After serving in the Vietnam War, he began to write novels and newspaper columns about his experiences following his honorable discharge in 1971. The two lived together until Patty's deathfrom a massive heart attack in July 2021. (The house was on the market for $1.9 million, according to ABC 11 News.). Who is Viktor Bouts wife? Peterson, who shared a fortune with his wife Kathleen Peterson up until the time of her death, referred to himself as "indigent" during the later episodes of "The Staircase," which were filmed following his 2011 release from prison. 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.". Prosecutor Says, Scott Peterson Will Be Re-Sentenced to Life in Prison After Death Sentence Was Overturned in 2020, Man Who Killed Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's Roommate in Italy, Is Freed from Prison, the limited series is very much a true story, the jury found Michael guilty of Kathleen's murder. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for writing, publishing two books about his trial, his life behind bars, and the taste of freedom. He concluded her death to be a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. At a time when true crime is easily one of the more popular TV genres, Netflix, home of the ever popular Making a Murderer series, is now set to premiere The Staircase on June 8. It'll never go away now, it's just a part of our culture., Todd (Patrick Schwarzenegger) stood by his father's side throughout every twist and turn of the case. 21. Peterson's current financial state, while up for speculation, is most likely a shadow of what it was in 2001. 2023 Dirt.com, LLC. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. His defense. 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. 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. He's in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation," Rudolf shared. She did not sign the deed over to Michael until their divorce was finally finalized in 1996. Where is Michael Peterson now? Michael was seemingly innocent at first as he was the one who dialed 911 after finding Kathleen at the base of their steps. "He released his archive to Campos, who then created a fictional account of events, most of which trashed me (which I really don't care about) and my children which I really do care about," Peterson told Variety. 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. Currently, Rudolf is in occasional contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. The staircase where Kathleen Peterson was found dead on Dec. 8, 2001 is seen above Credit: Netflix. But, in February 2017, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an. Michaels wife was found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couples residence. Despite the fact Michael was the one to call 911 the night Kathleen allegedly fell down the stairs, Michael soon . I don't speak French," Peterson admitted to The News & Observer. Currently, Rudolf is in "occasional" contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. In addition to losing the civil suit his step-daughter, Caitlin Atwater, brought against him, Peterson also lost out on Kathleen's $1.4 million life insurance policy, per WRAL, and the home that they shared was put on the market in 2020, per The Sun. 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. Since his release, Michael has avoided staying in houses with staircases, which is perhaps a good idea. They did, however, use her death as an example of an incident that could help him "fake" Kathleen's accident. Like Patty's father, Michael Peterson was a military man, having served in Vietnam as part of the U.S. Marine Corps from August 1968 until September 1969. 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. Michael purchased the 9,372-square-foot property in August 1992 for $600,000. Before the new trial commenced, Peter submitted an Alford plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was set free as hed already served time for murder. He still lives in Durham, though in a ground-floor apartment, which David Rudolf explained to Oxygen has no stairs that was a really important accommodation. Ill say! Is Riley Keough Singing in Daisy Jones & The Six? The newlyweds were captured gloriously posing for photos on the homes staircase. Most eerie of all, though, is the fact that a segment took place on the infamous back staircase! But, theres one thing that pretty much everyone can agree on: The man needs to avoid a home with staircases. They dated until 2017. He missed out on Kathleens life insurance policy, and his step-daughter, Caitlin, obtained a $25 million settlement from Michael via a wrongful death claim against him. Ahead of Michael Petersons' trial, Ratliff's body was exhumed for a second autopsy in April 2003, where a Durham medical examiner concluded the cause of death as "homicide." 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. Im innocent. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. The new owners renovated the property and relisted it in 2007. He also stated that he had worked on 500 bloodstain cases. 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. Where is Michael Peterson living now? At the moment, very little is known about Peterson's private life. The reason, according to him, was money. During a CrimeCon speech, Peterson's attorney, David Rudolf, shot down reports his client made bank from the Netflix series. However, Colin Firth has won over critics, with the show earning a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2002, his film Murder on a Sunday Morning, about the wrongful accusation of a Black teenager for the murder of a tourist in Jacksonville, Florida, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Earlier this year, Margaret co-produced a documentary feature titled Subject, directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall. In a big twist that fans of the original documentary, The Staircase, wouldn't have seen coming, Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, an editor of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's documentary series. It's the story of novelist Michael Peterson and the trial that followed his arrest for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. Debra Messing Calls a Flatbush Stunner Home on The Mysteries of Laura, Jason Segel Grieves in Style at an Altadena Craftsman on Shrinking, Sean Penn Romances Julia Roberts at a Landmark Reseda Restaurant in Gaslit, 1810 Cedar Street in Durham, North Carolina, Michael Peterson's Former Durham Estate, Made Infamous in 'The Staircase,' Has Sold Once Again, Ellen DeGeneres Buys Another Grand Old Montecito Estate, Debra Messing Calls a Flatbush Stunner Home on 'The Mysteries of Laura'. 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! Portrayed by Olivia DeJonge, Caitlin was Kathleens only biological child and the sole child from the Peterson household to believe that Michael was responsible for her mothers death. Michael Peterson's first marriage was to Patricia "Patty" Sue (now Peterson), an elementary school teacher. They took care of each other.". Taking a cue from O.J. Where does The Staircase's Michael Peterson live now? In 2001, Kathleen was found unconscious at the bottom of their staircase in Durham, North Carolina and was pronounced dead. The Staircaseis set to return to our screens as a HBO Max series. They took care of each other.. He is, however, still connected with his own firm, Rudolf Widenhouse. He currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he works as an engineer. Rudolf, sick of negative depictions of criminal defense lawyers, got on board. After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by Michaels long and public battle against the justice system. In April 2001, they took out a second mortgage to help with the squeeze in finances. 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 stated Kathleen Peterson was aware of his interest in men and his first wife, Patricia Sue, was also there to support Michael Peterson's bisexuality claims. Michael and Patty became even closer post-trial. "He is innocent of any involvement in Kathleen's death," she insisted to The News & Recordin 2014. Todd also claims his father cheated on Patty with Kathleen. At the time of her mother's death, Caitlin Atwater supported her stepfather and after his arrest told the press of his innocence. He had been living with his first wife, Patricia, (although divorced) for the past two years until her death from a heart attack, his son Clayton told North Carolina's News & Observer in 2021. Three episodes in, the series-runners drop a major bombshell: Peterson was the last person to see another woman who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in Germany in 1985. Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff, and she was a family friend of Peterson and his first wife Patricia, who was also living in Germany at the time. At least three people are not fans of HBO's "The Staircase": Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Michael Peterson, and attorney David Rudolf. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor . He was sentenced to time served and is today a free man. Played by Vincent Vermignon, de Lestrade was already an Academy Award winner when he got involved with Michael Petersons case. However, it will be exclusively available onHBO Max. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. And what's his life like today? Where are the real-life people of 'The Staircase' now? They had a real story, which lasted until May 2017. It explores the life of crime novelist Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). He and Patty maintained a close friendship so close that CNN reports she "loaned" Michael $168,000 towards his legal fees in April 2003. The real Patty (Trini Alvarado) not only stood by her ex-husbands side throughout the trials, but she also took him in after his release. Following his release from prison, Michael Peterson, 78, has written two books detailing a behind-the-scenes account of his trial, imprisonment, and life after jail. Get the latest scoop directly in your inbox. Hopewell Junction, NY 12533-5516 Parris Island, SC 29905-1070 Pleasant Valley, NY 12569-7731 Curiously, though he was living with Kathleen at the time, his first wife, Patty, from whom he was separated, co-signed for the loan. I can't live in Paris. The last person to see her alive was Michael Peterson. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way. Kathleen, the familys breadwinner, had deferred much of her income to purchase Nortel Networks stock and though its value once totaled almost $2.5 million, the 2001 crash whittled it down to about $50,000 by the time of her death. Peterson was placed on house arrest in 2011 before his retrial, then officially freed in 2017 after submitting an Alford Plea (he admitted the evidence against him could prove he was guilty, while proclaiming his innocence). Michael Peterson's conviction and life sentence in 2003 was only some of the story. He now believes "maybe everybody's somewhat elusive and changeable and multifaceted. At the time of his wifes death, Peterson had been an accomplished author and shed been a prominent fixture in their community as a businesses executive and engineer, so needless to say, they were an affluent couple. The listing photos show the changes that have been made since Petersons departure. I'm too old. 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. Get our latest stories in the feed of your favorite networks. Michael's late wife Kathleen will be played byToni Collette. According to theNews and Observer, Peterson has not owned the home since he sold it to Jason Balius for $640,000 in 2004. Todd and Clayton are Michael Peterson's sons from his first marriage to Patricia Peterson. The Staircase airs on Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Kathleen Peterson, ne Hunt, and Michael Peterson became acquainted when Kathleen Peterson moved to Durham and became one of Michael's neighbors. Kathleen Peterson, seen above, died on December 1, 2009. Hes living in Durham Im not sure why hes living in Durham, but he is, Rudolf told the audience at CrimeCon. who was found dead at the bottom of their staircase in their Durham, North Carolina home on December 9, 2001 as well as the aftermath. On the flip-side, Petersons former sister-in-law, Candace Zamperini, said during the hearing in 2017 that shell always see him responsible for her sisters death. June 8, 2018. He was convinced it was going to be payback time once he got charged., While some viewers saw Peterson in the film and thought he was a narcissist, Rudolf said he wanted the film to be made for simple self-preservation on his part., He was making it hard for anyone to cheat, or at least to cheat without being caught, Rudolf said. The filmmakers had explored the American justice system in a case with a public defender, and wanted to explore a case with a wealthy defendant. But what happened to him after he took that Alford plea in 2017? I guess the steps were just destined to be onscreen. "We originally had been to Harrison Ford," the HBO show's creator Antonio Campos told Entertainment Weekly. 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. 2020s Latitia is a true crime drama about the 2011 abduction of 18-year-old Latitia Perrais. True-crime enthusiasts have taken a renewed interest in Michael Peterson and the death of his wife, Kathleen, with the premiere of the mini-series "The Staircase". We all know that these characters have names of living people, but its very carefully calibrated to tell the story in a certain way. The miniseries will draw on the2018 Netflix documentarythat followed the same case. Her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany at the time and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. Another constant during the lengthy legal ordeal was Michael Peterson's first wife, Patricia "Patty" Peterson. At the time, authorities concluded that Elizabeth fell down the stairs after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Kathleens death, and spent nearly a decade behind bars. "Michael hasn't made a penny from the documentary," he insisted. However, it might be his hopes of writing a new book that will give him a place in society once again. That being said, it's unclear how Peterson is now making a living or if he has some kind of income. Rudolf said he agreed to participate in the documentary because the filmmakers had won an Academy Award in 2001 for Murder on a Sunday Morning, about a 15-year-old boy wrongfully accused of murder. His life had been dissected and picked apart by the media for almost two decades, and it was high time he got some much-needed privacy. But she never let her own feelings affect the course of editing.". He is portrayed in the Antonio Campos-created series "The Staircase" by actor Joel McKinnon Miller (best known as Scully from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"). He donated all of the proceeds to charity. Nowadays, she prefers to stay away from the spotlight, living a quiet life in Alexandria, Virgnia. But that proved a tad more challenging in this case. Curiously, though he was living with Kathleen at the time, his first wife, Patty, from whom he was separated, co-signed for the loan. Peterson now lives in a 1,200 square foot condo, shell always see him responsible for her sisters death, Peterson will be considered a convicted felon. Throughout Michael Peterson's murder trial, his ex-wife was not only his emotional support but also his financial, and until her death, she believed him to be innocent. "Michael Peterson, you are pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter," Zamperini said, according to local news sources. The novelist spent the past almost eight years in prison after a jury found him guilty of murdering his wife, but in 2011, he was released and since then hes been living a quiet life in Durham, North Carolina, the same city he once lived with his second wife at the time of her death. Firth told Deadline that he didnt meet Michael before playing him in HBOs The Staircase. Michael Peterson murder trial in July 2003. In the final episode of the miniseries, we see Michael Peterson starting to get his life back on track as a free man. . 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. The house was showing signs of wear, too, with many expensive much-needed repairs awaiting completion. 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). The defense, however, disputed that Kathleen was accepting of Michael's bisexuality and that the blow poke (a hollow tube instead of a solid metal stick) he allegedly used to strike her suffered no damage, nor had any remnants of blood on it. Patty was also a staunch defender of Michael. "He visits his grandchildren; he's writing. Nonetheless, he admits that his case has all the makings of a good true crime drama: Now we have the real thing: sex, money, and murder: The Michael Peterson case. 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. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Brunet still works as a film and TV editor in France. The documentary follows Michael Peterson from his wifes death in December 2001 to his release in 2017. She was 78 years old. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for. Like other members of her family, Margaret hasnt received a dime from HBO and claims to have been deceived by Campos, who allegedly told her he would be focusing more on the documentarists than on the Petersons. ", He told the News & Observer: "They were companions. In July 2020, Michael and Kathleen Peterson's five-story mansion where Kathleen lost her life was put up for sale. Her stepfather's lies, including about his sexuality, also played a role, as depicted in the HBO Max miniseries, The Staircase. 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 was less than pleased with the HBO Max miniseries and claimed to feel betrayed by documentarist Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. Peterson's defense attorney David Rudolf told Oxygen in 2019 that Peterson is currently living in Durham in a ground floor apartmentso no staircase. ViaThe Independent, The Associated Press reported Michael moved into a two-bed condo in 2018. Caitlins lawyer filed another complaint against him after his release in 2017, in order to discourage him from making money from the case. Alex Murdaugh trial live stream, updates: Sentencing set for double murder charge. Michael opted out of the trial before it was due to begin in 2017. His character in the show is a troubled young man who decides to turn his life around. Colin Firth will play Michael Peterson, and Sophie Turner will play Margaret Ratliff, one of Michaels adopted daughters. Meanwhile, Peterson said he felt "pimped out" by Lestrade for allowing HBO access to footage for a fee and co-executive producer credit. And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Peterson's new living situation: