In June 2006, he voluntarily filed for bankruptcy. We understand the opportunity to grow engagement with new audiences of all ages and through new partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, along with our podcasts and on-demand SVOD services, we ensure our programming and unique stories reach audiences across the full demographic spectrum. Elizabeth Ratliff, shown in the Netflix docu-series "The Staircase.". Why?? In late 2009, a new theory of Kathleen's death was raised: that she had been attacked by a barred owl outside, fallen after rushing inside, and been knocked unconscious after hitting her head on the first tread of the stairs. A+E Networks EMEA Expands its FAST Footprint with Amagi, A+E NETWORKS EMEA AND BBC STUDIOS TO MAKE PODCAST-INSPIRED TV SERIES EVIL GENIUS WITH AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN AND PODCASTER RUSSELL KANE FOR SKY HISTORY, A+E NETWORKS EMEA ANNOUNCES BRAND REFRESH FOR THE HISTORY CHANNEL ACROSS EMEA, COSMO earns three awards at the Promax Global Excellence Awards. The Netflix series, originally a documentary produced by a French company, examines his original trial. The two were buried side by side after Ratlitt died. There was a lot of blood on the walls . Sixteen years prior, Ratliff's birth. 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. The owl theory was raised by Durham attorney T. Lawrence Pollard, a neighbor of the Petersons who was not involved in the case but had been following the public details. The defense disputed this theory. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. "What's the fucking grounds?" 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. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. 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. NC Supreme Court Opinions and Cases | FindLaw . 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. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. She continued: "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. He killed George Ratcliff by poisoning with arsenic, had an affair with Elizabeth, she was about to out him to his wife and he cleverly killed her, making it look like she fell down stairs. The staircase in Germany where Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead, Michael Peterson with Elizabeth Ratliffs daughter, Martha. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. New statewide softball rankings ahead of conference tournament week, Riverside-Durham alum Jordon Riley drafted by the New York Giants, Fatal crash on Lake Woodard Drive Sunday evening, NFL Draft: Panthers draft Wolfpack's offense guard Chandler Zavala, GOP lawmakers want to pay for students' private education. 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. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. [4] The News & Observer said records did not contain any mention of the two Purple Hearts that Peterson said he had received. 1985 death of teacher now ruled homicide | Stars and Stripes That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Grfenhausen, West Germany. In 2019, he released his own account of his life since his wife's death in an independently published memoir, Behind the Staircase. ]]> The trial drew increasing media attention as details of Peterson's private life emerged. [16][17] A re-examination of the hair in September 2008 had found two more microscopic owl feathers. ), 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. 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. In 2001 the woman Ratliff called "mom," Kathleen Peterson, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in the family's Durham, North Carolina, home. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. After graduating, Peterson took a civilian job with the United States Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam. While looking for something in the study or den, Kathleen either stumbled upon the emails exposing Michaels bisexual desires either on the computer or possibly a hard copy of something. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. At the time, her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. She'd reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. A Complete Timeline of The Staircase's Michael Peterson Murder Case Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband, George Ratliff, were close friends of Michael Peterson and his first wife Patricia Peterson when they lived in Germany in the 1980s. [36] By and large, the jurors were swayed by the amount of blood Kathleen lost and the number of lacerations, which indicated to them it could not have been an accident. [17][24][25], Deaver was fired from the SBI in January 2011, after an independent audit of the agency found he had falsely represented evidence in 34 cases, including withholding negative results in the case of Greg Taylor, a North Carolina man who spent seventeen years in prison on a murder conviction based on Deaver's testimony. Just like with Petersons wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. Peterson wrote three novels based "around his experiences during the Vietnamese conflict":[3] The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. [14][15] Because the ruling was not unanimous, under North Carolina law, Peterson had the right to appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court, which accepted the case. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. Peterson's attorneys had determined that the SBI crime lab report listed a microscopic owl feather and a wooden sliver from a tree limb entangled in a clump of hair that had been pulled out by the roots found clutched in Kathleen's left hand. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. ", Her death was eventually ruled a homicide. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. At A+E Networks EMEA, we share stories that matter. news, features and health. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. 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. 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. Elizabeth died in 1985. 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. The Staircase Netflix Documentary and HBO Max series about the death of Kathleen Peterson and which follows the trial of Michael Peterson. According to Assistant District Attorney Freda Black, Kathleen, "would have been infuriated by learning that her husband, who she truly loved, was bi-sexual and having an extramarital relationshipnot with another womanbut a man, which would have been humiliating and embarrassing to her. The autopsy report concluded that the 48-year-old woman sustained a matrix of severe injuries, including a fracture of the superior cornu of the left thyroid cartilage and seven lacerations to the top and back of her head, consistent with blows from a blunt object, and had died from blood loss ninety minutes to two hours after sustaining the injuries. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of theTerms and Conditions. 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. We want to be famous for creating and sharing stories that matter unique, trusted, entertaining, everywhere. [22], In August 2010, following a series of newspaper articles critical of the SBI, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper led an investigation which resulted in the suspension of SBI analyst Duane Deaver, one of the principal witnesses against Peterson, after the report found his work among the worst done on scores of flawed criminal cases. Ratliff, a. two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. 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. They fought and it turned physical. The Staircase Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? - Collider [citation needed] A juror contacted after the trial noted that the jury had dismissed the idea of the blow poke as the murder weapon.[9]. A photo timeline from Kathleen Peterson's death to husband Michael At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident, and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. As seen on The Staircase, both girls publicly supported Peterson during his trial and became inconsolable when he was convicted. The murder weapon was never identified. Blood at Liz Ratliff's death Story goes there was a lot of blood at the scene of Liz's death, according to the three women who testified at the trial (however, not enough to be reported or photographed by German authorities and American military). How Accurate Is 'The Staircase' on HBO Max? - Newsweek It had been a gift to the Petersons from Kathleen's sister but was missing from the house at the time of the investigation. Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. WildBlue Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Peterson_trial&oldid=1152187173, 20th-century American non-fiction writers, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni, Overturned convictions in the United States, People convicted of murder by North Carolina, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by North Carolina, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Motion for new trial denied by Durham County Superior Court on March 10, 2009, "The Staircase Murders" - 2007 TV Movie written by Aphrodite Jones, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 18:49. While there, Peterson was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and was editor of The Chronicle, the daily student newspaper, from 1964 to 1965. He later admitted his war injury was not the result of the shrapnel wound in Vietnam, but was the result of a car accident in Japan, where he was stationed after the war as a military police officer. The Staircase Murder of Kathleen Peterson: What Really Caused Her Death The SBI cited the bloodstain analysis given in the fourth case as the reason for firing Deaver. 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. From D.A. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. He approached the police suggesting an owl might have been responsible after reading the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) evidence list and finding a feather listed. 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? German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. True story behind The Staircase: The marriage of Michael and Kathleen 'The Staircase' on HBO Max: That Ending Explained and All Your - CNET Years later, during the 1999 Durham mayoral election, Peterson claimed he had been awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor, and two Purple Hearts. Peterson was reportedly the last person to see her alive. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. A new motion was filed in August 2010 by David Rudolf, one of Peterson's original attorneys, who acted pro bono in proceedings challenging the SBI testimony. Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? Elizabeth Ratliff, Mike Peterson's friend, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. When authorities found Elizabeth dead at the bottom of a staircase. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Despite speculation that Peterson may have killed Elizabeth Ratliff 16 years before Kathleen's death, something he has always strongly denied, the prosecution in Michael Peterson's trial didn't accuse Peterson of being responsible for Elizabeth Ratliff's death. Jurors Hear About Deaths Of Kathleen Peterson, Elizabeth Ratliff - WRAL.com Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. 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. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. After eight years, Peterson was granted a new trial after the judge ruled a critical prosecution witness gave misleading testimony. A second autopsy was performed by the same medical examiner who had done Kathleen Peterson's autopsy. The coroner determined that the hemorrhage resulted in immediate death followed by Ratliff falling down the stairs after collapsing. 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. Michael Peterson reacts to the news that his old friend Elizabeth's body is to be exhumed and examined as part of his murder trial. 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. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. "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.". On September 19, the Court of Appeals rejected Peterson's arguments that he did not get a fair trial because of repeated judicial mistakes. 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. 'The Staircase': Money, Sex and Secrets - ABC News As one juror explained it, premeditated meant not only planning hours or days ahead, but could also mean planning in the seconds before committing a spur-of-the-moment crime. Peterson defense dissects Deaver's methods, Former NC AG says it will be harder for the State to convict Peterson in retrial, "Mike Peterson gets new attorney for second murder trial", "Judge rules Michael Peterson will stand trial in murder case", "Mike Peterson walks free as 15-year murder case ends with plea deal", "COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Medical examiner explains about-face on cause of death", North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Forensics Scandal Grows With New Evidence of Fraud, "Coming soon by Tiddy Smith DEATH BY TALONS: Did an Owl 'Murder' Kathleen Peterson? The body was then transported from Texas to Durham. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Before Peterson's trial, the Durham court ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's embalmed body, buried in Texas, for a second autopsy in April 2003. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. The. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. 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. "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." How we got here, what's new and why they face resistance, 7 arrested after ALE search at illegal business in Raleigh, Texas man fatally shoots 5 people, including 8-year-old. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. [33] On November 14, 2016, Peterson's request for the second trial to be dismissed was refused, and a new trial was scheduled to begin on May 8, 2017. . 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. The Scene of Her Death The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. After Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987, Clayton and Todd lived with Patricia, and Margaret and Martha stayed with Michael, who then moved to Durham, North Carolina. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. Striving to always do so requires passion. [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. What we do know is that he was found guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen. [2] The Staircase, a 2022 miniseries featuring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, also covers the murder case and its aftermath. Prosecutors have ridiculed the claim, and Deborah Radisch, who conducted Kathleen's autopsy, says it was unlikely that an owl or any other bird could have made wounds as deep as those on her scalp. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. 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. Clayton and Todd later also joined their father. And in such an evolving industry, tomorrow is always today. Here's the OTHER Death at the Center of Netflix's The Staircase. We offer a range of benefits such as a generous pension plan, life assurance and holiday allowance, and there are useful local perks in various offices, and summer Fridays across the whole company. Scan this QR code to download the app now. The documentary offers an intimate depiction of defense preparations for the trial. Amybeth Berner, Ratliff's friend, described the scene at Ratliff's house in 1985 for jurors. Storyville Death on . Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Elizabeth Ratliff and. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. 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. The Bizarre True Story Behind HBO Max's The Staircase The Best Arguments For And Against Michael Peterson's Guilt In 'The
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