He did find himself a post-lockup girlfriend, however, in one of the editors of The Staircase. As a young man, he divided his time between North Carolina and Germany. A male escort even testified in court that he'd engaged in an email exchange with Michael mere months before Kathleen's death, with the pair planning to meet in person, via CNN. On October 10, 2003, the jury found Michael Peterson guilty, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole. In the first 911 call, Michael Peterson frantically tells the operator that Kathleen is "still breathing" and urges them to hurry. Though one of their sons was at the scene before police, and the tree branch would have been easy to dispose of and could explain the needles and feathers, many of these and other theories do not have enough evidence to hold up to scrutiny. Kathleen Peterson. Plus the death of Liz Ratliff in Germany was deemed inadmissible. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Brainy bunch. He's currently behind bars in California's San Quentin prison. Despite living what looked like a lavish lifestyle from the outside, Michael and Kathleen Peterson were in a lot of debt. He'd previously spent time behind bars for reportedly placing a bomb in a Duke University office, according . Her hands and arms had contusion bruises but not her legs, which suggests evidence of a struggle. Spoilers for The Staircase documentary and HBO Max series follow. Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. The New York Times would later describe Michael as having a theatrical personality. Kathleen was a live wire, too. Is Daisy Jones adaptation based on Fleetwood Mac? Irresistible deal. Menu Log In Sign Up Nortel had forced her to lay off some well-liked employees, according to an AP account from May 22, 2002. Michael sold the house he shared with Kathleen in 2004, and a subsequent owner re-sold the property for $1.6 million in 2020. Meanwhile, Michael has two sonsTodd and Clayton Petersonfrom his first marriage. It was her initiation as Healer and Guide into the Lineage of King Salomon that amplified Kathleen's natural ability to flow this Light and love energy. She was lying in a dried pool of her own blood. NetflixKathleen Peterson and Michael Peterson in an undated photograph. Its not what [de Lestrade] included, its what he did not include, Jones whose 2004 book A Perfect Husband profiles the case and became the basis for the 2007 Lifetime movie The Staircase Murders, starring Treat Williams told The Post. Kathleen M. Peterson is the Founder and Chief Vision Officer of PowerHouse Consulting. Jones isnt buying that. Kathleen might have fallen down the stairs while struggling to extricate herself from the bird of preys talons, they opined. The value of Kathleens Nortel stock had dropped from more than $2 million at its peak to $50,000. His explanation to cops, that she had been drinking and had likely taken a sleeping pill and fallen, was deemed unconvincing; he was arrested for her murder shortly thereafter. Upon seizing Michael's computer, investigators found as many as 2000 images of naked men, along with email exchanges between Michael and a male escort, via NBC News. This, however, barely featured in The Staircase's depiction of the trial. Pop-culture phenom. 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 where Michael claimed to be during what he alleged was his wifes accidental fall down the stairs. They noted that Michael was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Kathleen had also had a $1.4 million life insurance policy, which would be paid to Michael in the event of her death. Although the case is more than two decades old now, Kathleen Peterson's death and the trial that followed are still a subject of fascination for many. Still, experts could not say with certainty that this was her cause of death. Jury selection began in May 2003, and the State vs. Michael Peterson trial started on July 1, 2003, via The News & Observer. But, as the prosecution pointed out in the trial, Kathleen was actually the sole owner of the house and the car. On December 9, 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found unconscious at the bottom of a staircase in Durham, NC. In April 2019, an extensive News & Observer story by Andrew Carter reported that Michael had written an e-book titled Behind the Staircase to exonerate himself, with any profits going toward charity. As one of their friends told CBS News in 2003, "They had all the appearances and trappings of happiness. Michael continues to live in Durham, North Carolina, having moved into a two-bedroom condo, via The Independent. Clayton Peterson. Ratliff had assigned Michael as guardian of her kids and left him her entire estate. Scott was an early suspect in the investigation due to his "strange behavior.". Cathleen Peterson-Layne, PhD, MD Empowering Leaders and Teams to lead with greater clarity and courageous decision-making. Michael Peterson and David Rudolf in court in 2017. Woman killed in double shooting on Durham highway, Chatham County housing authority director arrested, accused of $200,000+ in wire fraud, Alligator living at Walmart in NC stirs debate, as many demand it be allowed to stay. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 70s Kathleen K Peterson Nappanee, IN Aliases Peterson Kathleen View Full Report Addresses Inside Kathleen Petersons Mysterious Death And The True Story Behind The Staircase. When Kathleen went inside to bed, he reportedly stayed outside to smoke his pipe. Kathleen and Michael Peterson famously lived in a sprawling 14-room mansion in the Forest Hills suburb of Durham, North Carolina. He needed her money to survive the way he wanted to survive," she said. When the jury found Michael Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in October 2003, however, the offer was immediately withdrawn. Before marrying Kathleen, Michael Peterson was married to Patricia Peterson. You can read more in depth information about the owl theory here. Heres how Raleigh ranks among US metros for first-time homebuyers, 74,000 & growing: Some NC police departments stockpile guns rather than release them. While the prosecution argued that Michael most likely murdered Kathleen with a fireplace blow poke that was deemed missing from their Durham home at the time of her death, Michael's defense attorney argued that Kathleen died from a fall down the stairs. And one intriguing theory involving an owl suggests that it may not have been a murder at all. Kathleen has one biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, from her first marriage. Michael's sons, Clayton and Todd Peterson, were also in severe debt. However, despite the houses dark history, it remains occupied. Kathleen and Fred married in 1977 and had a daughter, Caitlin, but they divorced after she discovered his affair. Thats all for this week. Creative Innovator // Thought Leader // Speaker // Anesthesiologist . The Staircase left out one very important plot twist: The Owl Theory. But in 2003, he went to jail for life without the possibility of parole, a result of being convicted of the 2001 murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson. Durham County Tax AdministrationThe exterior of the Peterson home in 2017. So, what do fans of The Staircase have to say about all of this? Caitlin changed her mind after seeing the autopsy report, and ended up siding with the prosecution. Pollard theorised that Kathleen could have been attacked outside by one of these owls, which would account for the seven unexplained lacerations to her head. The home, built in 1940, was designed by Durham architect George Watts Carr Sr., who also designed buildings at N.C. Central University, N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. The defendant had hired criminal defense attorney David Rudolf two days prior, following extensive searches and seizures taking place at his home. Bylines in the Daily Beast, Seattle Times, Classic Rock Magazine, LouderSound. And thats exactly what Larry Pollard, a friend and neighbor of the now-free but convicted felon Michael Peterson, says he believes happened to Kathleen Peterson on the night a jury was led to believe her husband, Michael, killed her. What really happened in the Peterson household in the early hours of December 9 will likely always remain a mystery. On February 1, 2007, Caitlin Atwater and Michael Peterson settled the wrongful death claim for $25 million, which was finalized on February 1, 2008. In 2009, during investigations by Michael Peterson's legal team that would eventually lead to his reprieve, it emerged that Kathleen Peterson had been holding clumps of her own hair in her hands when she was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. On October 10, 2003, Michael Peterson was sentenced to life without parole for Kathleen's murder, via The New York Times. If Michael received any money for the literary effort, it would have to go toward a $25 million award Caitlin Atwater won against him, he said. Although Michael Peterson reported Kathleen's death as an accident to the 911 dispatcher, when paramedics and police officers arrived at the Petersons' home, they were . After a stir in the local community, a 2004 true crime documentary titled The Staircase investigated the events leading to Kathleen Petersons death and the subsequent murder trial. Peterson is now serving a life term. Perhaps he was trying to delete some files. Fury is the second post-Peterson owner. At a news conference, Michael said, "Accepting this Alford plea has been the hardest thing I've ever done," via ABC11, as he had hoped to clear his name. The ensuing case would become the subject of one of the defining true-crime documentaries in the genre: Jean-Xavier de Lestrades The Staircase. The eight-part series debuted in France in 2004 and in America in 2005, then arrived on Netflix in 2013 with additional episodes shot by de Lestrade in the years after the initial case. It came out that a leg injury he said happened during battle actually came from a car accident. Michael Ivor Peterson graduated from Duke University, where he was editor of the school newspaper, then joined the Marines and earned silver and bronze stars for service in Vietnam. Gates is the host of Finding Your Roots on PBS. She also served the position of philanthropist. Another motive suggested by the prosecution hinged on the Peterson family's tenuous financial situation. And it speaks to our desire for clarity. We also talk about "life" on the Other Side with a By investing in the John Locke Foundation, youre transforming A successful career as an executive at the communications firm Nortel followed. .css-1xok8cp{background-color:#242424;border-radius:0;color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:HarmoniaSans,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.03rem;padding:0.5rem 0.6rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-transform:uppercase;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;width:auto;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1xok8cp{font-size:0.875rem;line-height:1.1;padding:0.5rem 0.6rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1xok8cp{padding:0.5rem 0.6rem;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-1xok8cp{font-size:0.9375rem;line-height:1.1;padding:0.5rem 0.6rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1xok8cp{font-size:0.9375rem;line-height:1.1;}}.css-1xok8cp:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}.css-1xok8cp:hover{color:#fff;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:#B30010;border:none;}WATCH THE STAIRCASE ON HBO MAX. Novelist Michael Peterson told police he was sitting by the pool at the house at 1810 Cedar St. on the night of Dec. 9, 2001, and when he went inside around 2:30 a.m., he found his wife at the bottom of a back staircase, where she bled to death. We know she was married to Michael Peterson. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. HBO Max's The Staircase adapts the documentary of the same name into a television series, and even brings the documentary filmmakers in as major characters. Michael hadnt generated any income in two years, and Kathleen was the mainstay. Instead, Michael laid the blame for his murder conviction on humans. The Petersons were close friends with Elizabeth Ratliff, who had two young daughters, Martha and Margaret. Kathleen M Peterson, 74. A novelist couldnt have written Petersons story any better, full of outrageous twists as it is. By using this site, you agree to the Terms . In 2017, the then-73-year-old avoided a second trial by taking an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter in return for six years of house arrest. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2003. When paramedics arrived to render aid, Michael's son Todd was already . Until next time, cheers. Not one shred of evidence. Per ABC News, "From the beginning Peterson maintained that Kathleen had simply slipped on the stairs in a tragic accident after drinking wine and taking valium." This type of plea allows the accused to maintain their innocence while also acknowledging that the prosecution likely has sufficient evidence to convict. She moved to Baltimore to study how to . Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. He stayed outside to smoke for 45 minutes or so and found her at the bottom of the stairs when he came back in. 'The Staircase' has put Kathleen Peterson in the spotlight. She was the first woman accepted into Duke Universitys school of engineering. At least one person was swayed by the physical evidence: Kathleens daughter Caitlin, who had initially supported Petersons claims of innocence, along with his children. You can see the back of the property from the Kent Street side, which has barbed wire above the gate and No Trespassing signs. Per Lawrence Journal-World, the Petersons had accrued "credit card debt of $143,000" at the time of Kathleen's death. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube, a rogue owl played a role in Kathleens death, NFL player Rae Carruth in his murder trial, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Ron Gillette: An Air Force Man Who Didnt Exactly Aim High. Life is really full of surprises," the director told French publication LExpress. By Wilson Wong. It had cobwebs on it but no blood, which appeared to snuff out the prosecutions theory that the implement acted as the murder weapon. This content is imported from {embed-name}. NetflixMichael Peterson while incarcerated at Nash Correctional Institution, 2003. Homicide detectives were called to the Peterson residence. But other evidence pointed convincingly to Michaels guilt. "When we started shooting in February 2002 and when David Rudolf gave us access and the judge gave us access in the court room and we started to shoot and shoot and shoot then we realized how big it could be," the director told Metro in 2018. Or Kathleen was upset because Michael was seeing other people outside the marriage. The staircase she was found dead at the bottom of was just one of many in the vast property, and the couple were thought to have been relaxing by the swimming pool in the garden prior to Kathleen's death. 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