The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. Although I do feel that the police did not act in all honesty with some of their actions, I do feel that no matter what, the jury saw through the shoddy case and found him guilty anyway. Exposing Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's tendentious film, the Peterson murder documentary: Death on the Stairacse. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. Hardin and his prosecution team (among them Mike Nifong) attacked Peterson's credibility, focusing on his alleged misreporting of his military service and what they described as a gay life he led and kept secret. He later adopted Ratliff's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Some may criticize them as to why they cant see he did it. Netflixs new series The Staircase chronicles the trial of author Michael Peterson, whose wife Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina home in November 2001. "I've read 260 autopsies from blunt trauma to the head, and never once did I see any of your people say the inflicted trauma is clearly from a homicidal assault," Rudolf is heard saying in the documentary. [7] Kathleen's daughter, Caitlin, and Kathleen's sister, Candace Zamperini, both initially proclaimed Michael's innocence and publicly supported him alongside his children, but Zamperini reconsidered after learning of Michael's bisexuality, as did Caitlin after reading her mother's autopsy report. In 2019, he released his own account of his life since his wife's death in an independently published memoir, Behind the Staircase. [18], According to Pollard, had a jury been presented with this evidence it would have "materially affected their deliberation and therefore would have materially affected their ultimate verdict". Both subsequently broke off from the rest of the family. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. It was one of America's most gripping murder trials of the last two decades. However, Radisch's opinion was challenged by other experts in three separate affidavits filed in 2010. There they befriended Elizabeth and George Ratliff and their two children, Margaret and Martha. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. Just like with Peterson's wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned". The News & Observer, Durham's local news outlet, reported how "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned" upon hearing their father's guilty verdict. Reddit - Dive into anything Michael and Patricia adopted Margaret and her sister Martha after their parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, passed away. A medical examiner who examined her body at the scene concurred that the death was probably an accident. Registered in England 112955. Nearly two decades before Michael Peterson found his wife at the bottom of a staircase, a close friend of his in Germany, Elizabeth Ratliff, had also died after a fall down a staircase. Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December9, 2001. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." An autopsy on the body of Elizabeth Ann McKee Ratliff, 43, was performed by the state medical examiner's office April 16 at the request of Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin, who contends that. A quick recap for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. On November 25, 1985, Elizbeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase in an eerily similar way to the way Kathleen Peterson was found on December 9, 2001. As Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. With The Staircase retelling the tale of Michael Peterson and his alleged hand in wife Kathleen Petersons bizarre December 2001 demise, several related matters are coming back into the spotlight. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Elizabeth Ratliff became good friends with Michael Peterson after meeting his first wife, Patty, when the women worked together at a school in Germany. he spits. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. The Staircase will be your new fav true crime show, Fans say same thing about new Will and Kate photo, believed to have been the last person to see her alive, carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of theTerms and Conditions. Here's what we know about the real-life events. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. But they need to put themselves in their shoes, think if you already came from a broken home, wouldnt you try to believe in every last possibility that your parent could not do something so horrific, even if similar circumstances also involved that parent many years before? "The embarrassment is just going to keep growing over this," Laura Harth, the campaign director at Safeguard Defenders, told Newsweek. On April 16, 2003, the state medical examiner's office carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. Fear of this realization getting out, Michael possibly grabbed and shook Liz, his anger finally caused him to push her hard and she fell down the stairs to her demise. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "[8], The defense argued that Kathleen accepted Michael's bisexuality and that the marriage was very happy, a position supported by Michael and Kathleen's children and other friends and associates. I believe they had been around Michael long enough to possibly take on his ability of telling stories, the more they told themselves he did not do it or that he could not have done it, the more they believed it. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. [12] Denial of parole requires premeditation. Amongst them is the 1985 death of Elizabeth Ratliff, primarily because of the way she was found and how her two orphaned daughters soon ended up being adopted by the Petersons. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". //--> Forensic tests revealed that it had been untouched and unmoved for too long to have been used in the murder. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, "Novelist Michael Peterson, Convicted of Wife's Murder, Is Released From Prison and Will Get New Trial", "Hollywood just can't seem to get enough of the Michael Peterson 'Staircase' story", "Guide to the Michael Peterson papers, 19612001 and undated, bulk 1972", "Durham mayoral candidate Michael Peterson fabricated war injury, admits falsehood", "Wife's staircase death at center of novelist's murder trial", "Who is Michael Peterson and why are people talking about him? Around that same time, Elizabeth and George grew close to the Petersons, their neighbors, bonding over Michael being a Vietnam War veteran and his then-wife Patricia being her coworker. "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. The Petersons had dinner with Ratliff and her daughters, and Peterson had stayed and helped Ratliff put the children to bed before going home. The exhumation of Elizabeth Ratliff. Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Lee had also duplicated blood spatter from coughing for the jury by drinking ketchup and spitting it out. An oral argument was heard on September 10, 2007. At A+E Networks EMEA, we share stories that matter. Pollard subsequently filed affidavits[23] to support a motion that Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson order the state Medical Examiner's Office to turn over all documentation related to Kathleen's autopsy to Peterson's attorneys. . In 2017, he entered an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter, meaning he admitted the evidence against him would likely lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but he did not have to admit he committed the crime. We believe that once she learned this information that an argument ensued and a homicide occurred. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Grfenhausen, West Germany. "Rather, they are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts, either from blows to the head caused by a blunt object or by the head being forcibly struck against a hard surface," Radisch concluded. Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. Suspicion surrounding Elizabeth Ratliff's death, Neurosurgeon and owl expert Alan van Norman, Patrick T. Redig, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota, and Kate P. Davis, the director of Raptors of the Rockies, signed affidavits claiming that the evidence and injuries are consistent with an attack by an owl, possibly a. But two years after George's death, as if the Ratliff family hadn't suffered enough trauma, Elizabeth too was found dead - at the bottom of the staircase at her home in Germany. NC Supreme Court Opinions and Cases | FindLaw Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. [5], Peterson and his first wife Patricia lived in Germany for some time. It also examines the role and behavior of the press as it covered aspects of the case. On November 9, the Court announced that it affirmed the decision of the appeals. [20][21] On March 2, 2017 (following his Alford plea), Peterson's attorney filed a motion to allow him to pay for a bird expert at the Smithsonian Institution to examine feather fragments found in Kathleen's hair to determine whether or not she had been attacked by an owl. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. He co-wrote the biographical Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company with journalist David Perlmutt, and co-wrote Operation Broken Reed with Arthur L. Boyd. She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. OR after heaving her down the stairs to make sure she indeed was dead, struck her again a few times with the same item as at the front door-he may not even have had to hit her fast, he could do it more slowly which would not end up leaving castoff on the ceiling, which was an issue at the trial-if he had struck her surely there would be castoff on the ceiling, but they were figuring on it being done in a fast frenzy-he then changed clothing and got rid of the clothing and the item he struck her with. The judges did find defects in a search warrant, but said they had no ill effect on the defense. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. 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. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? Why I believe Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff - Reddit It was the main motive that the prosecution offered at trial for Kathleen's alleged murder (the other being a $1.5 million life insurance policy). Well do everything we can to see you thrive and grow. 'The Staircase' on HBO Max: That Ending Explained and All Your - CNET After Vietnam, retired Marine Captain Michael joined Patty in Germany and the couple quickly became good friends with Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband George, also a Captain in the military. "Prosecutors spent thousands of dollars transporting her boy 12,000 miles from Bay City, Texas to Chapel Hill," Defense AttorneyDavid Rudolf said on "The Staircase." All Rights Reserved. 1985 death of teacher now ruled homicide | Stars and Stripes r/TheStaircase - Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratcliff and What will the King Charles era be called? 'The Staircase': Where Are Michael Peterson and His Family Now? - Collider When the prosecution learned of Elizabeth's death and identified the coincidence that she, too, had died as a result of falling down the stairs, they called for her body to be exhumed from the grave in Texas where she was buried. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. Peterson also worked as a newspaper columnist for The Herald-Sun, where his columns became known for their criticism of police and of Durham County district attorney James Hardin Jr., who would later prosecute Peterson for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen. The trial drew increasing media attention as details of Peterson's private life emerged. The Creators Weigh In, The Bizarre True Story Behind Rachel Weisz's "Dead Ringers" Remake. The pair "had a loving, almost familial relationship," Patty described. According to their analysis, the lacerations were not consistent with blows of any sort, because there was a lack of underlying injury, such as skull fractures or bruising, swelling and hemorrhaging of the brain. Doubt as to the admissibility of the Ratliff evidence in court was one of the grounds for the subsequent appeal against his conviction, lodged by Peterson's lawyers in 2005. Several similarities exist between the death of Elizabeth Ratliff in Germany in 1985 and the subject of this trial, which is the death of Kathleen Peterson in Durham, North Carolina in 2001. The Staircase Netflix Documentary and HBO Max series about the death of Kathleen Peterson and which follows the trial of Michael Peterson. Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? He said they wanted the same medical examiner who claimed that Peterson's wife wasn't accidental to perform the autopsy rather than a neutral pathologist in Texas as he suggested. The defense disputed this theory. Kathleen discovered his secret gay life, confronted him, threatened divorce, they were in . George and Elizabeth's daughters, Margaret and Martha - now orphaned - were taken in by Michael and Patty, and the expanded family continued as normal until the parents split the following year. Ratliff, a. Nearly two decades before Michael's wife Kathleen was found lifeless at the bottom of a staircase, there was a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff whose death would become crucial to the prosecution's story. Newsweek has everything you need to know. I completely feel for his family, especially the kids. What's the deal with Pret's new club subscription? Either of these scenarios give him time, time in which the blood to dry to the point it did when the EMTs got there and noticed it was not wet as it should be, had it just happened. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. Peterson was the last known person to see her alive. They were 2 and 1 years old when Ratliff died.