Returning to the Scene of the Crime. The house was showing signs of wear, too, with many expensive much-needed repairs awaiting completion. What Happened to Michael Peterson After Prison? Pattys death, however, is surrounded by its fair share of mystery and controversy. However, since the release of the HBO miniseries, his Instagram profile has been deleted. Selling the house at its [original $1.175 million] asking price would still not cover all of Petersons debts.. 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. After Michael and Pattys divorce, they went to live with Michael and Kathleen, whom they called mom, in the United States. The film, which examines the ethics of documentary filmmaking, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. 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. He admitted it made him question if there is actually no "fixed core to characters." The steps sit just beyond the darkened opening on the right side of the kitchen in the photograph above. He was not a friendly columnist. In this case, the house was an innocent bystander. Buyers didnt agree, though. 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. Michael and Kathleen led an extravagant lifestyle and were, by all accounts, happy. All Rights Reserved. The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . 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. Kathleen was apparently bludgeoned to death after a medical examiner noticed several lacerations on her scalp. Nowadays, Margaret lives in California and works in the entertainment industry as an actor, assistant director, and production manager, among other things. Read ahead to learn more about Michael Peterson and where he is now. The TV drama miniseries focuses on the real-life 2003 murder trial that saw Michael accused of . I couldn't afford to live in Paris, and my children and grandchildren were in America." 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). "He's living in Durham I'm not sure why he's living in Durham, but he is," Rudolf told the audience at CrimeCon. 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. Kathleen Peterson, ne Hunt, and Michael Peterson became acquainted when Kathleen Peterson moved to Durham and became one of Michael's neighbors. Most eerie of all, though, is the fact that a segment took place on the infamous back staircase! Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way. However, Colin Firth has won over critics, with the show earning a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. Today, Michael Peterson, 78, is still alive and remains a free man. 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.. Above (L-R): The real Todd Peterson, Martha Ratliff, Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore, and Clayton Peterson. Currently, Rudolf is in occasional contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Peterson's new living situation: It occurred when Michael and Kathleen were visiting Germany and dropped by the home of their friend, Elizabeth Ratliff. After serving in the Vietnam War, he began to write novels and newspaper columns about his experiences following his honorable discharge in 1971. Michael purchased the 9,372-square-foot property in August 1992 for $600,000. His character in the show is a troubled young man who decides to turn his life around. At first, their two sons lived in Germany with their mother but eventually went to live in Durham, North Carolina with their father. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Because of all of the twists and turns that developed in the case, from the death itself having multiple theories, to the news of another woman from petersons past dying in a similar fashion, The Staircase originally premiered on TV in 2004 with eight episodes detailing the case and trial. However, the same type of plea, contrary to the assertion Peterson has made in his books about his experience following his release, is not synonymous with his conviction being overturned. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All the evidence added up to a guilty verdict and on October 10, 2003, Michael was sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole. His plans, he said, are to spend the time he lost behind bars with family and write a new book. That wasnt what the documentary was going to be about. He donated all of the proceeds to charity. Petersons overall nonchalant demeanor and regular giggling over aspects of the case are certainly perplexing. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Colin Firthwill play the main subject Michael Peterson; the role was originally slated to be played by Harrison Ford. Kathleen and Michael had been married since the 1990s and had quite the blended family. It was a huge financial blow to Michael. As it turned out, thats what happened. Who is Viktor Bouts wife? Due to the impact of Duanes testimony, the court ordered a retrial for Peterson. 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. In July 2020, Michael and Kathleen Peterson's five-story mansion where Kathleen lost her life was put up for sale. 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. 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. 21. 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. Much like Peterson and Brunet, he was also not happy with the fictional adaptation of his docuseries and claimed that Campos misinterpreted facts in a way that paints him as an unethical filmmaker. 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. 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. Unlike Michael and Todd, he has never spoken publicly about The Staircase. Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. Black died in 2018, at age 57 of end-stage liver disease. Meanwhile, Peterson said he felt "pimped out" by Lestrade for allowing HBO access to footage for a fee and co-executive producer credit. "We could have put a little blimp over my head saying, 'Jewish lawyer from New York,'" he said. "I've always believed he did not do this, and I always will.". Ratliff died at the age of 43. 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. I don't speak French. His moms cancer battle. One of the most puzzling revelations of his trial was that in 1985, Michael was the last person to see Elizabeth Ratliff before she was discovered dead at the bottom of a staircase. While many elements have been updated, the layout is the same, making it very recognizable from The Staircase.. And so, instead of watching some fictionalized account, we see the real thing happening. At the time of her mother's death, Caitlin Atwater supported her stepfather and after his arrest told the press of his innocence. Sue remained supportive of Peterson through his trial, incarceration, and release. 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. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. Peterson's adopted daughters, Margaret and Martha, live in California . But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an. Michael Peterson married Patricia Sue in 1968 and they later welcomed two boys: Todd and Clayton. Brunet still works as a film and TV editor in France. Firth told Deadline that he didnt meet Michael before playing him in HBOs The Staircase. 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. He was less than pleased with the HBO Max miniseries and claimed to feel betrayed by documentarist Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. 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. Currently living in Colorado, Martha works as a psychotherapist, helping people that suffer from the same problems that afflicted her. June 8, 2018. Elisa Guimares is a feature writer at Collider. The couple also hosts a podcast together, Abuse of Power, which focuses on stories of people victimized by the justice system. The true extent of Michael Peterson's physical relationships with men remains unknown. Email us atexclusive@the-sun.comor call212 416 4552. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. During filming, Peterson began dating one of the documentary editors, Sophie Brunet. To recap the case, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of her . Currently, he resides in Durham, North Carolina but has since sold the house. The couple shared two sons, Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson. Therefore, Michael lives a modest life in Durham, North Carolina. On December 1, 2009, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their North Carolina home. According to their son Clayton Peterson, Michael and Patricia lived together between 2019 and 2021 as "companions. I guess the steps were just destined to be onscreen. 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