Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Like in the HBO Max miniseries, The Staircase true story confirms that Peterson said he was outside by the pool smoking a pipe and didn't come back inside until 2:40 a.m., at which time he discovered his wife Kathleen at the bottom of the service staircase. Lads. Assistant North Carolina medical examiner Deborah Radisch determined that "the manner of death in Mrs. Ratliff's case was homicide," per CNN. The next morning, Elizabeth was found dead at the bottom of her staircase by a nanny, in an eerily similar way to how Kathleen Peterson would be found sixteen years later. While the plea is technically a guilty one, it is not an admission of guilt. Martha had left for college in San Francisco shortly before their lives were turned upside down by Kathleen's death and the resulting fallout. Unfortunately, owing to the way everything played out, as per Netflixs The Staircase, Martha began dealing with anxiety. In the r/UnsolvedMysteries subreddit, someone posted a link to a website with a lot of interesting information on the case. Related:Best True Crime Shows On Netflix Right Now. (2013-2017) WRAL Murder Trials Self - Audience Member / Self. -Esquire. -Esquire, Yes. An image of a chain link. Even in a perfect world. Emily Clute is a features writer based out of New York. How do we know if Margaret is the one who licked the envelope closed? They always sat right behind their dad in the courtroom where he was being tried for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen. Today, Martha lives in Colorado and Margaret lives in California. The four-part series is a dramatic retelling of the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson and the emotional legal aftermath that followed. Martha's going home to Durham for. Candace has remained outspoken about her beliefs, appearing in frequent interviews and documentaries to tell her side of the story. The only testing done that I can remember reading about was on an envelope/stamp that Margaret had allegedly licked, so was never definitive. "I'm trying to [pass on the way I grew up] to my kids. Heres a breakdown of the family members, how they sided during Michael Petersons trial, and where each person is now. Todd dialed 911 within minutes of arriving on the scene. Therefore, the plea to the reduced charge is the better option. For one of his books, he received an advance of more than half a million dollars from his publisher. Since then, shehas appeared inmovies across a wide variety of genres, such asRian Johnson's KnivesOut, as well asLittle Miss SunshineandHereditary. The biological parents of Margaret and her sister, Martha,died when the girls were young, and they were taken in by Michael and his then-wife, Patricia Peterson, while the couple was living in Germany. Here's a breakdown of the family depicted in the new HBO Max series. Since then, Turner hasplayed Jean Grey in theX-Menfranchise andappeared in such moviesasBarely LethalandThe Thirteenth Tale. First, he stood trial for allegedly murdering her, and was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to life. Kathleen Peterson was a loving mother and had a successful career. Shealso lent her voice to the HBO Max Original animated seriesThe Prince. The National Audubon Society explained that according to the theory, a Barred Owl, which is common in the area, became entangled in Kathleen's hair and its talons are what caused the lacerations to Kathleen's scalp. Caitlin Atwater is Kathleen Petersons daughter from her first marriage to Fred Atwater. Streamlined nose. Since then, her filmography has expanded to include roles insuch movies asA Million Little Pieces, Shirley,andThe Professor. The movie was rented on December 9, 2001. On April 18, 2001, Peterson wrote to a paternal uncle of Margaret and Martha Ratliff, the two young women whom Peterson reared after their father died in war and their mother was found dead at the . It's unclear whether this is still something she's pursuing. This theory is supported by the fact that hairs from the front of her head were found on her hands, as well as on Michael Peterson's Diet Coke can discovered on the patio. Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the entire case, Michael took an Alford deal in 2017, declaring guilt without sufficient evidence in order to go free without serving additional time. What if they were swingers? He continues to do so . As is portrayed in the HBO Max miniseries, the story was firstchronicled in a French documentary,also called The Staircase,whichwas later followed up whentwo new episodes were added to the original eight in 2013. In trial, according to the AP News, Zamperini described Petersons account of Kathleens death as a fictionalized story. An initial autopsy ruled her death an "accident." Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. 7: Caught in a Bad Romance, Brandon Sklenar is the Baddest Dutton of Them All, The 'Outer Banks' S3 Finale Is Intense as Hell. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. Michael claimed that she was fine when he left the night before. We may never know. Collette has also earned a variety of awards throughout her career, including a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe. He is not the father, as Maury would say. Kathleen had a $1.4 million life insurance policy that Michael stood to benefit from. The eldest of Michael and Kathleen Peterson's two adopted daughters, Margaret, now 36, got married in her late twenties and is now known as Margaret Blakemore. Thats especially because while Elizabeths death was initially ruled to be from an intracerebral hemorrhage, a second autopsy (from her exhumed body) in 2003 updated her manner of death to homicide. CNN reported that Kathleen had been found at the foot of the stairs in the Peterson home with seven lacerations on the back of her head, bruising on her arms that might have been defensive wounds, and fractured thyroid cartilage in her throat that may have been a sign of attempted strangulation. He and his first wife, schoolteacher Patricia Sue Peterson, had sons Todd and Clayton then acquired two daughters, Margaret and Martha, when the couple's friend Liz McKee Ratliff died. With time served, Peterson was a free man . Now,The Staircase, like the original 2004 true-crime documentary series of the same name, raises questionsregarding what really happened. Growing up, Caitlin was close with Martha and Margaret. Published on May 12, 2022 In the HBO Max series The Staircase, Sophie Turner plays Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael Peterson's adopted daughters. Olivia DeJonge began a career in the world of film and television starting withher 2014 feature film debut,The Sisterhood of Night. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Rudolf specializes in covering high-profile cases. After her death, Peterson raised Ratliff's two girls. A joke on the fact that she is not really his biological daughter? The hemorrhage caused her to fall down the stairs. It had been a gift from Kathleen's sister, Candace Zamperini, and had not been found in the Petersons' home during the investigation. Though Martha and Margaret struggled with allowing their biological mother to be exhumed, the information didn't alter their opinion of Michael. A fervent supporter of his father while he was on trial, Newsweek reported that Peterson's second son is currently living somewhere in Tennessee. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. I can't believe this hasn't been all over this case or doc. His time already served allowed him to walk away a free man. It could have been Martha who licked it. And first, Caitlin also believed in Michaels innocence. Theincident and its subsequent murder trialdrew media attention as Michael was eventually convicted ofkilling his wife. In exploring how accurate is The Staircase on HBO Max, we confirmed that Peterson has never admitted to killing his wife Kathleen. MP's sexual selection of women explains it. A combination of biology and psychology. ", It remains unclear whether the BlockBuster bill was ever paid, who paid it or exactly how large the bill was. The defense team maintained that an accidental fall killed Kathleen, but the fact that the Ratliffs' biological mother died in a very similar way raised suspicions. While theres no true closure that can ever come for an event like this, for a loss this deep, I was ready to walk away and start moving forward with my life.. The coroner concluded that Elizabeth, 42, died from an intracerebral hemorrhage stemming from a blood clot disorder. The HBO show seems to portray her as the favorite daughter so far. Wait - there was a DNA test done in Margaret? It looks like Todd eschews the public eye, so there isn't much information available . Click to reveal Peterson was also a journalist, writing a column for Durham's Herald-Sun newspaper. are you kidding? Celebrity Net Worth reports that the sisters' loving father, Michael Peterson's net worth is $500k from his writing career. Michael Peterson called their son Todd Peterson, who lives nearby, who came over and called 911, Clayton said. He helped to overturn the wrongful conviction of Alan Gell, return hard-earned money to Vietnamese immigrants Hai and Oanh Le Nguyen after it was seized by the federal government, and got several accused murderers acquitted. Candace became an integral force in the case against Michael, even raising the possibility herself that the fire poker she had gifted her sister had been used as a murder weapon. We may earn a commission from these links. Yes. It's fucking so god damn obvious. Thats not a definitive test considering the source isnt 100% for sure to have been Margarets DNA. Yes. Above (L-R): The real Todd Peterson, Martha Ratliff, Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore, and Clayton Peterson. Michael and Patty, along with their young boys, reportedly resided in Germany for quite a while around the 1980s, where they befriended their . good friends with George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Her narrow eyes and thin long nose are IDENTICAL to Michael Peterson. Like his older brother, Todd Peterson supported his father throughout the documentary series. Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were living in West Germany at the time. The HBO Max miniseriesThe Staircaseis based on a true story, and its all-star castlooks uncannily similar when compared to their characters' real-life counterparts. He served an honorable military career and became a published author, newspaper columnist, and mayoral candidate. Michael then married Kathleen. What the fuck?! Liz names Michael and Patty in her will as the custodians of her daughters despite having two living sisters. So, where is Todd Peterson today? Instead, it is an acknowledgment that the prosecution still has enough evidence to likely get a first-degree murder conviction. Margaret and Martha Ratliff have since tried their best to move on with their lives while also maintaining strong relationships with their father as well as their siblings (except Caitlin Atwater). The Owl Theory would explain why Kathleen had sustained no fractures to her skull or brain damage. I'm about 95% sure Michael is her real father. With that said, both Margaret and Martha, who grew up under Michaels care following his divorce from Patty, have always believed in his innocence, whether it be in their mothers case or their stepmother Kathleens. George Ratliff sadly died two years after his wife, and Michael Peterson went on to adopt the couple's two daughters Margaret and Martha Ratliff. Todd said that while his father did have good news about a possible movie, the chance it was actually going to happen was very slim. However, his attorney David Rudolf denied that when speaking with the News and Observer, saying: Elizabeth's alleged murder remains unsolved, but the coincidences in both cases might have swayed the jury. Margaret and Martha's involvement with the Peterson family is a key part of the storyline, including Kathleen's death. It was Elizabeth Ratliffs death, which occurred not long after George Ratliffs death, that became a turning point in Michaels case. Ratliff was Mike Peterson's friend who died in Germany nearly two decades ago. Rosemarie DeWitt has appeared in many films and television series throughout her career, ranging from horror to comedy. 2 of 35. Although DNA testing seems to show shes not his biological daughter, he might be especially caring toward her BECAUSE she reminds him of himself and hes a bit of a narcissist. Rewatching the documentary Im really noticing that he seems obsessed with Margaret. He claims that his father killed his mother for financial reasons, as he had done with Kathleen. Michael Peterson Is Writing. Prosecutors believe Mike Peterson not only killed his wife, but also Ratliff. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Seems like something to be explored. The death of his wife Kathleen, however, sent his life into turmoil. Barred Owl attacks are not uncommon and there had been other attacks in the area. Netflix's The Staircase might be listed as a true-crime documentary, but it's a tragic family drama above all else. As the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger is no stranger to Hollywood. Just the fact they did that so sneakily makes this look even more suspicious. Jump To Who Is Margaret Ratliff? Todd Peterson 2 of 35. After his breakthrough role inA Serious Manin 2009, Stuhlbarg became well known for his performances in such movies asCall Me By Your Name andBest Picture winner The Shape of Water. Who Are Margaret and Martha Ratliff? Margaret more closely resembles Todd and Clayton than she does Martha. At the time, it was determined that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her fall, but during Michael's trial her body was exhumed and autopsied again. From her first marriage to Fred Atwater, Kathleen had a daughter named Caitlin. 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