Michael Peterson's Infamous Murder Trial

In 2022 HBO released "The Staircase", a series on the rollercoaster trial of North Carolina author Michael Peterson. He was convicted of murdering his second wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. HBO's is just one of many series on this case. Here are the case details:

Michael and Kathleen had been married four years when on December 9, 2001 Michael reported to authorities that he had found his wife unconscious. He suspected she had fallen down their stairs after consuming alcohol and valium.

Toxicology results showed Kathleen had a blood alcohol content of .07 (more than 3x the legal limit to drive in the US). The autopsy concluded that she had died due to numerous injuries including skull fractures consistent with being hit by a blunt object.

The defense's forensic expert Henry Lee who testified that the blood-spatter evidence pointed to an accidental death from a fall down the stairs. However, because Michael was the only one home at the time of her death, he was the prime suspect and was charged with murder.

Michael Peterson pled not guilty, but medical examiner Deborah Radisch concluded that Kathleen's death was the result of a homicidal assault with a light, rigid weapon - likely a custom fireplace poker that was in the house at the time.

A central factor in the trial was Michael Peterson's sexuality. The prosecution introduced his bisexuality and theorized that Kathleen was infuriated upon learning of his sexuality and extramarital relations with men. A heated argument ensued leading to her demise.

Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend of the Peterson's, was also found dead at the foot of her staircase in 1985. Michael Peterson was the last known person to see her alive. Her death was initially thought to be accidental, then ruled a homicide - contributing to Peterson's trial.

The Peterson trial was one of the longest in North Carolina history. On October 10, 2003 the jury found Peterson guilty of murder, and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

In late 2009 T. Lawrence Pollard, a neighbor of the Peterson's and an attorney not involved in the case, theorized that a barn owl might have attacked Kathleen, causing her to rush inside and hit her head on the stairs. Microscopic owl feathers were found at the scene.

After spending 8 years in prison, Peterson was released on December 16, 2011 under house arrest due to discovery that Duane Deaver, an SBI analyst and main witness against Peterson, had submitted false and misleading evidence. In 2017 Peterson's sentence reduced to "time served".