The Shocking True Story of The Staircase

The Shocking True Story of The Staircase

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be discussing The Shocking True Story of “The Staircase.”

For this essay, we’ll be looking at the scandalous and outrageous tale behind HBO Max’s dramatized true crime mini-series.

Are you watching “The Staircase”? Let us know in the comments.

In December 2001, emergency services received a frantic call from novelist Michael Peterson claiming that his wife Kathleen had fallen down the stairs. However, when the authorities arrived, she had passed. The nature of her injuries cast doubt over his initial story, and he was arrested. The mini-series starring Toni Collette and Colin Firth delves into this mysterious case and what unfolded.

So what did Peterson allege happened? Well, he said that he'd been in the backyard at the time of the incident, and was therefore unable to hear anything going on in the house. He claimed that a mix of Valium and alcohol might have been to blame for what happened. However, the medical examiner refuted his story, saying Kathleen’s injuries weren't ones one might receive after a fall. It was also reported that her blood-alcohol level was so low when the incident occurred that she could have passed a breathalyzer test.

Meanwhile, Peterson's claims that his wife was still breathing during his first emergency call also raised suspicion. By the time the paramedics arrived, the blood had apparently dried, suggesting that some time had passed since her fall. The detectives also noted how neatly staged the scene appeared. The details of the matter led the prosecution to believe that a blunt object was used to kill Kathleen. Michael Peterson was ultimately arrested, and in July 2003, his first trial began.

Michael and Kathleen, their children from respective former relationships, and two more adopted daughters seemed like they were the perfect happy family. Mr. Peterson was a Vietnam War vet, novelist, and failed Durham mayoral candidate. In fact, their life before that fateful night has been painted as pretty picture-perfect, so what could have been his motive?

The prosecution uncovered that he was bisexual and might have been having extramarital affairs. It’s unclear whether or not Kathleen was aware of her husband’s sexuality, let alone his infidelities. Regardless, the prosecution used this angle to impugn Peterson's character. They believed that Kathleen had uncovered photos of naked men on his computer, as well as interactions with a male escort. They argued that he killed her after she confronted him over her findings.

Another consideration was that the family was in serious debt, and that he plotted this crime for the insurance payout.

One especially interesting detail from the trial involved the pair's adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret. For some years, Peterson lived in Germany with his first wife, Patricia. That’s where they befriended the girls’ parents, Elizabeth and George Ratliff. George passed away, and in 1985, Elizabeth was discovered lifeless at the bottom of her staircase. After that, Michael became her daughters' legal guardian. She was believed to have suffered a stroke, but given the circumstances surrounding Kathleen’s passing, they conducted a post-mortem examination. Elizabeth’s death was then ruled a homicide. It didn't help that Peterson had been at Ratliff’s house the night before she died, helping with her kids.

With so many shocking twists and turns, you might wonder what the defense could have possibly argued. Well, they stuck to Michael’s original story that Kathleen had simply fallen. They largely pinned the oddities of the case on the police, notably claiming that they did a bad job securing the scene. They also pointed to the fact that the prosecution hadn’t been able to convincingly identify a murder weapon. Plus, there were no skull fractures, which you’d normally find if the cause of death was blunt force trauma. As for the odd links between Kathleen and Elizabeth’s deaths? Well, they largely chalked it up to “coincidence.” In other words, the defense’s position was that it was all a horrible accident.

Still, on October 10, 2003, the jury declared Michael Peterson guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Importantly, the ruling came without any possibility of parole. Even so, Peterson kept insisting that he was innocent.

At one point, a strange but interesting theory formed courtesy of Larry Pollard, a lawyer who was the Petersons' neighbor. He suggested that Kathleen's untimely death could have been due to a barred owl attack. He claimed that this was a fairly common occurrence in their town. He suggested that one of these birds had gone after Kathleen when she entered the home, resulting in her injuries and tragic death.

As far-fetched as it might sound, there is apparently some evidence to support the notion. Tiny feathers and slivers of tree wood were present in clumps of hair in Kathleen’s hands. What’s more, the wounds on her head could have been from a talon, especially given their unusual shape. Of course, it also raised some questions, like wouldn't Michael have seen or heard a bird big enough to cause a fatality?

Peterson’s legal team later tried to appeal his case, arguing that the client was entitled to a retrial due to judicial errors. But they were unsuccessful at every turn. They even took the matter to the North Carolina Supreme Court, but to no avail. A subsequent motion for a new trial a few years later was also rejected. At this point, it seemed like there was no real possibility that Michael Peterson would ever walk out of prison.

Things changed drastically in 2011. Indeed, Duane Deaver, the case’s blood-spatter analyst, was fired following an independent audit that caught a slew of mistakes across about 34 of his cases. He’d also supposedly presented misleading evidence at trial, and had lied about his qualifications. Thus, Peterson got a new trial, and was let out on bail under house arrest.

In 2017, Peterson opted to apply for an “Alford plea.” This meant that he could continue to assert his innocence while admitting that the evidence was stacked against him. He was released with credit for time served, and that was essentially the end of it. Prosecutors reportedly asserted that they hoped this provided “a measure of justice” for Kathleen’s family.

French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade documented much of the overall case in his 2004 Peabody award-winning docuseries of the same name, and followed up on the story’s developments in subsequent years. You can find the full work on Netflix.

The HBO Max show begins in 2017, before flashing back to the pivotal night in 2001. Over the course of the miniseries, audiences see the Petersons’ seemingly idyllic life and witness the struggles they faced behind closed doors. The program goes back and forth between timelines, chronicling the many events that took place in the time following Kathleen’s passing. Although there’s a gray area given the real trial’s outcome, the show’s themes seem to be those of truth and justice, much like the French documentary.

Peterson, who is 78 as of May 2022, currently lives freely. In 2019, he was said to be back in North Carolina, living in a home that, as his attorney calculatingly emphasized, had “no stairs.” He’s also released two books about his ordeal called “Behind the Staircase” and “Beyond the Staircase,” the proceeds of which were apparently given to charity. As for what really happened that fateful night? We’ll probably never truly know.