Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. Exposing Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's tendentious film, the Peterson murder documentary: Death on the Stairacse. Peterson subsequently ended up raising Ratliff's young. 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. After receiving permission from Elizabeth's mother and sister, authorities went ahead with the exhumation. "What's the fucking grounds?" At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Stuhlbarg is seen above with Tim Guinee and Colin Firth in a scene from "The Staircase" in which the men prepare for Peterson's trial. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? With The Staircase retelling the tale of Michael Peterson and his alleged hand in wife Kathleen Petersons bizarre December 2001 demise, several related matters are coming back into the spotlight. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". 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. "It was a great blow to both of us, for which I feel not guilt, but sorrow," he continued. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. Michael wasn't accused of murdering Elizabeth outright, but the fact that her daughters who he, again, adopted after her death were the recipients of a hefty life insurance policy was enough to cast doubt in the jurors of his case. (We dont know if this is factual or just a dramatized coincidence.) deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned". When watching The Staircase, it might be hard to keep track of the complicated Peterson family tree. He described the scene as "complete fiction" adding that "for anybody who knows anything about the criminal justice system, it totally undermines the credibility of the entire film.". 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. Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. . 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. The neighbour, Karin Hamn, testified that she saw MP hurrying away from ER's house at 12.50 am on November 25th. David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson in the real-life murder trial depicted in the HBO Max series "The Staircase." It's believed that Michael was the last. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. "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." Regardless, Rudolf believes the damage has been done, describing it as "defamation" towards Brunet and de Lestrade. 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. "First of all, Sophie didn't edit any of the courtroom scenes. 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. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. The News & Observer, Durham's local news outlet, reported how "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned" upon hearing their father's guilty verdict. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. } The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 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. 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. "And you never saw any kind of indication that she had any kind of romantic relationship with Michael Peterson?" Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. "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'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. It is true that Peterson and Brunet did date, with Peterson confirming to The News and Observer they went their separate ways in 2017. Peterson had been at her house the night before her death. On the night of her death, Todd pops by and sees Michael and Kathleen watching a movie and having a lovely evening together. he spits. A second autopsy, conducted by Durham, North Carolina officials this time, revealed sufficient evidence to suspect the manner of death being clear homicide. With that said, no charges against Michael have ever been brought in connection to this matter, and he maintains his innocence. 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. , Awesome, Youre All Set! In the end, Lestrade and Brunet won and the scene with Clayton Peterson was included in the documentary instead. Elizabeth Ratliff and. 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. The Staircase launches on Netflix on 8 June. 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. However, he maintains adamantly that Kathleens death was an accident. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. Additionally, at the beginning of each episode, there is a disclaimer stating the show is "a dramatization based on certain facts. 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. 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. Period. "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth worked in the same school as Michael's then-wife, Patty. 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The night before Elizabeth's death, Michael Peterson and his wife had dinner with Elizabeth and her two young daughters. To quote, 'help him' on his appeal. Meanwhile, Michael's defense attorneys hire their own blood spatter experts, who testify that the blood patterns are just not consistent with a brutal strike to the head. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. 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. 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?? Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. 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. I couldn't afford to live in Paris and my children, and grandchildren were in America," he said. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court, but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. 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. Radisch's reported concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's death had actually been as a result of a "homicidal assault", and not an accident as was previously determined. Peterson agreed to an Alford plea, which enables him to maintain his innocence in the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. ", Speaking separately to Vanity Fair about the scenes in the fifth episode of HBO Max's The Staircase, Lestrade said: "We gave [Campos] all the access he wanted, and I really trusted the man. Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. Either of these scenarios give him time, time in which the blood to dry to the point it did when the EMTs got there and noticed it was not wet as it should be, had it just happened. 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. 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. From Rudolf's perspective, in HBO Max's The Staircase, it is implied Rudolf found out about Ratliff only a few weeks before the trial. 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. Two Ukrainian women look back at one year of war, Why you shouldn't go into TikTok's "monk mode". ", 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 said they wanted the same medical examiner who claimed that Peterson's wife wasn't accidental to perform the autopsy rather than a neutral pathologist in Texas as he suggested. Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in "The Staircase." Three episodes in, drops a major bombshell: Peterson was the last person to see another woman who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in Germany in 1985. At least, until tragedy struck. She edited the scenes of us in the house, you know, meeting with experts, that sort of thing," he continued. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. In the footage, Michael also admits Kathleen never knew about his affairs with men or that he was bisexual. Firth portrayed Peterson for eight episodes of the HBO Max drama based on the documentary of the same name. He has since insisted she was completely okay when he walked out the door, yet the following morning, the girls nanny found her dead at the bottom of the stairs Elizabeth passed away on November 25, 1985. She refuses to binge-watch anything. 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. 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. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Michael Peterson took charge of all the details, and friends of Elizabeth Ratliff were grateful that he did, she said. 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. I'm too old. 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. 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 Staircase is the latest true-crime drama to land on HBO Max and viewers are still trying to process the jaw-dropping story of Michael Peterson who, in 2003, was found guilty of killing his wife Kathleen Peterson at their home on December 9, 2001. He hires David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose price tag is as big as his reputation. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide." Thus, all we can positively state is, whatever the case may be, both Elizabeth and Kathleens deaths were simply tragic. The defence 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. Often, he'd help with the dishes or read to Ratliff's two young daughtersbefore returning home, according to the documentary series. 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. In the documentary, Michael remembers he and his then-wife, Patricia, had dinner at the Ratliff home and he stayed behind to help Elizabeth put Martha and Margaret to. I don't speak French. 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. Around that same time, Elizabeth and George grew close to the Petersons, their neighbors, bonding over Michael being a Vietnam War veteran and his then-wife Patricia being her coworker. "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.". The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. Michael had two biological sons, Todd and Clayton, with his first wife, Patty. However, there are no skull fractures, which is practically impossible. The jury finds Michael guilty and sentences him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. }else { And as far as the girls, Margaret and Martha, Michael was the only parent they had been around the longest, they knew of their birth mothers death but couldnt associate with it as they were so young when it happened. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? 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