Peterson, who shared a fortune with his wife Kathleen Peterson up until the time of her death, referred to himself as "indigent" during the later episodes of "The Staircase," which were filmed following his 2011 release from prison. Michael suggested that Kathleen fell down the stairs after drinking too much alcohol and Valium, but no fingerprints were detected on the wine bottle or glasses out in the kitchen. The woman who The Staircase viewers may be mistaking for Peterson's new wife could well be Sophie Brunet (played by Juliette Binoche), an . Michael Peterson had two sons, Clayton AND Todd, and Kathleen Peterson had a daughter, Caitlin, from her previous marriage to Fred Atwater. She was 78 years old. Michael donates the proceeds from his book to charity as he wouldnt be allowed to keep them for himself. However, Caitlin's opinion changed after she saw her mother's autopsy photographs that depicted horrific injuries. They married in 1965 and moved to Durham, North Carolina. After serving in the Vietnam War, he began to write novels and newspaper columns about his experiences following his honorable discharge in 1971. I guess the steps were just destined to be onscreen. Speaking with Variety, he also complained about his characterization in the show, singling out the scene in which he and Michael chat over a pastrami sandwich: We could have put a little blimp over my head saying, Jewish lawyer from New York. Michael and Patty, along with their young boys, reportedly resided in Germany for quite a while around the 1980s, where they befriended their closeby neighbors, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. As shown in the HBO Max miniseries, de Lestrade went into fiction after working on The Staircase. And, Rudolf gave a wry summary of a key feature of Peterson's new living situation: But part of the central pull of "The Staircase," aside from its various twists and turns (among which included the discovery that a close family friend of Peterson's had died under similar circumstances, also involving a staircase, nearly 17 years prior to Kathleen's death), was the central figure to the story. A lawyer himself, Bill was the one that suggested Rudolf as a defense attorney and took care of most of the Petersons legal matters. No, not that staircase. He explained: These are created characters but we all know what the source is. "He is innocent of any involvement in Kathleen's death," she insisted to The News & Recordin 2014. At a time when true crime is easily one of the more popular TV genres, Netflix, home of the ever popular Making a Murderer series, is now set to premiere The Staircase on June 8. But, as Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. Since his 2017 Alford plea, Michael Peterson has managed to keep to himself while continuing to remain in the spotlight. Currently, he resides in Durham, North Carolina but has since sold the house where Kathleen died. Michael had written a number of stories that were really critical of the Durham Police Department or the Mayors Office. The new series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette retells Michael Peterson's now-infamous 2001 murder charge. The latest offering from the HBO crime series is The Staircase which takes an in-depth look into the saga of Michael Peterson, an author who was convicted of killing his wife, Kathleen Peterson. He stated Kathleen Peterson was aware of his interest in men and his first wife, Patricia Sue, was also there to support Michael Peterson's bisexuality claims. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. It explores the life of crime novelist Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). He had been living with his first wife, Patricia, (although divorced) for the past two years until her death from a heart attack, his son Clayton told North Carolina's News & Observer in 2021. 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. Much like Peterson and Brunet, he was also not happy with the fictional adaptation of his docuseries and claimed that Campos misinterpreted facts in a way that paints him as an unethical filmmaker. He was convinced it was going to be payback time once he got charged., While some viewers saw Peterson in the film and thought he was a narcissist, Rudolf said he wanted the film to be made for simple self-preservation on his part., He was making it hard for anyone to cheat, or at least to cheat without being caught, Rudolf said. ", It turns out Firth landed the role out of pure Hollywood happenstance. "That we dont cheat or invent evidence, that we actually care about truth and representing people as well as they can be represented. At the center of the story is Kathleen and Michaels sprawling Colonial home, located in Durhams tony Forest Hills neighborhood. The miniseries will draw on the2018 Netflix documentarythat followed the same case. Michael insists that he didnt kill either Elizabeth or Kathleen. The 9,400-square-foot mansion at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, North Carolina was listed for $1.9 million on Tuesday, according to local outlet WRAL. Michael and Patricia parted after she died due to a massive heart attack in July 2021. He's in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs that was a really important accommodation," Rudolf shared. In 2010, he was found culpable of withholding crucial evidence from defense attorneys in other cases. Together they had two sons Clayton and Todd Peterson before removing to Germany. Currently, Rudolf is in occasional contact with Peterson since his 2017 release. On the flip-side, Petersons former sister-in-law, Candace Zamperini, said during the hearing in 2017 that shell always see him responsible for her sisters death. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor apartment in Durham, North Carolina, and has since sold the house he shared with Kathleen. It was a huge financial blow to Michael. Michaels wife was found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couples residence. They took care of each other.. "Its not fair, Its not right. "He is living in Durham. Her secluded life and career, Who are Gradey Dicks parents? The murder was after Kathleen allegedly discovered that he had over 1000 explicit images of men, a window into . The Staircase is set to premiere on May 5, 2022. Still, in the same year, the North Carolina Human Resources Commission ruled that he should have merely been demoted from his position and that the SBI owed him 34 months of wages. 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. But, theres one thing that pretty much everyone can agree on: The man needs to avoid a home with staircases. The topic is also at the center of Rudolfs 2022 book, American Injustice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System. a livestream that has since been uploaded to YouTube, Margaret co-produced a documentary feature titled, he was also not happy with the fictional adaptation of his docuseries, The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix Right Now, 10 Best Reality Competition Shows Returning In 2023. Alongside Pfeiffer, Rudolf is the owner of the Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, in Charlotte, North Carolina. They had a real story, which lasted until May 2017. Alex Murdaugh trial live stream, updates: Sentencing set for double murder charge. In a series of emails to Variety, he accused Lestrade of pimping him and his family out Still, he admits that Lestrade's work was instrumental in getting him out of prison. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Although Peterson is out of prison and was granted a manslaughter charge as opposed to the original murder charge that he served nearly eight years in prison for, he maintains his innocence in all matters related to the case. He still lives in Durham, though in a ground-floor apartment, which David Rudolf explained to Oxygen has no stairs that was a really important accommodation. Ill say! Peterson had a different rationale, Rudolf said. You Can Stream Every 'Rocky' Movie Right Now, 'WoF' Fans Say This Is the 'Biggest Choke' on Show, Daisy Jones & the Six Is a Rock Epic in 10 Parts, See Mariska Hargitays Emotional Tribute on IG, Poker Face Is Rian Johnson's Exciting New Show, A Timeline of Events in 'Murdaugh Murders', 'White Lotus' Star Reveals 'Iconic' Scene Was Cut, How Sam Claflin Built His '70s Rock Star Body. Man Made Pros and Cons List About Leaving Her, Missouri Man Killed Expectant Wife Who Googled 'What to Do if Your Husband Is Upset You Are Pregnant', Andrea Yates, Who Drowned Her 5 Kids in a Tub in 2001, Annually Declines Release from Mental Hospital, Robert Durst, Convicted Murderer and Real Estate Scion, Dies at 78, Scott Peterson Resentenced to Life in Prison After Being Spared Death, as Laci's Family Confronts Him, Robert Durst's Murder Conviction Will Be Vacated on Legal Technicality, L.A. Selling the house at its [original $1.175 million] asking price would still not cover all of Petersons debts.. Nowadays, Margaret lives in California and works in the entertainment industry as an actor, assistant director, and production manager, among other things. They married in 1987 and together they raised a large, blended family with children from previous relationships. Rudolf said he agreed to participate in the documentary because the filmmakers had won an Academy Award in 2001 for Murder on a Sunday Morning, about a 15-year-old boy wrongfully accused of murder. The dried blood atop her head was a clue that she'd been there for a while, and since Michael was the only person in the house at that time, he was the only suspect. He later met his first wife Patricia Sue, an elementary school teacher, in West Germany. MICHAEL Peterson was convicted of killing his second wife, Kathleen, in 2003. In 2001, Kathleen died on the staircase of the Peterson home in Durham, North Carolina. Her most high-profile works have been in the critically acclaimed movie Blue Is the Warmest Color and in the Netflix series Call My Agent! In 2002, his film Murder on a Sunday Morning, about the wrongful accusation of a Black teenager for the murder of a tourist in Jacksonville, Florida, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}Who Was Mallory Beach in 'Murdaugh Murders'? Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. According to him, Michael waited three hours to call 911 while Patty was having a heart attack. Where is Michael Peterson now? Nowadays, she prefers to stay away from the spotlight, living a quiet life in Alexandria, Virgnia. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. At the moment, very little is known about Peterson's private life. 21. Peterson's defense attorney David Rudolf told Oxygen in 2019 that Peterson is currently living in Durham in a ground floor apartmentso no staircase. 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. I can't live in Paris. HBO is yet to announce a release date forThe Staircase. The Staircase airs on Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. "We originally had been to Harrison Ford," the HBO show's creator Antonio Campos told Entertainment Weekly. Margaret and Michael are both featured in the movie as interviewees. As The News & Observer noted, the former columnist's Alford plea was distinctly tied to the charge of manslaughter, which means that Peterson asserted his opinion of his innocence while simultaneously accepting charges (via Metro). Before going AWOL, however, he changed his mind about his dads involvement in Kathleens death. They also became the legal guardians of two young girls, Margaret Ratcliff and Martha Ratcliff, following their mother's death in 1985. He's published at least one, maybe two books, since he's been out and, and he goes to the gym, and he sort of lives a normal life," the attorney told Newsweek. The docu-series follows Petersons trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen,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 July 2020, Michael and Kathleen Peterson's five-story mansion where Kathleen lost her life was put up for sale. They did, however, use her death as an example of an incident that could help him "fake" Kathleen's accident. Stalk It: Michael Petersons former house, featured in The Staircase, is located at 1810 Cedar Street in Durham, North Carolina. With no takers, the price was cut to $975,000 in December and it finally sold the following July at a drastically reduced $640,000. And, from what it seems, things have turned out for the best for the real Clayton. The couple shared two sons, Clayton Peterson and Todd Peterson. The story behind The Staircase. According to CBS News, Peterson now lives in a 1,200 square foot condo, a big change from the mansion he once shared with his late wife, but as he told the news outlet, its a life hes happy to now live.