"Can people just go dig up graves?". I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. The Scene of Her Death. Netflixs new series The Staircase chronicles the trial of author Michael Peterson, whose wife Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina home in November 2001. 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. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. 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. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery. His only respite is his new relationship with Sophie, the documentary editor, and her letters. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Later, Jean-Xavier shows Sophie the latest footage of his chat with Michael, where he explains his bisexuality. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Rudolf first took issue with some of the smaller details in the series. As it came to light that Kathleen was not the first woman associated with Michael to be found dead at the bottom of the staircase, Elizabeths remains were exhumed for more information. 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 . The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. "There are many things in the first five episodes, which I've seen that are inaccurate, misleading, and outright false," Rudolph told Newsweek. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. Ratliff's two young daughters ended up living with Michael Peterson, and he raised them in North Carolina with his two sons from his first marriage. Patricia has always vehemently backed him up. 1 week ago, by Joely Chilcott 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. After seeing much of The Staircase on Netflix and seeing Michaels narcissistic and cocky personality I believe he tried to make her believe she was crazy to think that or try to make up a story, as that was what he did for a living so it would be easy for him to come up with excuses easily. The two were buried side by side after Ratlitt died. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. 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. 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. Ok so here is my theory for the Michael Peterson case-while I do not think he is a serial killer who always plans to kill women by the same method of throwing them down the stairs, I do think he has the personality of flying into a rage which ended with the deaths of 2 women and here is how I think it happened: 1985-Germany-Michael was carrying on an affair with family friend, Elizabeth Ratliff (he claims they never did but then he did look elsewhere who knows how many times during his marriages for other partners to satisfy his sexual desires, and as we cannot ask Elizabeth, I would say his ability to lie and tell stories, definitely does not add anything to his credibility. "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. There were also multiple questions put forward about what happened on the evening Kathleen Peterson died, due to the "Owl Theory" that suggested she may have been attacked by the bird and died from her wounds or, what Michael Peterson claimed, that she fell to her death. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. 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. The Netflix series, originally a documentary produced by a French company, examines his original trial. It is unknown if their disagreement happened in real life. "There was no pool of blood.". You know, I mean, all you have to do is watch the documentary to know that that's not true. I can't live in Paris. Candace makes an impassioned plea for a dismissal, but the judge overrules her. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the US invasion of Grenada. As HBOs hit limited series The Staircase comes to a close, it is time to take a look back and assess what we just witnessed. "First of all, Sophie didn't edit any of the courtroom scenes. 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. When producer Denis Poncet (Frank Feys) and director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (Vincent Vermignon) come across the Peterson story, they wonder if there is a story there. In 2001, Kathleen calls Candace to apologize for their argument over Thanksgiving and Michael notices a bunch of owls above their home. On the prosecution side, Durham County District Attorney Jim Hardin (Cullen Moss) and Assistant District Attorney, Freda Black (Parker Posey) take on the case. In HBO Max's The Staircase, Brunet (played by Juliette Binoche) appears throughout the series, at first working to edit the documentary film released in 2004 and later as Peterson's romantic partner. The defense maintains that the deaths are only similar on the surface, and Peterson plans to prove that to the judge--and the jury, if he rules against them--if necessary. Aside, from being untrue, it's completely offensive.". believed to have been the last person to see her alive, carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. As Todd tries to explain social media followers to Clay and Martha finally comes out to Margaret, the family tries desperately to maintain a sense of normalcy. 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. 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. Viewers new to The Staircase story may have been surprised to learn Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, the editor of Lestrade's first documentary. Elizabeth Ratliff Wasn't Murdered It's been incredibly infuriating that people keep insisting that Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. Just like with Petersons wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. But as Michael, again could not have this harmful information that could ruin his reputation get out, he flew into a rage again striking Kathleen as she was headed out the door, thus leaving the drops of blood on the porch which was what initially led to the owl theory (an owl latched onto Kathleens head with its sharp talons-crazy I know). Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "It was a great blow to both of us, for which I feel not guilt, but sorrow," he continued. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. And no questions were raised when her close friend Michael Peterson adopted her daughters, Margaret and Martha. And you can quote me on that. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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.". For example, when prosecutor Jim Hardin is presenting his case to the grand jury ahead of the trial, Rudolf is seen standing in the same grand jury room, something that he said would never happen in a U.S. courtroom. The filmmakers, with Michael's permission, are granted 24/7 access to document the entire process from prepping for the trial, the trial itself, and after the jury verdict is announced. 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. 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. What we do know is that he was found guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen. She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. The medical examiner found Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratcliffe suffered similar blows to the head, including seven lacerations which were sustained by blunt force trauma. Appel-Schumacher recalled that Ratliff had a severe headache four days before she died, severe enough that she made an appointment to see a doctor the following week. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. Michael and Patty had two sons while living over in Germany - Clayton and Todd - while Elizabeth and George had two daughters, Margaret and Martha. } else if ( host.indexOf("edition.") "My opinion is that this is the scene of a beating, that this scene is not unlike many scenes I've been to," Deaver concluded. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting center of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. 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. She edited the scenes of us in the house, you know, meeting with experts, that sort of thing," he continued. "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." 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. . Then I went and realized, no, I can't. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. Michael Stuhlbarg portrayed Peterson's lawyer David Rudolf in the series. 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. It's believed that Michael was the last. And then when the appeal was over, for the next, whatever, eight years, I represent them for free, and never charge them a penny, I paid my own expenses. Michael had two biological sons, Todd and Clayton, with his first wife, Patty. In the footage, Michael also admits Kathleen never knew about his affairs with men or that he was bisexual. The critically acclaimed documentary of the same name came out in 2004 a few years after the trial and is now available to stream on Netflix, while this fictionalized version tells the tale of The. So. In 2003, Michael Peterson was convicted of killing his wife Kathleen Peterson after she was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in their home on December 9, 2001. 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. 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. "We made plans to live in Paris. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in October 2003. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. It also includes imagined dialogue for dramatic purposes but stays grounded in court documents, meticulous research by the team behind the show, and of course, content from Lestrade's 13-part 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. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. He paid that, or his brother paid it and that was it. } Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? 17 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat What's eerily coincidental is the nature of her death: Elizabeth was found at the bottom of a staircase in her home with severe injuries to her head. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. "The blood was all the way up the staircase.". (We'll get back to that.). In the fifth episode, Brunet and Lestrade are seen arguing with their producer over which clip to delete from the documentary. Elizabeth died in 1985. Killen ordered attack on civil rights worker, jury hears, Father convicted of murdering 9 of his children, Gov. 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. if ( host.indexOf("europe.cnn.com") != -1 ) { But the autopsies were enough to convince Kathleen Peterson's daughter Caitlin to change her mind about her stepfather. DURHAM, North Carolina (Court TV) -- Author Michael Peterson is charged with killing his wife in their home here 18 months ago, but it was the death of a neighbor in Germany 18 years ago that took center stage at Peterson's first-degree murder trial Monday. The medical examiner rules that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. "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.". That is f***ing defamation because Sophie was off the project," Rudolf said. Although Ratliff lost a lot of weight and mourned her husband's death deeply, Appel-Schumacher said Ratliff's mood lifted during 1985. 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. The defense would go on to use Elizabeth Ratliff's death as part of their case against Michael Peterson, which also led to tensions within his own family, particularly between his adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. Where is Morgan from the Murdaugh Murders now? Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. It is only natural that a mother want custody of her children, but why not the girls as their mother was supposedly her best or very close friend?? The critically acclaimed documentary of the same name came out in 2004 a few years after the trial and is now available to stream on Netflix, while this fictionalized version tells the tale of The Staircase through flashbacks to the Petersons' lives before the murder, the night of the murder, the times leading up to the trial, the trial, and beyond. After Kathleen's death, her two sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Lori (Maria Dizzia) firmly believe Michael at first, but quickly switch sides, along with Caitlin, and stand with the prosecution. 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. On HBO Max and Sky Atlantic families had dinner together in her home has. In October 2003 speculate that Michael was the last person to see her alive, carried out a second on. 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