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Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December 9, 2001. After eight years, Peterson was granted a new trial after the judge ruled a critical prosecution witness gave misleading testimony. [1] .
- Is The Staircase Based on A True Story?
- The Initial Charge
- Another Staircase Death
- Michael's Sexuality
- The Defence Case
- The Alford Plea
- The Owl Theory
In the early hours of the morning on 9th December 2001, Michael Petersonfound his wife, Kathleen, at the bottom of the stairs in their family home in North Carolina. He called the emergency services saying that she was still alive and begging them to arrive with the greatest of urgency, but dialling back shortly after he reported that she had stopp...
The medical examiner who conducted the post-mortem on Kathleen was alarmed by several findings, most notable of which were the deep lacerations on her scalp which weren't consistent with a typical fall down the stairs. In addition, it was found that her blood alcohol content at the time of death was low enough to pass a breathalyser test, which it ...
Further complicating matters was the revelation that, during a period living in Germany many years earlier, one of Peterson's close friends had also been discovered dead at the bottom of her own staircase. At the time, it had been thought that Elizabeth Ratliff – whose two daughters Michael became legal guardian of – had suffered a stroke on the st...
In the wake of Kathleen's death, authorities examined Michael's computer and found 2000 pornographic images of men on the hard drive, in addition to correspondence with a male prostitute with whom he discussed meeting. According to sex worker Brad, the hook-up never went ahead, but the conversation alone was enough for the prosecution to argue that...
In addition to emphasising the strength of Michael and Kathleen's relationship (and therefore lack of motive), defence lawyer David Rudolf brought in his own expert to give his analysis of the staircase scene. Neuropathologist Dr Jan Leestma argued that Kathleen's injuries could well have been sustained in an accidental fall, noting that the lack o...
A retrial was eventually ordered in 2011, after a blood spatter analyst for the prosecution was found to have given misleading testimony in the initial hearing. Some six years later, Peterson and Rudolf submitted an "Alford plea" of voluntary manslaughter, which allows the defendant to continue asserting their innocence, while conceding that there ...
As Peterson maintains his innocence to this very day, it is still unclear what exactly happened to Kathleen Peterson that fateful night in December 2001. One theory that emerged in 2009 and has captured the imagination of true crime fans is that she was attacked by a barred owl– a common species in Durham, North Carolina – with evidence at the scen...
Jun 4, 2022 · On a November evening in 2001, novelist Michael Peterson found his wife, Kathleen, dead at the bottom of a staircase in their North Carolina home— at least, that's Peterson's story. According to...
Mar 28, 2024 · Max's (formerly HBO Max) true crime series The Staircase chronicles the lengthy saga of Michael Peterson, a novelist and military veteran who was convicted of killing his wife, Kathleen...
May 6, 2022 · Kathleen was a telecoms exec who met Michael in 1986. The couple moved in in 1989 and married in 1997. Netflix. What happened to Kathleen Peterson? On 9 December 2001, Michael Peterson called...
Mar 20, 2022 · In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in her home. Two years later, her husband Michael Peterson was convicted of her murder — but many believe he didn’t do it.
People also ask
What happened to Kathleen Peterson & Michael Peterson?
How did Michael find Kathleen alive?
When did Caitlin and Peterson settle a wrongful death claim?
What happened to Kathleen?
Was Kathleen splayed out on the floor?
Why did Kathleen fall down the stairs?
Following one of the lengthiest trials in North Carolina's history, Michael Peterson was found guilty of Kathleen Peterson's murder on 10th October 2003. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
