"As he left the administration building, he lit the fuse to a small pipe bomb submerged in a quart jar of gasoline," the paper reported. Though one of the most intriguing individuals in this baffling tale, as appropriately profiled in HBO Max's 'The Staircase,' is not Kathleen or her accused life partner but actually [] Parker Posey as Freda Black in The Staircase. The documentary follows Michael Peterson from his wife's death in December 2001 to his release in 2017. Though Michael Peterson's adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff, had the largest presence in The Staircase of all the Peterson children, his sons were regular attendees in the courtroom, too. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. In fact, post-mortem examinations revealed that her hair contained microscopic owl feather remnants and the lacerations seemed to resemble marks that would be created by owl talons. On December 9, 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the stairs at her home. He was considered one of the best surfers in Australia during the early to mid-1970s and was recognised for his deep tube riding skill, . . "He also left a note in the building's basement that condemned administrators for prohibiting kegs of beer at campus parties.". Is the evidence there to convict him? The children included two sons, Todd and Clay, who were both Peterson's biological sons by way of his first marriage, and three daughters, Margaret, Martha, and Caitlin. This rare type of plea thereby secured his freedom. Celebration of life will be held on a later Spring date. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. David Malvin, age 59, of Atwater, passed on to glory Friday morning, February 24, at CentraCare Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar. His other credit includes Hell on Wheels and The Punisher. Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December 9, 2001. I thought that all the homosexual evidencehowever it was usedwould have been unduly prejudicial to the defense, and probably should not have come into evidence., Although most true crime television series are concerned with solving a mystery and ascertaining the truth, these were not the intentions of de Lestrade. Known For. Michael Peterson served his sentence in Nash Correctional Institution near Rocky Mountain until 2011, after which he was released on bail and was placed under house arrest. But the series' chilling events have left some viewers wondering, "Where is Michael Peterson now?" Despite being convicted of murdering his wife in 2003 and being sentenced . Olivia DeJonge portrays Caitlin in the series. In addition to Kathleens job worries, the Petersons were also experiencing debt problems at the time of the tragedy that ultimately turned the family upside down. That was what inspired him to open his own firm in 1982. She tried to get up, slipped on the bloody floor, hit her head again and died of blood loss." He loved the farming life. However, Peterson claimed that his sexuality was not a secret to his wife, and he asserted that the cops were trying to pin this on him because he had written articles against them in his newspaper column. The house is currently owned by a psychic, who ironically was not aware of the houses history or the Peterson case when he purchased it. Murdaugh trial, Day 25: Defense rests case, jury to visit Moselle, John Marvin testified in his brother's defense today, while another defense witness theorized Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed by two shooters, Murdaugh defense to make closing arguments at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Murdaugh Trial, Day 26: Testimony gets heated during states rebuttal, One dead, driver and 3-year-old injured during crash in Greer, Teen charged, suspect wanted after shots fired during break-in, Upstate woman charged after deadly stabbing in Mauldin, Attorney Jack Swerling Discusses Closing Arguments in Murdaugh Trial, High School in Rutherford Co. responds to reported threat, Veterans Museum of The Carolinas Launches Lecture Series, kelli.radcliff@foxcarolina.com - 864-213-2103. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Not long after, Michael Peterson became the prime suspect and was indicted on the charge of killing his wife. Hudson tells de Lestrade, There were things that I would have changed. Court will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday when the prosecution will begin calling reply witnesses. By entering an Alford plea, Michael pled guilty to manslaughter while still claiming to be innocent. Even Michael Peterson's brother, Bill, concedes the evidence shows something truly awful happened to Kathleen Peterson in the very early morning hours of December 9, 2001. Todd was the first person to see Michael after Kathleen died, as shown in the first episode of HBO Max's new series. Yet, Clayton Peterson, Michael's eldest son, seems to be of special interest for a few reasons. Or to look for what happened that night. Thanks for your time! He was sentenced to prison, but he had already served more time than that, so he was allowed to walk free. Firth is best known for his roles in Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary, Shakespeare in Love, The Kingsman, The King's Speech, and Mamma Mia! Everything To Know About 'Ted Lasso' Season 3, Super Chic Under $50 Home Decor Finds On Amazon, A Timeline Of All This Hailey And Selena Drama, Where Is Elizabeth Holmes Now? During the investigation, detectives discovered that Michael Peterson was secretly hiding his bisexuality. Though none of them have spoken publicly about the case and Peterson's 2011 release from prison, which was made permanent after he entered an Alford plea in 2017, later episodes of "The Staircase," which were filmed from 2012 and 2016, suggest that Todd, Clayton, Martha, and Margaret are still close with their father. An Alford plea allows the defendant to plead guilty when the prosecution has enough evidence to convict, while still asserting their innocence. Stuhlbarg is best known for his role as Professor Samuel Perlman in Call Me By Your Name, Dr. Robert Hoffstetler Dimitri Mosenkov in The Shape of Water, and Abe Rosenthal in The Post. He had also co-written two other books and has worked as a newspaper columnist for Durham Herald-Sun. So now, if you wish to learn more about the individuals Michael Peterson once candidly referred to as his rocks throughout the legal proceedings, that is, his children, weve got the details for you. The latest installment of the series was released on Netflix earlier this year. Clayton Clay Peterson is his eldest, followed by Todd Peterson both from Michaels first marriage with Patricia Sue Peterson, which once made their domestic quartet an undeniably happy one. Photo Gallery MICHAEL Peterson was convicted of killing his second wife, Kathleen, in 2003. Clayton would go on to attend Duke University. However, its imperative to mention that while Caitlin initially vehemently supported her step-father in her mothers tragic demise, she quickly switched allegiance, unlike any other sibling. Not. "After 17 years, I still believe that." Newsweek has everything you need to know about the cast of The Staircase and their real-life characters. Michael Peterson reportedly had a book deal lined up to share his side of the story. So, where is Todd Peterson today? The staircase where Kathleen Peterson was found dead on Dec. 8, 2001 is seen above Credit: Netflix. Why Trust Us? In the early morning hours of December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson frantically called 9-1-1 to report that he has found the lifeless body of his wife Kathleen at the bottom of a staircase in their Durham, North Carolina mansion. Read More: Where is Michaels Brother Bill Peterson Now? Alex Murdaugh listens to testimony from crime scene analyst Tim Palmbach at the Colleton County Courthouse on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. After all, as examined in The Staircase, they were thrust into the limelight not just because of her brutal demise but also because the familys patriarch immediately became the prime suspect. After Michael Peterson and Patricia Sue divorced in 1985, Clayton and his younger brother Todd went to live with their mother. Michael Peterson is an American novelist who came into the limelight after the suspicion of his wife's death fell on him. Peterson was found to have greatly exaggerated some of his war experiences. He was with the daughters when they visited him in prison at one point. Judge Clifton Newman said the jury will view Moselle after the prosecution finishes with reply witnesses they intend to call. At the time, he was only a freshman. Peterson's other son, Todd, resides in Tennessee. And I saw him in clips in and around the court room/house during all the later Appeal stuff. The reason? Her other credits include the United States of Tara and Rachel Getting Married. At the end of the final installment of The Staircase, Judge Orlando Hudsonwho presided over the initial trial, the hearing for a new trial, and the final Alford plea hearingis finally interviewed by de Lestrade. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Even Michael Peterson's brother, Bill, concedes the evidence shows something truly awful happened to Kathleen Peterson in the very early morning hours of December 9, 2001. Both Margaret and her husband. Turns out, the vacation in question involved Clayton planting a pipe bomb in Duke University's administrative building in 1994. 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. Rosemarie DeWitt as Candace, Kathleen Peterson's sister in HBO Max's The Staircase. Totulkaos6 4 yr. ago. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google In 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter and was released on time served. Keep reading to find out. By Julie Miller May 19, 2022 The. Clayton Peterson now lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife Rebecca "Becky" Peterson. www.petersonbrothers.com . Since the premiere of .css-7qz8rz{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#f7623b;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #feebe7 50%, #feebe7);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-7qz8rz:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}HBO Max's true crime series The Staircase, viewers have been revisiting the mysterious circumstances surrounding Kathleen Peterson's death. As if that's not enough, he reportedly loaned his brother around $300,000 to pay for his mounting legal expenses, stayed in North Carolina instead of his home in Nevada as much as possible, and also defended his sexuality publicly. Brunet, an acclaimed French filmmaker, says HBO Max's adaptation doesn't accurately represent her 13-year relationship with accused murderer Michael Peterson. That has many people wondering, who is David Rudolf in The Staircase? What Are Michael Peterson's Kids Doing Today? . . However, the relationship didnt last much longer after Petersons regained freedomthe two split in May 2017. Guinee is best known for his role as the United States Air Force Major Allen in Iron Man and Iron Man 2. A Vietnam war veteran, he wrote three novels- The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace- that depicted his experience in the war. In an Alford plea, one admits that there is enough evidence to prove they are guilty even though they insist they did not commit the crime in question. 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. We want our readers to trust us. Possibly. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. After being arrested for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, Michael Peterson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The first 3 episodes of The Staircase premiere on Thursday, May 5, and the remaining episodes drop weekly on HBO Max. To avoid this, David Rudolf, the lead lawyer for the defense, suggested that the film crew actually be hired as a part of the defense team, so that client privilege would still apply and they would not be required to give up the tapes. Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. The once-giant in the field became a major casualty of the dot-com crash. Palmbach was an expert witness in the trial of Michael Peterson, whose . But the docuseries inadvertently followed the unspooling of their family ties. He also continued to stand by his father's side throughout his trial. The case was eerily similar to what happened to Kathleen nearly two decades later. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In 2004, a family friend named Kerry Sutton told local news affiliate WRAL that the Peterson children were "getting on with their lives." At a Q & A session following the premiere of the final installment of the series at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, de Lestrade said, The purpose has never been to look for the truth. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. (Romper reached out to Michael Peterson's representatives and Netflix for additional statements.). As the outlet noted, their family unit was the product of divorce and an incident that took place years prior to Peterson's trial, one which would become a point of extreme interest for investigators and others who followed the case. Clayton and Todd Peterson were Michael's children with his first wife, Patty, and, like their sisters, they believed their father was innocent of his second wife Kathleen's murder. Read the full blog from Mondays testimony below: Copyright 2023 WHNS. Thomas B. Metzgoff, a Duke University law professor and a neighbor of the Petersons at the time of Kathleens death, includes The Staircase on his syllabus. Michael's wife was found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's residence. It seemed he was always in the courtroom with Michael. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Thats to say, Clayton, Todd, Margaret, and Martha stood right beside Michael at every step of the way, going as far as to give public interviews in his defense as well as help in his trial preparation. He felt relieved when he went inside to find his dad unharmed, but quickly learned that something had happened to his stepmother. The prosecution opposed the visit because lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said additional witnesses would need to be called to explain changes in the scene since 2021. Controversially, Ratliffs death was brought up in the Michael Peterson murder trial. Whether you believe the time he spent locked up was justified or not, Michael Peterson is not the only one in the family to have spent time in jail. The case went through a lot of ups and downs, and several other things came to light, one of which was the death of Elizabeth Ratliff. He spent most of his early life in West Germany and. The farm was where he would shine light on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Caitlin Atwater still remains estranged from Peterson to this day, per Bustle. The kind of twists that the series throws on you leaves you scratching your head. Forensic expert Henry Lee testified that the blood splatter evidence indicated a fall, so the defense speculated that Kathleen had been drunk and slipped down the stairs. Cloud, Sharon (Frank) Brandt of Sartell, Bonnie (Lee) Harrier of Willmar, Carolyn (Peter) Klinghagen of Grove City and Darin (Kari) Malvin of Atwater; grandchildren, Laila, Camden, & Porter Zaeska, nieces and nephews, besides other relatives and friends. When he wasnt at the farm you could catch him cruising the country side to some of his favorite spots enjoying Gods beauty.