Michael Peterson has mostly stayed out of the spotlight. He also stated that he had worked on 500 bloodstain cases. Black died in 2018, at age 57 of end-stage liver disease. As Jones explains in A Perfect Husband, There were two worlds, it seemed, present in that old house, and perhaps the most symbolic reminders of that were the Petersons two staircases. To recap the case, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of her . Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson in the latest retelling of Kathleen Petersons murder and Michaels attempts to prove his innocence. Who Lives In The Peterson House From 'The Staircase'? It Has A - Bustle They also raised Margaret and Martha Ratliff, the daughters of their late friends, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. After breaking up with Sophie ( Juliette Binoche) and refusing to move to Paris, Michael went to live with his ex-wife Patty ( Trini Alvarado ). The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . The listing photos show the changes that have been made since Petersons departure. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. "I'm too old. He is, however, still connected with his own firm, Rudolf Widenhouse. In 2001, Kathleen died on the staircase of the Peterson home in Durham, North Carolina. He was not a friendly columnist. "Its not fair, Its not right. Colin Firthwill play the main subject Michael Peterson; the role was originally slated to be played by Harrison Ford. After Michael and Pattys divorce, they went to live with Michael and Kathleen, whom they called mom, in the United States. In 2018, AP reported that Michael Peterson now lives in a 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom condo in the same town, Durham, North Carolina. The North Carolina medical examiner performed an autopsy and concluded that she died from blunt force injuries and that it was the result of a homicide. Played by Sophie Turner, Margaret is the eldest daughter of Air Force captain George Ratliff and his wife, Elizabeth, who lived next door to Michael and Patty Peterson in Germany. Prosecutor Says, Scott Peterson Will Be Re-Sentenced to Life in Prison After Death Sentence Was Overturned in 2020, Man Who Killed Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox's Roommate in Italy, Is Freed from Prison, the limited series is very much a true story, the jury found Michael guilty of Kathleen's murder. But that proved a tad more challenging in this case. Is Riley Keough Singing in Daisy Jones & The Six? Murdaugh sentencing live stream: Watch Judge Newman's decision Michael and Patricia parted after she died due to a massive heart attack in July 2021. The Staircase. According to a June report by The Sun, Peterson continues to live in Durham and has self-published two books about his life during the murder trial and his life following his release from. In 2017, Michael submitted an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. Currently, he resides in Durham, North Carolina but has since sold the house. And although his initial murder trial took place in 2003, Michael Peterson's saga didn't have definitive ending until 2018. Can also be found at Delirium Nerd, writing in Portuguese. On December 1, 2009, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their North Carolina home. No, Michael Peterson does not have a new wife today. There, Patty Peterson worked for the U.S. Department of Defense for 35 years as an elementary school teacher. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. But with only eight episodes, the show has to leave a few details out, including the aftermath of the initial trial, and what happened to Michael Peterson after the jury gave him their verdict. The case that dominated such a large part of his life still haunted him, however. And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Petersons new living situation: Hes in a ground floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation.. She did not sign the deed over to Michael until their divorce was finally finalized in 1996. Despite being found guilty of murder, in 2011, Peterson was granted another trial which was set to take place in 2017. who was found dead at the bottom of their staircase in their Durham, North Carolina home on December 9, 2001 as well as the aftermath. In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the . Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham, the house boasts a patio with an outdoor fireplace, a library, a game room, five bedrooms, and five-and-a-half bathrooms, not to mention the pool. Much like his character in The Staircase, he cultivated a strong social media presence. At the time of Kathleens death, Deaver (portrayed by Myke Holmes in the show) worked as a blood spatter analyst for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). The Staircase: Where Is Michael Peterson Now? - Peoplemag As a result, he was re-sentenced to time served and released from prison at that time. The prosecution didn't accuse Peterson of Ratliff's death at his trial. "I didn't know if Michael Peterson's presentation of himself was going to be helpful to me in terms of finding out what lies underneath, and I found it kept moving," Firth explained to The Wrap. The Staircase: Where is Michael Peterson now? - Cosmopolitan Peterson had a different rationale, Rudolf said. Since his release from prison on bond in 2011 and his official release in 2017, Peterson has returned to his passion for writing, publishing two books about his trial, his life behind bars, and the taste of freedom. Where is Michael Peterson now? | The US Sun Michael Peterson had two sons, Clayton AND Todd, and Kathleen Peterson had a daughter, Caitlin, from her previous marriage to Fred Atwater. Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. Unlike Michael and Todd, he has never spoken publicly about The Staircase. A retrial was later ordered after the judge vacated the jury's verdict in 2011, finding that the blood splatter analysts gave a false and misleading testimony in the first trial, resulting in an unsound conviction. The front of the house at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, now on its third post-Peterson owner, is visible from the street, but the entire 3.4-acre property is. Featuring a library, game room, a whopping five fireplaces, fourteen-foot ceilings, hardwood flooring throughout, and a large master wing, theres no arguing that the couple and their children lived in style. Petersons wood-paneled office (which Aphrodite Jones describes as an imposing, ominous and intimidating space, saying It was understood that Michael Peterson didnt want people in there.) had a prominent role in the film and in a macabre foretelling was the site of a very bloody murder scene. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Brad even testified at Michael Peterson's trial and under cross-examination, stated Michael Peterson spoke about Kathleen Peterson, calling her a "dynamite wife," reported the NZ Herald. ", He told the News & Observer: "They were companions. The video above will play a live feed of Alex Murdaugh's sentencing beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Michael Peterson's conviction and life sentence in 2003 was only some of the story. Following Elizabeths death, Margaret and her younger sister Martha (Odessa Young) were adopted by the Petersons. At the time of his wifes death, Peterson had been an accomplished author and shed been a prominent fixture in their community as a businesses executive and engineer, so needless to say, they were an affluent couple. Whenever a movie or TV series based on real-life events comes out, viewers are plagued by two unavoidable questions: how much of what we saw is true and what happened to those characters after the cameras were turned off? But severe cracks in their foundation came to light following Michaels arrest and during his subsequent lengthy trial. Socialites, Addresses Netflix Series Based on Her Crimes, Harrison Ford Is Returning to TV After 26-Year Absence in, 'The Staircase' : The True Story Behind HBO Max's True Crime Series, Revisit PEOPLE's 2002 Conversation with Michael Peterson, Whose Wife's Death Inspired HBO Max's 'The Staircase', The First Trailer for Scripted HBO Max Adaptation of 'The Staircase' Starring Colin Firth Is Here, Man Sentenced to Life for Murdering Wife Who Searched 'What to Do if You're Husband Is Upset You're Pregnant', Patrick Schwarzenegger Was 'Almost Speechless' at Colin Firth's Transformation for 'The Staircase', S.C. Dad Sentenced to Life in Prison After Jury Finds Him Guilty of Murdering His 5-Year-Old Son, Juror Who Helped Convict Scott Peterson Is Accused of Hiding Bias Against Him, Paving Killer's Path to Retrial, N.C. Man Sentenced to Death for 'Atrocious' Murder of Teen Daughter Who Was Tortured for 22 Hours, Before He Murdered Pregnant Wife, Mo. Despite Michael Peterson's murder conviction in 2003, his story was far from over. The last person to see her alive was Michael Peterson. Most eerie of all, though, is the fact that a segment took place on the infamous back staircase! In April 2001, they took out a second mortgage to help with the squeeze in finances. In July 2020, Michael and Kathleen Peterson's five-story mansion where Kathleen lost her life was put up for sale. In 2002, Caitlin filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Michael. According to him, Michael waited three hours to call 911 while Patty was having a heart attack. They dated until 2017. A lawyer himself, Bill was the one that suggested Rudolf as a defense attorney and took care of most of the Petersons legal matters. Elisa Guimares is a feature writer at Collider. However, they eventually joined their father in Durham, North. The pair moved in together in 2019. Although law enforcement may say the case is closed, there's still unanswered questions and various theories surrounding Kathleen's death we may never know for sure. He also opines that by agreeing to pay, he would be admitting to murdering Kathleen. The home where Michael Peterson allegedly killed his wife, Kathleen, nearly two decades ago as documented in the docuseries "The Staircase" is now on the market for a pricey sum. At the moment, very little is known about Peterson's private life.