The newlyweds were captured gloriously posing for photos on the homes staircase. 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. The last person to see her alive was Michael Peterson. Michael was seemingly innocent at first as he was the one who dialed 911 after finding Kathleen at the base of their steps. Together they had two sons Clayton and Todd Peterson before removing to Germany. Brunet still works as a film and TV editor in France. 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 Lives in a House Without a Staircase. As shown in the HBO Max miniseries, de Lestrade went into fiction after working on The Staircase. To boot, the couple was in severe credit card debt, to the tune of $100,000. 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Luckily for them, Firth has received rave reviews. However, they eventually joined their father in Durham, North. "He's living in Durham I'm not sure why he's living in Durham, but he is," Rudolf told the audience at CrimeCon. "Its not fair, Its not right. At the time, authorities concluded that Elizabeth fell down the stairs after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an. Life is really full of surprises. We are not sleazy, we are not drunks, we dont sell our clients out," Rudolf said. 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? During Petersons trial, he testified that the blood spatters surrounding the spot in which Kathleen had died were consistent with a person being beaten to death. Michael had written a number of stories that were really critical of the Durham Police Department or the Mayors Office. 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). 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.. "He is living in Durham. ), who in turn put it on the market this past July for $1.9 million. 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! The true extent of Michael Peterson's physical relationships with men remains unknown. Still married to journalist Sonya Pfeiffer (Teri Wyble), defense attorney David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) relocated to Toronto in 2021, where he works for litigation and corporate law firm Brauti Thorning LLP. Then I went and realized, no, I can't. After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by Michaels long and public battle against the justice system. 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. 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. No, not that staircase. The new owners renovated the property and relisted it in 2007. Along with the aforementioned amenities, the 19-room home also boasts a 3.4-acre lot with a slate patio, an outdoor fireplace, and a large pool (though the latter was, for whatever reason, drained in the MLS pictures). 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. He concluded her death to be a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. At the moment, very little is known about Peterson's private life. 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? Michael purchased the 9,372-square-foot property in August 1992 for $600,000. Pattys death, however, is surrounded by its fair share of mystery and controversy. However, it was nearly a very different ending. Therefore, Michael lives a modest life in Durham, North Carolina. And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Peterson's new living situation: He later met his first wife Patricia Sue, an elementary school teacher, in West Germany. Michael Peterson is the subject of one of Netflixs most riveting and polarizing true crime documentaries,The Staircase. Their son, Clayton, shared that the former spouses cohabited an apartment in Durham, the same town in which Michael and Kathleen had lived. 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? Colin Firth plays the writer in a new HBO Max limited series. Simpson, Peterson wrote a book about the crime titled Behind the Staircase and his website claims its a best-seller! It'll never go away now, it's just a part of our culture., Todd (Patrick Schwarzenegger) stood by his father's side throughout every twist and turn of the case. Her most high-profile works have been in the critically acclaimed movie Blue Is the Warmest Color and in the Netflix series Call My Agent! Police also uncovered transactional emails the supposedly devoted husband had exchanged with a male prostitute in the months before the killing, as well as a plethora of pornographic images on his computer. The same film crew began following Peterson yet again to make the multi-part docuseries for Netflix that will air on June 8 and follow the events that transpired with his 2017 plea deal and the aftermath. "He released his archive to Campos, who then created a fictional account of events, most of which trashed me (which I really don't care about) and my children which I really do care about," Peterson told Variety. The steps sit just beyond the darkened opening on the right side of the kitchen in the photograph above. The couple discussed moving to France and settling in the capital once the trial was finally over. With The Staircase, de Lestrade embarked on a project that took him 15 years to finish, with the final episodes of the documentary coming out only in 2018. Because in fact, the story didn't really end there. "I've always believed he did not do this, and I always will.". At a time when true crime is easily one of the more popular TV genres, Netflix, home of the ever popular Making a Murderer series, is now set to premiere The Staircase on June 8. 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. He missed out on Kathleens life insurance policy, and his step-daughter, Caitlin, obtained a $25 million settlement from Michael via a wrongful death claim against him. The jury found the evidence sufficient to convict Michael of first-degree murder and sent him to prison for life. 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. 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! Kathleen left early; Michael stuck around. 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. 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. Defense Attorney David Rudolf says his famous former clientfeatured on Netflixs The Staircase is keeping it on one level now. Throughout Michael Peterson's murder trial, his ex-wife was not only his emotional support but also his financial, and until her death, she believed him to be innocent. The Staircase airs on Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Deavers ethics and expertise were first put into question regarding the wrongful conviction of Greg Taylor, in 1993, for the murder of Jacquetta Thomas. His moms cancer battle. But, as Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. 'The Staircase': Where Are Michael Peterson and His Family Now? Much like his character in The Staircase, he cultivated a strong social media presence. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor . The reason, according to him, was money. Stalk It: Michael Petersons former house, featured in The Staircase, is located at 1810 Cedar Street in Durham, North Carolina. Investigators swiftly homed in on Michael as a prime suspect as he was alone in the premises with Kathleen when she passed away. Today, Michael Peterson, 78, is still alive and remains a free man. According to Detective Art Holland of Durham police, Kathleen was "splayed out on the floor, her head resting on the landing of a back staircase" details that sparked suspicion due to the awfully close similarities to Elizabeth's death in 1985. Now aged 74, Michael Peterson is still living in North Carolina - but no longer in the 3.4-acre property in which is wife died. Who is Viktor Bouts wife? Another constant during the lengthy legal ordeal was Michael Peterson's first wife, Patricia "Patty" Peterson. Peterson's defense attorney David Rudolf told Oxygen in 2019 that Peterson is currently living in Durham in a ground floor apartmentso no staircase. Duane Deaver, a blood splatter expert, had testified that the evidence pointed towards murder. 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. Her parents influence on her career, Where is Mary Roach from American Idol now? Rudolf, sick of negative depictions of criminal defense lawyers, got on board. Most eerie of all, though, is the fact that a segment took place on the infamous back staircase! 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. 2023 Dirt.com, LLC. Newsweek has everything you need to know about his relationship history: No, Michael Peterson does not have a new wife today. He also wasn't a fan of the portrayal of himself and his client regularly fighting, the implication Peterson kept important information secret from him, and the depiction of his relationship with reporter Sonya Pfeiffer. In 2019, he toldDr. Philthat Elizabeth fell down the stairs after suffering a stroke. The pair moved in together in 2019. Currently, Rudolf is in occasional contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The home where Michael Peterson allegedly killed his wife, Kathleen, nearly two decades ago as documented in the docuseries "The Staircase" is now on the market for a pricey sum. Elisa Guimares is a feature writer at Collider. The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . a livestream that has since been uploaded to YouTube, Margaret co-produced a documentary feature titled, he was also not happy with the fictional adaptation of his docuseries, The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix Right Now, 10 Best Reality Competition Shows Returning In 2023. Heres what went on in their lives after the events portrayed in The Staircase. The prosecution didn't accuse Peterson of Ratliff's death at his trial. 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.". 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. She's a journalist, a translator, a linguist, an aspiring author, a lover of trivia games, and a first time cat owner. She also campaigned for the Durham County District Court, to no avail. The Staircase follows Michaels more than decade-long legal battle toward freedom and paints a portrait of the Peterson family both before and after Kathleens death. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Then there was Kathleens $725,000 life insurance policy (which doubled to $1.4 million in the case of accidental death) of which Michael was the beneficiary (not to mention the almost $400,000 in deferred compensation benefits he was owed from Nortel upon her passing). Michael had two sons - Todd and Clayton - from his first marriage. 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. Despite the fact Michael was the one to call 911 the night Kathleen allegedly fell down the stairs, Michael soon . "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. Dirt is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany at the time and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. As a result, he was re-sentenced to time served and released from prison at that time. 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. The filmmakers had explored the American justice system in a case with a public defender, and wanted to explore a case with a wealthy defendant. The listing marketed the residence as having been featured in a Netflix documentary. I might have left that bit out, but what do I know because the place sold the following month for $1.6 million. While an Alford plea is not an admission of guilt, it signifies that the defendant agrees there is enough evidence in any given case to result in a guilty verdict. I felt that I wanted to keep my inspiration, my motivation, and the sense of the source material, as much as possible contained within the script and the way it was written.. "I'm too old. 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. Peterson had a different rationale, Rudolf said. His defense. 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." Michael was resentenced to 86 weeks in prison but was let free since he had already served more than that time. "But we parted ways because he had to go do an 'Indiana Jones.'" The two lived together until Patty's deathfrom a massive heart attack in July 2021. Selling the house at its [original $1.175 million] asking price would still not cover all of Petersons debts.. Where is Michael Peterson now? 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. 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 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. Peterson sold the five-story home he lived in with Kathleen. And according to .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}Newsweek, Peterson entered a relationship with an editor on the 2004 documentary The Staircase, and the two dated from 2011 to 2017. Clayton and Todd chose to live with their mom, while Martha and Margaret moved to North Carolina with Michael. Still estranged from her step-siblings, she currently lives with her husband and twin children in Virginia. He said that when he previously prepared for a role, he liked to delve right in and get "to the heart" of the character. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. He's in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation," Rudolf shared. Played by Sophie Turner, Margaret is the eldest daughter of Air Force captain George Ratliff and his wife, Elizabeth, who lived next door to Michael and Patty Peterson in Germany. Behind the Staircase and Beyond the Staircase were self-published in 2019. In 2001, Kathleen died on the staircase of the Peterson home in Durham, North Carolina. 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. He also opines that by agreeing to pay, he would be admitting to murdering Kathleen. 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. A retrial was later ordered after the judge vacated the jury's verdict in 2011, finding that the blood splatter analysts gave a false and misleading testimony in the first trial, resulting in an unsound conviction. 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. 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. The couple also hosts a podcast together, Abuse of Power, which focuses on stories of people victimized by the justice system. After breaking up with Sophie ( Juliette Binoche) and refusing to move to Paris, Michael went to live with his ex-wife Patty ( Trini Alvarado ). Above (L-R): Tim Guinee, Sophie Turner, Colin Firth, Olivia DeJonge, Patrick Schwarzenegger appear as the Peterson family in "The Staircase" on HBO Max. He also stated that he had worked on 500 bloodstain cases. It explores the life of crime novelist Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). 21. He explained: These are created characters but we all know what the source is. Michael donates the proceeds from his book to charity as he wouldnt be allowed to keep them for himself. At the time, Council of Residential Specialists spokesman Jack Cotton expressed that the murder shouldnt affect the sale, telling The News & Observer, Crimes of passion dont have a huge negative impact on the value of the house. Although law enforcement may say the case is closed, there's still unanswered questions and various theories surrounding Kathleen's death we may never know for sure. They dated until 2017. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Kathleens death, and spent nearly a decade behind bars. 2020s Latitia is a true crime drama about the 2011 abduction of 18-year-old Latitia Perrais. Michael and Patty split up in 1986. 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. He currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he works as an engineer. Todd also claims his father cheated on Patty with Kathleen. The miniseries will draw on the2018 Netflix documentarythat followed the same case. Michaels wife was found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couples residence. In 2002, his film Murder on a Sunday Morning, about the wrongful accusation of a Black teenager for the murder of a tourist in Jacksonville, Florida, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. He was not a friendly columnist. And [Sophie] said, well, if you can't commit to live with me all the time, let's end it and it was a great blow to both of usI could not give her what she really needed and deserved.". They didnt really care whether he did it or not, Rudolf said Friday at CrimeCon in New Orleans. Then I went and realized, no, I can't. Meanwhile, Peterson said he felt "pimped out" by Lestrade for allowing HBO access to footage for a fee and co-executive producer credit. At the center of the story is Kathleen and Michael's sprawling Colonial home, located in Durham's tony Forest Hills neighborhood. The woman who The Staircase viewers may be mistaking for Peterson's new wife could well be Sophie Brunet (played by Juliette Binoche), an executive producer of the Jean-Xavier de Lestrade documentary, also titled The Staircase. Brad even testified at Michael Peterson's trial and under cross-examination, stated Michael Peterson spoke about Kathleen Peterson, calling her a "dynamite wife," reported the NZ Herald. I can't live in Paris. Since his release, Michael has avoided staying in houses with staircases, which is perhaps a good idea. .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}Who Was Mallory Beach in 'Murdaugh Murders'? When investigators looked into her death though, they suspected foul play due to the shocking amount of blood on the scene, and that the only witness was her husband. They lived together in Durham up until Pattys death from a heart attack in 2021. It is a great deal for the district attorney.". "They were companions," he told The News & Record. It's the story of novelist Michael Peterson and the trial that followed his arrest for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. Petersons overall nonchalant demeanor and regular giggling over aspects of the case are certainly perplexing. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of their staircase with severe injuries. Following his release from prison, Michael Peterson, 78, has written two books detailing a behind-the-scenes account of his trial, imprisonment, and life after jail. The docu-series follows Petersons trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen. 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. The writer produced a memoir in 2009 called Behind the Staircase, and a sequel Beyond the 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. In this case, the house was an innocent bystander. Buyers didnt agree, though. In Michael Peterson's case, however . The couple shared two sons, Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson. Game of ThronesactressSophie Turnerwill appear as one of Michael's adopted daughters, Margaret Ratliff. The shy, dull, and very British Mark Darcy is as far as you can get from the confounding and unpredictable American novelist Michael Peterson. 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. While living together, Michael and Patricia became close with their neighbors-turned-friends George and Elizabeth Ratliff. In addition to losing the civil suit his step-daughter, Caitlin Atwater, brought against him, Peterson also lost out on Kathleen's $1.4 million life insurance policy, per WRAL, and the home that they shared was put on the market in 2020, per The Sun. Michael was resentenced to 86 weeks in prison but was let free since he had already served more than that time. Nowadays, Margaret lives in California and works in the entertainment industry as an actor, assistant director, and production manager, among other things. 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.
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