson was eventually granted a retrial hearing in 2011 after it was discovered that Duane Deaver a blood-spatter analyst for North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation who had testified under oath at Peterson's initial trial that evidence pointed towards his guilt had covered up evidence in other trials that would've benefited the defense. Colin Firth will play Michael Peterson, and Sophie Turner will play Margaret Ratliff, one of Michaels adopted daughters. Elisa Guimares is a feature writer at Collider. Speaking to the French publication L'Express, de Lestrade shared: "This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. Her husband, Michael Peterson, was convicted of murder on October 10, 2003, but the circumstances surrounding her death have been called into question, including Peterson's guilt or innocence since his trial. Who Was Mallory Beach in 'Murdaugh Murders'? ), who in turn put it on the market this past July for $1.9 million. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of their staircase with severe injuries. He and Patty maintained a close friendship so close that CNN reports she "loaned" Michael $168,000 towards his legal fees in April 2003. Despite her words and the fact that Peterson will be considered a convicted felon for the rest of his life, he apparently plans on trying to live out the rest of his years at home in North Carolina. The true extent of Michael Peterson's physical relationships with men remains unknown. Her secluded life and career, Who are Gradey Dicks parents? Currently, Rudolf is in occasional contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. Life is really full of surprises. On December 1, 2009, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their North Carolina home. Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham, the house boasts a patio with an outdoor fireplace, a library, a game room, five bedrooms, and five-and-a-half bathrooms, not to mention the pool. It is a great deal for the district attorney.". He Lives in a House Without a Staircase. In fact, when his step-daughter Caitlin Atwater Clark attempted to sue him for $25 million in a wrongful death lawsuit, he specifically told his lawyer that he had no money at all. Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men's Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine's Vulture and Chicago Tribune. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Kathleens death, and spent nearly a decade behind bars. As shown in the miniseries, Assistant District Attorney Freda Black (Parker Posey) quit law and started working as a cleaner in the decade following Michaels conviction. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. So, where is Michael Peterson now? And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Petersons new living situation: Hes in a ground floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation.. The prosecution at Michael Peterson's trial alleged Kathleen had found thousands of pornographic images of men on his computer and several emails between him and a man named Brad, where they discussed sex in detail. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor apartment in Durham, North Carolina, and has since sold the house he shared with Kathleen. They dated until 2017. (The house was on the market for $1.9 million, according to ABC 11 News.). Send us a tip using our anonymous form. After Michael and Pattys divorce, they went to live with Michael and Kathleen, whom they called mom, in the United States. Before the new trial commenced, Peter submitted an Alford plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was set free as hed already served time for murder. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. As it turned out, thats what happened. 'The Staircase': Where Are Michael Peterson and His Family Now? She was 78 years old. Peterson's current financial state, while up for speculation, is most likely a shadow of what it was in 2001. According to theNews and Observer, Peterson has not owned the home since he sold it to Jason Balius for $640,000 in 2004. Read ahead to learn more about Michael Peterson and where he is now. Rudolf said he agreed to participate in the documentary because the filmmakers had won an Academy Award in 2001 for Murder on a Sunday Morning, about a 15-year-old boy wrongfully accused of murder. In July 2020, the infamous five-story Cedar street mansion where Kathleen died was put up for sale. The North Carolina medical examiner performed an autopsy and concluded that she died from blunt force injuries and that it was the result of a homicide. That being said, it's unclear how Peterson is now making a living or if he has some kind of income. Hes still married to Becky (Hannah Pniewski), with whom he has two children. Rudolf said,"To suggest I assisted [Pfeiffer] with any interviews, that would be as much fiction as it is that a criminal defense lawyer is allowed in a Grand Jury proceeding. The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase. Michael wound up being granted a new trial in 2011 after the State Crime Labs blood-spatter analyst Duane Deaver, who worked on his case, was fired for repeatedly shoddy investigative work. Colin Firthwill play the main subject Michael Peterson; the role was originally slated to be played by Harrison Ford. I guess the steps were just destined to be onscreen. Therefore, Michael lives a modest life in Durham, North Carolina. The pair are believed to have formed a relationship whilst Peterson was in prison and following his release in 2011. He was convinced it was going to be payback time once he got charged., While some viewers saw Peterson in the film and thought he was a narcissist, Rudolf said he wanted the film to be made for simple self-preservation on his part., He was making it hard for anyone to cheat, or at least to cheat without being caught, Rudolf said. After Michaels release, Bill moved back to Reno, Nevada, where he lives with his family and works as a practicing partner in a full-service local firm. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Selling the house at its [original $1.175 million] asking price would still not cover all of Petersons debts.. Returning to the Scene of the Crime. Luckily for them, Firth has received rave reviews.

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