It's the story of novelist Michael Peterson and the trial that followed his arrest for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. The writer produced a memoir in 2009 called Behind the Staircase, and a sequel Beyond the Staircase. Where does Michael Peterson currently live? 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. Alongside Pfeiffer, Rudolf is the owner of the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, in Charlotte, North Carolina. "We originally had been to Harrison Ford," the HBO show's creator Antonio Campos told Entertainment Weekly. Above (L-R): Tim Guinee, Sophie Turner, Colin Firth, Olivia DeJonge, Patrick Schwarzenegger appear as the Peterson family in "The Staircase" on HBO Max. Ahead of Michael Petersons' trial, Ratliff's body was exhumed for a second autopsy in April 2003, where a Durham medical examiner concluded the cause of death as "homicide." During a CrimeCon speech, Peterson's attorney, David Rudolf, shot down reports his client made bank from the Netflix series. In Lestrades docuseries, she speaks at length about her mental health issues. One was a sweeping oval shape, a centerpiece of the home, while the other lead [sic] down to the kitchen area, a more practical structure, hidden behind doors. It was the front staircase, situated near the main entrance, that the couple posed on that joyous day. Much like his client, Rudolf took issue with Campos version of events, especially with scenes that implied Michael kept information from him and that his professional relationship with Pfeiffer was unethical. Lestrade told Vanity Fair that he felt "betrayed" by show creator Anthony Campos' adaptation of his Peabody Award-winning docu-series and claimed the facts were altered for dramatic effect. Blood-spatter analyst Duane Deaver (Myke Holmes) was found to have exaggerated his credentials in the field of forensic investigation. It occurred when Michael and Kathleen were visiting Germany and dropped by the home of their friend, Elizabeth Ratliff. His cell was a far cry from the sprawling mansion he formerly called home, which was put on the market just 20 days later for $1.175 million. 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. He got back to writing and released two books telling his side of the story: 2019s Behind the Staircase and 2020s Beyond the Staircase. Since his 2017 Alford plea, Michael Peterson has managed to keep to himself while continuing to remain in the spotlight. Michael and Patricia later divorced, and not long after, he moved in with telecoms exec Kathleen Atwater before eventually tying the knot in 1997. He was granted a new trial in 2011, after a judge determined that a key prosecution witness lied on the stand during the original trial. Michael and Patty, along with their young boys, reportedly resided in Germany for quite a while around the 1980s, where they befriended their closeby neighbors, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Kathleen, the familys breadwinner, had deferred much of her income to purchase Nortel Networks stock and though its value once totaled almost $2.5 million, the 2001 crash whittled it down to about $50,000 by the time of her death. Here's everything we know about what happened to Michael Peterson after HBO Max's The Staircase. As Jones explains in A Perfect Husband, There were two worlds, it seemed, present in that old house, and perhaps the most symbolic reminders of that were the Petersons two staircases. Together they had two sons Clayton and Todd Peterson before removing to Germany. And, from what it seems, things have turned out for the best for the real Clayton. The steps sit just beyond the darkened opening on the right side of the kitchen in the photograph above. Earlier this year, Margaret co-produced a documentary feature titled Subject, directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall. They didnt really care whether he did it or not, Rudolf said Friday at CrimeCon in New Orleans. It is a great deal for the district attorney.". The house was showing signs of wear, too, with many expensive much-needed repairs awaiting completion. The two lived together until Patty's deathfrom a massive heart attack in July 2021. In 2018, AP reported that Michael Peterson now lives in a 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom condo in the same town, Durham, North Carolina. According to the News and Observer, Peterson has not owned the home since he sold it to Jason Balius for $640,000 in 2004. Patricia Peterson died in July 2021 of a heart attack when she was 78 years old. They separated in the 1980s and divorced in the early 1990s. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she said that Lestrades The Staircase cost her many job opportunities in the documentary world, including at Netflix. Michael Peterson listens as his defense attorney David Rudolf makes opening statements in Peterson's request for a new trial on December 6, 2011, in Durham, North Carolina Advertisement The original Staircase docuseries is largely told from Peterson's perspective, and there is an undeniable appeal to witnessing him in action. While many elements have been updated, the layout is the same, making it very recognizable from The Staircase.. 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. He's in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation," Rudolf shared. While The Guardian proclaimed Firth to be "brilliant" and that "you cannot help watching to see if and which way he will fall," CNN called his acting skills "riveting work.". Michael suggested that Kathleen fell down the stairs after drinking too much alcohol and Valium, but no fingerprints were detected on the wine bottle or glasses out in the kitchen. And although his initial murder trial took place in 2003, Michael Peterson's saga didn't have definitive ending until 2018. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way. As shown in the HBO Max miniseries, de Lestrade went into fiction after working on The Staircase. He tried to fight it, but his firing was upheld in court in 2014. However, it will be exclusively available onHBO Max. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Investigators swiftly homed in on Michael as a prime suspect as he was alone in the premises with Kathleen when she passed away. They married in 1987 and together they raised a large, blended family with children from previous relationships. 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 most vocal of Kathleens sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) was the one to present the prosecution with the alleged murder weapon, a fireplace poker, or blow poke, that she had given the Petersons for Christmas. Instead, he submitted an Alford Plea for manslaughter. So, it was an unusual choice to cast the "Bridget Jones' Diary" love-rival in HBO's "The Staircase." Like us on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TheSunUSand follow us from our main Twitter account at@TheSunUS, Serena Williams stepmom's debts continue to spiral amid crumbling home battle, 'Glaring error' left 'habitual liar' Alex Murdaugh 'boxed in' during trial, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life after disgraced lawyer guilty of murder, Murdaugh sentenced to LIFE in prison after being found guilty of double murder, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Michael Peterson was convicted of killing his wife Kathleen in 2003, A new HBO Max miniseries, The Staircase, will follow Peterson's murder trial. Michael Peterson married Patricia Sue in 1968 and they later welcomed two boys: Todd and Clayton. Margaret and Michael are both featured in the movie as interviewees. But what happened to him after he took that Alford plea in 2017? His moms cancer battle. He is portrayed in the Antonio Campos-created series "The Staircase" by actor Joel McKinnon Miller (best known as Scully from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"). What happened to Olivia Walton on The Waltons? With every episode of The Staircase on HBO Max, more and more details and jaw-dropping twists and turns continue to play out in the story and criminal case against Michael Peterson. The prosecution didn't accuse Peterson of Ratliff's death at his trial. After breaking up with Sophie ( Juliette Binoche) and refusing to move to Paris, Michael went to live with his ex-wife Patty ( Trini Alvarado ). After Michael and Pattys divorce, they went to live with Michael and Kathleen, whom they called mom, in the United States. Brunet still works as a film and TV editor in France. 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. In 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter and was released on time served. 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. "But we parted ways because he had to go do an 'Indiana Jones.'" Today, Michael Peterson, 78, is still alive and remains a free man. Michael Peterson murder trial in July 2003. And that spawned other real-life programs it's just a tragedy that there's this great appetite that people have for sex, murder, and money. The pair are believed to have formed a relationship whilst Peterson was in prison and following his release in 2011. He was sentenced to seven years and a month in prison, but got out right away having already served eight years after his first trial. The Staircase airs on Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Despite now believing his father to be guilty, he still considers The Staircase to be nonsense.. She's a journalist, a translator, a linguist, an aspiring author, a lover of trivia games, and a first time cat owner. The prosecution suggested that Michael killed his wife after they got in a fight supposedly initiated by Kathleen's discovery of more than 2,000 explicit images of men on Michael's computer in addition to emails in conversation with a young male escort he was planning on reuniting with after meeting a few months prior. Following an investigation and an ensuing murder trial, the latter of which became one of the longest of its kind in North Carolina history, Michael Peterson was eventually found guilty. The defense, however, disputed that Kathleen was accepting of Michael's bisexuality and that the blow poke (a hollow tube instead of a solid metal stick) he allegedly used to strike her suffered no damage, nor had any remnants of blood on it. Michael Peterson's conviction and life sentence in 2003 was only some of the story. Most eerie of all, though, is the fact that a segment took place on the infamous back staircase! No, not that staircase. So beloved was the residence that Kathleen and Michael decided to tie the knot there, surrounded by family and friends, on June 21, 1997. Nowadays, Margaret lives in California and works in the entertainment industry as an actor, assistant director, and production manager, among other things. I guess the steps were just destined to be onscreen. However, since the release of the HBO miniseries, his Instagram profile has been deleted. Likes science fiction, true crime, coming-of-age stories, teen dramas, and some other things as well. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. As the first iteration of "The Staircase" detailed, Kathleen was found at the bottom of the titular staircase in the couple's Durham mansion in 2001, an incident which immediately raised the hackles of local law enforcement, who believed her death was the result of homicide on the part of her husband. He said: "We made plans to live in Paris. On Oct. 10, 2003, the jury found Michael guilty of Kathleen's murder and sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole. Though the majority of the time it was captured by de Lestrades cameras, it was open for all to see with the family regularly enjoying meals together, laughing over cocktails and pasta, just a few literal steps away! Michael Peterson has mostly stayed out of the spotlight. Dirt is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Michaels wife was found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couples residence. He was fired from his job in 2011. But part of the central pull of "The Staircase," aside from its various twists and turns (among which included the discovery that a close family friend of Peterson's had died under similar circumstances, also involving a staircase, nearly 17 years prior to Kathleen's death), was the central figure to the story. Michael and Kathleen led an extravagant lifestyle and were, by all accounts, happy. Like Patty's father, Michael Peterson was a military man, having served in Vietnam as part of the U.S. Marine Corps from August 1968 until September 1969. "We made plans to live in Paris. As shown in the miniseries, Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan) served four years in prison for an attempted bombing at Duke University years before Kathleen Petersons death. According to a June report by The Sun, Peterson continues to live in Durham and has self-published two books about his life during the murder trial and his life following his release from prison. Rudolf, sick of negative depictions of criminal defense lawyers, got on board. Flash-forward to the present day and true-crime enthusiasts want to know every possible detail about Peterson's life and personal relationshipslike, does he have a new wife? Still, in the same year, the North Carolina Human Resources Commission ruled that he should have merely been demoted from his position and that the SBI owed him 34 months of wages. 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. June 8, 2018. His character in the show is a troubled young man who decides to turn his life around. Behind the Staircase and Beyond the Staircase were self-published in 2019. 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. Defense Attorney David Rudolf knows that the public is divided on whether. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an. The story behind The Staircase. 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. "I'm too old. He was not a friendly columnist. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. Reprieve for Michael came in the form of prosecutorial impropriety, which forced the judge to grant him a new trial in 2011. Game of ThronesactressSophie Turnerwill appear as one of Michael's adopted daughters, Margaret Ratliff. 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. They took care of each other.. Speaking to the French publication L'Express, de Lestrade shared: "This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. Three episodes in, the series-runners drop a major bombshell: Peterson was the last person to see another woman who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in Germany in 1985. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? (The house was on the market for $1.9 million, according to ABC 11 News.). In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the . His guilty plea notwithstanding, Michael still asserts that he did not kill Kathleen Peterson. Like other members of her family, Margaret hasnt received a dime from HBO and claims to have been deceived by Campos, who allegedly told her he would be focusing more on the documentarists than on the Petersons. 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. Sue remained supportive of Peterson through his trial, incarceration, and release. And the fact that another woman very close to Peterson was also found dead at the bottom of a staircase 16 years before Kathleen. Life is really full of surprises. The topic is also at the center of Rudolfs 2022 book, American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System. 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. "We could have put a little blimp over my head saying, 'Jewish lawyer from New York,'" he said. I can't live in Paris. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Kathleens death, and spent nearly a decade behind bars. Heres what went on in their lives after the events portrayed in The Staircase. Patty was also a staunch defender of Michael. The company had also begun massive layoffs at the same time and Kathleens job security seemed tenuous at best. In . 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). Debra Messing Calls a Flatbush Stunner Home on The Mysteries of Laura, Jason Segel Grieves in Style at an Altadena Craftsman on Shrinking, Sean Penn Romances Julia Roberts at a Landmark Reseda Restaurant in Gaslit, 1810 Cedar Street in Durham, North Carolina, Michael Peterson's Former Durham Estate, Made Infamous in 'The Staircase,' Has Sold Once Again, Ellen DeGeneres Buys Another Grand Old Montecito Estate, Debra Messing Calls a Flatbush Stunner Home on 'The Mysteries of Laura'. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. They married in 1965 and moved to Durham, North Carolina. The listing photos show the changes that have been made since Petersons departure. Michael opted out of the trial before it was due to begin in 2017. Nowadays, she prefers to stay away from the spotlight, living a quiet life in Alexandria, Virgnia. I can't live in Paris. We want to hear from you! Peterson sold the five-story home he lived in with Kathleen. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. All Rights Reserved. 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. They did, however, use her death as an example of an incident that could help him "fake" Kathleen's accident. Peterson now lives in a 1,200 square foot condo, shell always see him responsible for her sisters death, Peterson will be considered a convicted felon. He was released in 2011 on bond ahead of a retrial but in February 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter, meaning he admitted the evidence against him would likely lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but the did not have to admit he committed the crime. He also opines that by agreeing to pay, he would be admitting to murdering Kathleen. Hes living in Durham Im not sure why hes living in Durham, but he is, Rudolf told the audience at CrimeCon. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor . But she never let her own feelings affect the course of editing.". 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. Peterson was released while awaiting a new trial but ultimately decided not to take any chances (even with that oh-so-veritable owl theory in his arsenal) and in 2017 entered an Alford plea, whereby asserting his innocence but admitting the evidence would likely lead to a guilty verdict. Featuring a library, game room, a whopping five fireplaces, fourteen-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring throughout, and a large master wing, theres no arguing that the couple and their children lived in style. Although Peterson is out of prison and was granted a manslaughter charge as opposed to the original murder charge that he served nearly eight years in prison for, he maintains his innocence in all matters related to the case. Peterson's second son, Todd (who was adamant that his step-mother's death was alcohol-related), currently lives in Tennessee. He was sentenced to time already served, and it was decided he would never face another day in court, or prison, for his wife's death. Michael, who has maintained his innocence, spent nearly a decade behind bars after being . After her death, however, and during Petersons time behind bars, he was forced to file for bankruptcy. In a big twist that fans of the original documentary, The Staircase, wouldn't have seen coming, Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, an editor of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's documentary series. Petersons overall nonchalant demeanor and regular giggling over aspects of the case are certainly perplexing. As seen in The Staircase, Michael Peterson admitted to his family and The Staircase documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (streaming on Netflix) that he was bisexual when evidence of male pornography was found on his computer. Instead of the trial actually happening, a judge reduced the novelists charges to manslaughter thanks to entering an Alford plea, which essentially states that while he doesn't admit to the crime, he does admit that the state as sufficient evidence to charge him. His plans, he said, are to spend the time he lost behind bars with family and write a new book. Portrayed by Olivia DeJonge, Caitlin was Kathleens only biological child and the sole child from the Peterson household to believe that Michael was responsible for her mothers death. "I've always believed he did not do this, and I always will.". While living together, Michael and Patricia became close with their neighbors-turned-friends George and Elizabeth Ratliff. The documentary follows Michael Peterson from his wifes death in December 2001 to his release in 2017. The miniseries will draw on the2018 Netflix documentarythat followed the same case. Therefore, Michael lives a modest life in Durham, North Carolina. According to News and Observer, Peterson sold the house in 2004. She also stood by Michael Peterson when suspicions were raised during his trial about the death of their friend Elizabeth Ratliff in 1985. The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . The newlyweds were captured gloriously posing for photos on the homes staircase. Since Michael cant profit from his crime, the proceeds from the books sales go to charity. I don't speak French. Able to use the clips eight years later, and that was a really important thing for the judge to see.. The couple shared two sons, Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson. Firth threw everything into the part, and it turned out it changed his attitude and approach towards acting. Peterson was charged with her murder, convicted at trial, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Despite Michael Peterson's murder conviction in 2003, his story was far from over. Sophie and Michael were together from 2004 to 2017. To recap the case, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of her . 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.. Michael and Patty became even closer post-trial. 2020s Latitia is a true crime drama about the 2011 abduction of 18-year-old Latitia Perrais. The shy, dull, and very British Mark Darcy is as far as you can get from the confounding and unpredictable American novelist Michael Peterson. Michael Peterson had been forced to sell his assets, including the family home, to pay legal fees, leaving him broke. The couple discussed moving to France and settling in the capital once the trial was finally over. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for writing, publishing two books about his trial, his life behind bars, and the taste of freedom. Where are the real-life people of 'The Staircase' now? I don't speak French," Peterson admitted to The News & Observer. Now, he resides in a 1,200-square-foot, two bedroom condo and. Clayton and Todd chose to live with their mom, while Martha and Margaret moved to North Carolina with Michael. Then I went and realized, no, I can't. Speaking to The News & Observer, Michael Peterson shared their relationship came to an end because he did not want to live in Paris. In the film, made long before the popular Hulu series, the Colonial masks as the supposed Republic of Gilead residence belonging to Commander Fred (Robert Duvall) and his wife, Serena Joy (Faye Dunaway), where handmaid Kate (Natasha Richardson) is placed. Despite actors playing the people involved, the limited series is very much a true story in which Peterson is still alive (and living freely) today. However, Colin Firth has won over critics, with the show earning a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. He said that when he previously prepared for a role, he liked to delve right in and get "to the heart" of the character. Because in fact, the story didn't really end there. Before going AWOL, however, he changed his mind about his dads involvement in Kathleens death. 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. Kathleen was the first woman to attend Duke University's School of Engineering and throughout her marriage to Michael Peterson, she worked for Nortel, a telecommunications company. Currently, he resides in Durham, North Carolina but has since sold the house where Kathleen died. In 2003, the North Carolina medical examiner reexamined Ratliffs remains after they were exhumed in Texas. Originally built in 1940 by architect George Watts Carr, Sr. for wealthy Durham businessman John Adams Buchanan, the lavish five-bedroom, six-bathroom property had plenty of room for Kathleen and Michaels large blended family, which included Michaels two sons with his first wife and his two adopted daughters, as well as Kathleens daughter from a previous marriage. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. The riches he had before his incarceration no longer exist. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of their staircase with severe injuries. Stalk It: Michael Petersons former house, featured in The Staircase, is located at 1810 Cedar Street in Durham, North Carolina.
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