Despite not being an official member of the defense team, Bill Peterson (Tim Guinee) played a huge role in getting his brother Michael out of jail. Scroll on to find out. 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. However, de Lestrades involvement with the Peterson story didnt end there, as he was the one to sell the story to Campos. Hes still married to Becky (Hannah Pniewski), with whom he has two children. Man Made Pros and Cons List About Leaving Her, Missouri Man Killed Expectant Wife Who Googled 'What to Do if Your Husband Is Upset You Are Pregnant', Andrea Yates, Who Drowned Her 5 Kids in a Tub in 2001, Annually Declines Release from Mental Hospital, Robert Durst, Convicted Murderer and Real Estate Scion, Dies at 78, Scott Peterson Resentenced to Life in Prison After Being Spared Death, as Laci's Family Confronts Him, Robert Durst's Murder Conviction Will Be Vacated on Legal Technicality, L.A. Kathleen was apparently bludgeoned to death after a medical examiner noticed several lacerations on her scalp. 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 was granted a new trial in 2011, after a judge determined that a key prosecution witness lied on the stand during the original trial. 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. Ratliff died at the age of 43. 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! 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. 'The Staircase': Michael Peterson Family Tree - Where Are Michael According to the News and Observer, Peterson has not owned the home since he sold it to Jason Balius for $640,000 in 2004. RELATED: 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? Murdaugh trial live stream, updates: Sentenced to life Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Meanwhile, Peterson said he felt "pimped out" by Lestrade for allowing HBO access to footage for a fee and co-executive producer credit. It also chronicles the work of French documentarist Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who, from 2003 to 2018, worked on a docuseries about the case also titled The Staircase. As a result, he was re-sentenced to time served and released from prison at that time. 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. Sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Kathleen Peterson, Michael was granted a new trial in 2011 when it was brought to light that a key prosecution witness had given misleading information under oath. He and Patty maintained a close friendship so close that CNN reports she "loaned" Michael $168,000 towards his legal fees in April 2003. In 1983, George died from a military accident, and in 1985, Elizabeth was found dead at the foot of her staircase with head injuries. 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. His guilty plea notwithstanding, Michael still asserts that he did not kill Kathleen Peterson. The 9,400-square-foot mansion at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, North Carolina was listed for $1.9 million on Tuesday, according to local outlet WRAL. "They took care of each other." They were companions, Clayton told News & Observer. 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. During a CrimeCon speech, Peterson's attorney, David Rudolf, shot down reports his client made bank from the Netflix series. "He's living in Durham I'm not sure why he's living in Durham, but he is," Rudolf told the audience at CrimeCon. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Together they had two sons Clayton and Todd Peterson before removing to Germany. Murdaugh sentencing live stream: Watch Judge Newman's decision Then I went and realized, no, I can't. All Rights Reserved. "He visits his grandchildren; he's writing. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. Michael had written a number of stories that were really critical of the Durham Police Department or the Mayors Office. He's in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation," Rudolf shared. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she said that Lestrades The Staircase cost her many job opportunities in the documentary world, including at Netflix. 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. Dirt is a part of Penske Media Corporation. His plans, he said, are to spend the time he lost behind bars with family and write a new book. The front of the house at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, now on its third post-Peterson owner, is visible from the street, but the entire 3.4-acre property is. Their mom had been Elizabeth Ratcliff, the family friend who'd died falling down the stairs in Germany decades before Kathleen Peterson, per Cosmopolitan. Michael had two sons - Todd and Clayton - from his first marriage. Despite the couple eventually marrying, Rudolf insists their relationship had no bearing on her coverage nor granted her any special privileges. To boot, the couple was in severe credit card debt, to the tune of $100,000. 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). "They were companions," he told The News & Record. Kathleen had daughter Caitlin from her first marriage as well. They wed in 1968 and had two boys together, Todd and Clayton. However, back in 2002, streaming hadnt been invented yet, and young Margaret had no idea just how much her life would be in the public eye in the following decades. Speaking to the French publication L'Express, de Lestrade shared: "This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. Colin Firth plays the writer in a new HBO Max limited series. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. ", It turns out Firth landed the role out of pure Hollywood happenstance. Michael L Peterson, 26 from Lagrangeville, NY | Names and Facts In April 2001, they took out a second mortgage to help with the squeeze in finances. Margaret and Michael are both featured in the movie as interviewees. 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. 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.". 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. In . Elizabeth Ratliffs death had a huge impact on her youngest daughter, Martha (Odessa Young). However, Brunet claims to have waited until she was finished with the eight original episodes of The Staircase before sending her first letter to Peterson. In light of new developments surrounding the case, de Lestrade made a new installment to The Staircase saga in 2012, entitled The Last Chance.In this new installment, Peterson's legal team appeal to the courts for a new trial after it comes out that bloodstain analyst Duane Deaver, who was a key witness for the prosecution, had given false and . They settled in 2007 for $25 million, but it is possible that Michael never paid the full amount considering how much strain the trial put on his finances. Michael J. Peterson Contributing Writer at Quora-active since 2013 , Former Indiana All State Choir Zone 3-B chairman 1989-2000, National Council of Japanese Language Teachers Association-board . After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by Michaels long and public battle against the justice system. Were it not for SBI analyst Duane Deavers corruption, Michael Peterson would probably still be in jail. Todd also claims his father cheated on Patty with Kathleen. Who Was Mallory Beach in 'Murdaugh Murders'? The newlyweds were captured gloriously posing for photos on the homes staircase. While the multi-part true-crime docuseries "The Staircase" might not be the gold standard of the genre like it once was at the time of its 2004 debut, it's become the go-to source for the strange case of Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who may or may not have murdered his second wife, Nortel executive Kathleen Peterson. He is, however, still connected with his own firm, Rudolf Widenhouse. Her secluded life and career, Who are Gradey Dicks parents? 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 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. 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 Staircase: Where Are Michael Peterson and His Family Now? - MSN Since Deavers testimony was what eventually led the jury to agree upon Michaels guilt, the writer was released in 2011 under a $300,000 bail and placed under house arrest.