We didn't get paid anything for the appeal. The final episode of the series is told through three time periods 2001, the day before Kathleens death, 2011, the night before Michaels retrial, and 2017, when Michael is contemplating the Alford plea. "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. "Number two, she left the project in October of 2003. In response, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, argued he had never seen such inflammatory wording used in an autopsy before. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck her children to sleep. Elizabeth had been complaining of severe headaches in the weeks before her death, and it was believed she suffered the haemorrhage while on the staircase, causing her to fall. "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." Shortly after Michael and Patty married, Michael went to fight in Vietnam while Patty headed to the Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, where she worked as a second-grade teacher. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. . He continued: "In other words, by that point, Michael didn't have any assets and the court appointed us to represent him on appeal and paid U.S. court-appointed rates. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. At their request, Ratliff's body was exhumed in Texas in April. However, Rudolf and the real Lestrade have both taken issue with how Peterson's romance with Brunet has been portrayed, believing some scenes implied her relationship with Peterson impacted her neutrality whilst editing the documentary. "So to create the impression that somehow I'm this greedy lawyer, who's forcing my client to sell his furniture in order to write me checks to do his appealI mean that is sort of offensive to me. Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband, George Ratliff, were close friends of Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, when they lived in Germany in the 1980s. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. Earlier Monday,jurors heard testimony froma blood spatter expertwho examined blood stains in the stairwell where Kathleen Peterson died. DA Hardin and ADA Black really hammer home that they found it difficult to believe that Kathleen knew anything about this, alleging that upon discovery of photos and messages on his computer, it led to a confrontation that ended in Michael brutally beating Kathleen to death at the bottom of the staircase. Inevitably, the series includes elements of fiction, particularly the flashback scenes to Kathleen (Toni Collette) and Michael Peterson's marriage and the days leading up to her death. Under no circumstances would they have had a sexual relationship.". In the first three episodes of The Staircase on HBO Max, there have been subtle mentions of a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff, and in Episode 4, audiences learn a little bit more about her. He and Patty later adopted two young daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff, after their mother, Elizabeth Ratliff (a Peterson family friend), died in Germany in 1985. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. However, he maintains adamantly that Kathleens death was an accident. Candace makes an impassioned plea for a dismissal, but the judge overrules her. The prosecutors have also hypothesized that Elizabeths perplexing 1985 passing inspired Michael to fake Kathleens accident in 2001, yet there has never been any direct evidence to back it up. 17 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. 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. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 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. Peterson agreed to an Alford plea, which enables him to maintain his innocence in the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. It's all in the documentary, it's there. In The Staircase, Patty recalls how they would all eat together and how Michael would regularly stay behind to help Elizabeth clean up and put her daughters to bed. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. It wasn't until after Kathleen's death in December 2001 that the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth Ratliff's fall and subsequent death were re-evaluated. Sophie remained the editor for several months on the out-of-court stuff. The series takes great inspiration from de Lestrade's documentary and even includes the director (played by Vincent Vermingon) and his documentary team. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. I do feel that Michael was in a bit of shock as to what happened, it probably all happened very fast as it did back in 1985 with Liz. The deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", state pathologist wrote in her report. They argued to keep the clip showing Peterson interacting with his son, Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan), whereas their producer wanted to include a scene that covered evidence presented at Peterson's trial that Kathleen Peterson may have been strangled. Elizabeth's Ratliff's sudden death in November 1985 became of great significance in the case against Michael Peterson during his trial for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. "Even from this distance I could see that it did not look clear, and that's when he made the statement, right there by her body in my presence, that she had died of a cerebral haemorrhage.". Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. "I could not give her what she really needed and deserved, and that would be a full-time partner living with her in Paris. I couldn't afford to live in Paris and my children, and grandchildren were in America," he said. RELATED: Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. On November 25, 1985, she was found dead at the bottom of her staircase surrounded by pools of blood. "She hadn't gotten to the point where she was seeing other men?" At the hearing for the Alford plea, the courtroom is noticeably less full. In the end, Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson. I can't live in Paris. They call him "Dad" and have supported him without wavering since the second woman they called "Mom"--Kathleen Peterson--was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. She refuses to binge-watch anything. "I was sitting here directly observing when the German medical examiner took the spinal tap and held the contents up so that he could view [it]," said Patty. I don't speak French. His analysis of the crime scene suggested that most of the blood splatter on the . By John SpringerCourt TV.com Aside, from being untrue, it's completely offensive.". Speaking to Newsweek, Rudolf raised several concerns he had about the show's accuracy, including its representation of Lestrade and documentary editor Sophie Brunet, and some small details in the earlier episodes. That's number one. A few people have suspected an affair between Michael and Elizabeth turning sour as his motive for murder, but the novelists former wife Patricia has always vehemently backed him up. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. In the end, Lestrade and Brunet won and the scene with Clayton Peterson was included in the documentary instead. The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. So much so, that Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed and a second post mortem carried out by the Durham Medical Examiner. Additionally, at the beginning of each episode, there is a disclaimer stating the show is "a dramatization based on certain facts. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. The real-life Rudolph is seen above. In 2011, a retrial hearing is granted after Duane Deaver, the analyst that had given the damning evidence against Michael at the first trial, finds himself under investigation. Then I went and realized, no, I can't. Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. 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. Michael is convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the DA in the past. "I don't know that you could possibly make a more serious and damaging claim against a documentarian than that, especially when it's completely and utterly false and demonstrably false. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. When re-examined, Elizabeth's relationship with Michael's family and the details of her passing thicken the plot of this engrossing true crime case. Michael struggles with life outside of prison and sees his children are struggling as well. Michael ultimately takes the Alford plea, which involves the defendant acknowledging there is enough evidence to find him guilty of charges while also maintaining innocence, and is sentenced to time already served. 1 week ago, Here's the OTHER Death at the Centre of Netflix's The Staircase, A Tragic Twist in Part 2 of the "The Last of Us" Video Game Could Tease What's to Come on the Show, 12 Bone-Chilling Serial Killer Documentaries on Netflix Now, Selena Gomez Says She Avoided Her "Wizards of Waverly Place" Costars After Series Due to Shame, Eugene Levy Says a "Schitt's Creek" Movie Is Very Possible: "We're Open to Anything", "The Last of Us" Stars Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey Hit Back at Homophobes: "Don't Like It, Don't Watch", Jessica Chastain Tripped Over Her Dress at the SAG Awards, but It Didn't Take Away From Her Big Win. The details of Elizabeth Ratliff's second autopsy were submitted as prosecuting evidence in Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife, Kathleen. She'd reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. Now as both Elizabeth and her husband were both deceased, the girls Margaret and Martha would surely be left in the care of one of their relatives? 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. Im also sure as he is a master storyteller, that he convinced himself the story he told was the truth and his mind believed it, thus giving his consciousness the ability to feel he was innocent and then able to act the part of the victim as well. 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas "What's the fucking grounds?" , Awesome, Youre All Set! Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. Lawyer David Rudolf (L) and Michael Peterson (R) address reporters after his court hearing in Durham, North Carolina, on February 24, 2017. Some may criticize them as to why they cant see he did it. In 2017, Michael is contemplating taking the Alford plea, in which he would have to plead guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for a reduced sentence, but he could not be retried. Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting center of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see . Con Girl: Where is Samantha Azzopardi now? //-->. I completely feel for his family, especially the kids. Editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters to prison. The nanny who found Elizabeth Ratliff's body in 1985 also took to the stand at Michael Peterson's murder trial and testified to witnesses about a large amount of blood at the scene. Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. More importantly, both Margaret and Martha Ratliff, whose custody was awarded to the Petersons as per their biological mothers final will, also support their father through and through. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Patty described what she saw when she entered the house. Repeating testimonythe judgeheardThursday and Friday without the jury being present, witness Peter "Duane" Deaver said he concluded that Kathleen Peterson was beaten with a blunt object and was struck a minimum of four times. During her testimony, Appel-Schumacher told Hudson that Ratliff was happily married to George Ratliff, who died in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, and was devastated when he died. Michael and his ex-wife, Patty (Trini Alvarado), had become the legal guardians of Margaret and Martha after both of their parents died. In 2001, Kathleen calls Candace to apologize for their argument over Thanksgiving and Michael notices a bunch of owls above their home. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. On November 25, 1985, Elizbeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase, in an eerily similar way to the way Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found on December 1, 2001. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. Do any of us? . All Rights Reserved. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. So that's why today I'm very uncomfortable because I feel that I've been betrayed in a way.". They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to the documentary. After receiving permission from Elizabeth's mother and sister, authorities went ahead with the exhumation. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. Elizabeth Ratliff's Time of Death According to David Rudolf, the biggest flaw in the prosecution's theory regarding ER's death is the timeline and moreover that no one observed rigor mortis when they arrived on the scene. The autopsy report found that Elizabeth Ratliff had died in 1985 from “blunt force trauma to the head” by a “homicidal attack,” rather than of a brain hemorrhage while . What are the side effects of antidepressants? He also said thatthe person wearing apair of bloody shorts and bloody sneakers--both belonging to Michael Peterson--had to be present in the stairwell or just outside when Kathleen Peterson's head or a pool of her blood were hit with great force. It is true that Peterson and Brunet did date, with Peterson confirming to The News and Observer they went their separate ways in 2017. In shock of what just transpired, Michael returned home where he would await news of Liz being found dead. That was then confirmed by another doctor and the military police. Or anyone else for that matter-NO ONE knows exactly what someone has in their home-their own or someone elses) he then went into self-preservation mode-his mind took him back to what happened with Elizabeth Ratliff and so he carried Kathleen or even helped guide her up the stairs, if she was still conscious, telling her he would help her and not to worry, however after climbing a certain amount of stairs, he then ended up heaving her down the stairs. She was the first woman in Michael Peterson's life found dead at the bottom of a staircase, and featured in the aptly titled Netflix series "The Staircase.". Both the German officials as well as the United States military police conducted investigations into Elizabeths case, and their autopsy ruled her manner of death an accident. Shed reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. I'm too old. Elizabeth died in 1985. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. They fought and it turned physical. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. This meant 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. ), I believe Michael and Elizabeth were upstairs in her home, possibly having a romantic interlude, when the conversation turned more serious as Elizabeth asked Michael to leave his wife (Patty) at the time. It was after she left the project that she first sent him a letter. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. Exposing Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's tendentious film, the Peterson murder documentary: Death on the Stairacse. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He later adopted Ratliff's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. 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. Their mom, Patty, decides to relocate back to NC to be near Michael and the boys. Why? 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. Why?? 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. The North Carolina medical examiner performed a second autopsy and concluded that Ratliff was beaten to death and that the German authorities missed the signs. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 1440 GMT <\/span>'); Together, they go to the Durham Herald Christmas Ball. It has been quite a ride, so before we discuss how it ended, lets look at how we got here. The medical examiner rules that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Whether the evidence about Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a particularly swaying influence on the jury or not is impossible to know - but Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson in October 2003. I feel here is where things took a turn. Two Ukrainian women look back at one year of war, Why you shouldn't go into TikTok's "monk mode". During Michael's trial, Cheryl Appel-Schumacher, one of the late schoolteacher's friends, recalled that Elizabeth had severe headaches a few days before she was found dead. Now, if you wish to learn more about this nearly four-decade-old matter, including the undeniable suspicions surrounding the same, dont worry; weve got all the essential details for you. Elizabeth's Ratliff's sudden death in November 1985 became of great significance in the case against Michael Peterson during his trial for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Ratliff, a. And no questions were raised when her close friend Michael Peterson adopted her daughters, Margaret and Martha. So you know, I'm sorry that I have to say this, but I think Antonio Campos [The Staircase on HBO Max director] went way beyond what was ethical for him as a filmmaker to do just in order to either sell this film, or to pump its ratings, and that in my judgment is despicable. However, in reality, Rudolf stated he traveled to Germany to investigate what happened to Ratliff and knew about her death a year and a half before the trial. 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. Bill Peterson (Tim Guinee), Michaels brother, is his biggest ally and works with the lawyers and the family to try and keep everything in order while it feels like chaos. Additionally, he was unimpressed with some of the early court scenes. On the night of her death, Todd pops by and sees Michael and Kathleen watching a movie and having a lovely evening together. Patricia Peterson and Elizabeth Ratliff had worked together at an elementary school on a U.S. Air Base and lived close by with their families in the town of Graefenhausen. When re-examined, Elizabeth's relationship with Michael's family and the details of her passing thicken the plot of this engrossing true-crime case. At the age of 43, Elizabeth Liz Ratliff had created a good life for herself as a teacher for military children, signifying that she often got the chance to travel across the globe for work. Instead, they used her death as an example of an incident that could have helped him "fake" Kathleen's accident. The story follows author Michael Peterson (portrayed by Colin Firth) who finds his wife, Kathleen (Toni Collette) dead at the bottom of the staircase in their Durham, NC home in 2001. "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. 1 day ago, by Njera Perkins The two families were close friends while living in Germany, and Michael was the last person who'd seen Elizabeth alive following dinner at the Ratliff home one night, Michael offered to stay behind and help Elizabeth put her girls to bed. German officials declared that she died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the scene of her death. Its construction of the case emphasized prejudicial aspects, like the judge allowing evidence of Ratliff's death, which a state medical examiner also deemed a homicide, and the prosecution exposing Peterson's sex life so as to use jurors' potentially anti-gay attitudes against him. 43-year-old Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead in her home in Graefenhausen, Germany. host = new String(location.hostname); In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Death: July 29, 2018, Durham, North Carolina, USA (end-stage liver disease from alcoholism) Bio: Assistant District Attorney / Prosecutor Cullen Moss Born: July 8, 1975 Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA Jim Hardin Born: February 1957 Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina, USA Bio: District Attorney / Lead Prosecutor Rosemarie DeWitt During Michael's trial, Cheryl Appel-Schumacher, one of the late schoolteacher's friends, recalled that Elizabeth had severe headaches a few days before she was found dead. "Her injuries are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts". And you can quote me on that. How much, I can't say," Appel-Schumacher testified outside the jury's presence. 1987-United States-Michael and Patty have now since divorced (funny how so soon after this all happened) And in the divorce, the Petersons boys went with Patty while the Ratliff girls remained with Michael. Since his guilty conviction, much has happened in Michael Peterson's case, from a retrial in 2011 to being officially released from prison in 2017 after entering an Alford Plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Viewers new to The Staircase story may have been surprised to learn Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, the editor of Lestrade's first documentary. The DAs case focuses mainly on Michael Petersons lifestyle. if ( host.indexOf("europe.cnn.com") != -1 ) { If you've reached episode three of Netflix's latest true crime addition, The Staircase, you'll have discovered one of many plot twists in the documentary series. The defense countered these claims, arguing that half of Elizabeth's brain was missing during the new autopsy and pushing against the idea that Michael was the last person to see her alive. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. That is f***ing defamation because Sophie was off the project," Rudolf said. The family is ecstatic but quickly learns that not everybody is thrilled and accepting of his release, with public scrutiny at an all-time high. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "They have a scene where Michael's brother is on the phone with me, telling me that he's selling all the furniture, to pay to write me checks for the appeal. Elizabeth Ratliff, shown in the Netflix docu-series "The Staircase.". Elizabeth Ratliff, a 43-year-old widow who taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs on November 25, 1985. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. 1 week ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon "Can people just go dig up graves?". How is The Last of Us TV series different to game? Liz Ratliff also died under mysterious circumstances. Margaret and Martha lived with Michael Peterson but were never adopted by him. 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. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Her life was thus incredibly different from her Rhode Island farm upbringing, especially as shed eventually found herself working at an elementary school at the Rhein-Main Air Force Base in West Germany. First, her death was ruled natural After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. The prosecution shockingly reveals to the jury that, at age 43, Ratliff turned up dead at the bottom of her stairs in 1985, some 16 years earlier. Thats where she first came across Captain George Ratliff, a navigator, only to tie the knot with him in 1981 before welcoming two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. "First of all, Sophie didn't edit any of the courtroom scenes. Ratliff, a close Peterson friend,wasthought to have died from a fall down a set of stairs until Peterson's wife Kathleen died in a similar manner in December 2001. ", However, for Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, HBO Max's The Staircase fell short at moments surrounding its accuracy, describing moments as "inaccurate," "misleading" and "outright false". He did meet with Michael Stuhlbarg who portrayed him in the series and even lent him his real glasses to wear during the film. Just like with Peterson's wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". The Staircase addresses both of those theories, and just like the documentary of the same name by Oscar-winning filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade on which the show is based, whether you believe Michael Peterson is a killer is your own decision to make. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. He also has the option of pleading not guilty and again facing a new trial in front of a jury. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. 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To draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth 's elizabeth ratliff death scene in 2003 when her friend... What just transpired, Michael Peterson 's lawyers took issue with the Peterson family friend who died in in... Ca n't say, '' he said examiner 's assessment it has been quite a,. Docu-Series `` the Staircase. your free profile and get access to exclusive videos, breaking,... Of Lestrade 's the Staircase. try 4 free trial Issues of Time, argued he never! Juliette Binoche ) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters prison... That could have helped him `` fake '' Kathleen 's death in 2003 Martha and Margaret the haunting of! Witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the out-of-court stuff had. Husband George, who was a platonic relationship, '' Rudolf said different. A letter saw when she died of a cerebral hemorrhage her head uncanny. She first sent him a letter Sophie Brunet ( Juliette Binoche ) herself... Ratliff when she died of a jury new String ( location.hostname ) ; in home. Dr. Deborah L. Radisch watching a movie and having a lovely evening together America, Appel-Schumacher. Have helped him `` fake '' Kathleen 's case, prosecutors took a closer look at how we got.... They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to `` the Staircase ''... Kathleen calls Candace to the reduced charge of manslaughter things took a closer look at how got!