That part of the prosecutions case doesnt seem impressive. He told the operator she was still breathing. Among the 19 total rooms, there are five bedrooms and six bathrooms, along with a brick patio, slate patio, and both upper and lower galleries. Fk2 0yl0S] n[IEz T
Your tax-deductible investment will help us work to We know she had one biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, two adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff, and two step-sons, Clayton and Todd Peterson. In addition to the salacious activity, investigators discovered evidence of financial woes in the family. Per ABC News, "From the beginning Peterson maintained that Kathleen had simply slipped on the stairs in a tragic accident after drinking wine and taking valium." Price Point: What does $235,000 get in Triangles housing market today? Copyright 2023 The John Locke Foundation, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Leandro v. State of North Carolina Explained. In the early hours of Dec. 9, 2001, novelist Michael Peterson made a panicked, tearful 911 call: He had found his wife Kathleen unconscious and bloody at the bottom of a staircase in their Durham, North Carolina, house. Michael Peterson while incarcerated at Nash Correctional Institution, 2003. 82 0 obj
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Meanwhile, Michael has two sonsTodd and Clayton Petersonfrom his first marriage. His explanation to cops, that she had been drinking and had likely taken a sleeping pill and fallen, was deemed unconvincing; he was arrested for her murder shortly thereafter. Then 68-years-old, Michael was released from prison pending a new trial, and after posting a $300,000 bond, via The News & Observer. On October 10, 2003, Michael Peterson was sentenced to life without parole for Kathleen's murder, via The New York Times. Kathleen has one biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, from her first marriage. At least one person was swayed by the physical evidence: Kathleens daughter Caitlin, who had initially supported Petersons claims of innocence, along with his children. If she was attacked by an owl, she would have been screaming her head off, she said. When he finally went indoors, "he said he found his wife, crumpled and bloody and barely breathing at the bottom of the stairs," per ABC News. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. He and his first wife, schoolteacher Patricia Sue Peterson, had sons Todd and Clayton then acquired two daughters, Margaret and Martha, when the couples friend Liz McKee Ratliff died. Though it is unknown how Kathleen may have felt about Michaels bisexuality, the prosecution argued that she would not have tolerated his infidelity. Kathleens company, Nortel, had a mass-firing, and the couple worried she might also lose her job, leaving the pair without a source of income to maintain their lifestyle. Then, learn about Susan Powell, who warned her family her death might not be an accident. Kathleen Hunt Atwater Peterson was a Greensboro, NC, native who grew up in Lancaster, Pa., and graduated with bachelors and masters degrees in engineering from Duke University. Although testing would later confirm that Kathleen had some alcohol in her system, it was nowhere near the stagger and face-plant level. Michael Peterson was a writer, and many said he has the kind of ego which craves the spotlight. What makes this story interesting is that WRAL reports Mr. Fury says hes never heard of the case. We want certainty. Michael sold the house he shared with Kathleen in 2004, and a subsequent owner re-sold the property for $1.6 million in 2020. 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 where Michael claimed to be during what he alleged was his wifes accidental fall down the stairs. The authorities exhumed Liz Ratliffs body in 2003 and discovered multiple scalp lacerations, similar to those found on Kathleen Peterson. Throughout the entire tragic ordeal, the Peterson home remained occupied. So whats happened to Michael Peterson since the 2018 Netflix series turned his story into an international entertainment sensation? They argued Michael's plan to kill his wife revolved around the $1.4 million life insurance policy she had in place. "She's a survivor and in no trouble, but the stress is monumental there.". The home, built in 1940, was designed by Durham architect George Watts Carr Sr., who also designed buildings at N.C. Central University, N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill. At 2:40 a.m. on December 9, 2001, Peterson called 911 to say he'd found his wife's body at the bottom of a staircase. In December 2011, after spending eight years in prison for Kathleen's murder, Michael was granted a new trial. Call 1-888-626-7386 Advisor Id: 42767. This, however, barely featured in The Staircase's depiction of the trial. Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her home in 2001. He told police she may have fallen after mixing alcohol and Valium but was unsure because he was outside when she fell. We are surrounded by Angels and Other Enlightened Beings who wish to help us as we travel on our journey and experience the grand adventure of life. You'd think this would have been a major point of evidence, but for some reason, up until then it had never been referenced in the docuseries. Police responding to N.C. 55 late Tuesday night found two people who had been shot. Usually it was the result of direct trauma to the bone and was common in strangulation or attempted strangulation," she noted. And as the Audubon Society pointed out, An owl strike can definitely cause blunt-force trauma. She divorced her first husband for his own indiscretions years before, and they said it is unlikely that she would have felt differently about Michaels own cheating. View Kathleen Peterson results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Licensed Professional Counselor providing individual mental health therapy to adolescents and adults. By investing in the John Locke Foundation, youre transforming 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. RR, Watch the Forensic Files episode on YouTube, a rogue owl played a role in Kathleens death, NFL player Rae Carruth in his murder trial, The Lindbergh Kidnapping: Forensic Files Lost Episode, Dawn Fehring: A Missionary Dies Too Young, Ron Gillette: An Air Force Man Who Didnt Exactly Aim High. So who really was she? We are all Light Beings who have chosen to experience life on the earth plane. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics. Not inebriated. He stayed outside to smoke for 45 minutes or so and found her at the bottom of the stairs when he came back in. Police believed it was a fireplace blow poke that someone took outside to hide, leaving bloodstains on the door. Kathleen Hunt was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 21, 1953. &"|)Y*>aB\#x@ }793K{&Doep GT@E! So what were really looking at here is someone who allowed his wife to bleed out on the floor for hours before he called 911.. During one of Michael Petersons appeals, an unusual theory emerged about Kathleen Petersons death: she was not murdered at all, but died after being attacked by a barred owl. But despite a 10-part Netflix documentary about Kathleen Petersons death and now an HBO miniseries called The Staircase, starring Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen, the circumstances surrounding her fall remain a mystery. The occupants of the home are not known; however, as HBO Maxs series unfolds, more information may come to light. However, with Michael's Alford plea, the case has legally been put to rest. Born and raised in Greensboro, N.C., Kathleen was the first woman admitted to Duke University's school of engineering, from which she went on to jobs with a pharmaceutical company and, more. Kathleen Peterson's autopsy showed. Theres no question that [Peterson] did it, she said. After a stir in the local community, a 2004 true crime documentary titled The Staircase investigated the events leading to Kathleen Petersons death and the subsequent murder trial. Not one shred of evidence. Will a warm February mean a brutal spring or summer? "Poor Kathleen is undergoing the tortures of the damned at Nortel. As one of their friends told CBS News in 2003, "They had all the appearances and trappings of happiness. He needed her money to survive the way he wanted to survive," she said. Her husband, Michael Peterson, found her. He did find himself a post-lockup girlfriend, however, in one of the editors of The Staircase. The theory, left out of the 2018 Netflix documentary The Staircase, posits that the lacerations found on Kathleen Petersons scalp were caused by the talons of an owl that attacked her outside. Or Kathleen was upset because Michael was seeing other people outside the marriage. Case Notes: On December 9th 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found by her husband, Michael Peterson, at the bottom of the stairs in the home that they shared in Durham. It still sports its grand staircase, library and game room, as well as its pool. Colin Firth plays her husband, Michael Peterson, the man who was accused of her murder. A novelist couldnt have written Petersons story any better, full of outrageous twists as it is. We know she lived at 1810 Cedar Street in a well to-do suburb of Durham, North Carolina. This content is imported from {embed-name}. Within days, the police arrested Michael Peterson, and prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder. The site of Kathleen Peterson's death in 2001 a nearly 9,500-square-foot mansion on a sprawling 3.4-acre lot in the heart of Durham has become a point of interest for true-crime fans and. Forensic expert Henry Lee gave a live in-court splatter demonstration to refute some of the blood evidence against Michael. Peterson could have been sentenced to 64 to 86 months in prison, but the judge acknowledged the 89 months hed already been incarcerated, and thus, Peterson was made a free man. According to WRAL.com, the initial report suggested that she'd "died of a stroke," but that she was also found to have "several deep cuts to her scalp.". "Throughout the weeks and weeks of testimony, Michael Peterson had taken extensive notes on legal pads," Aphrodite wrote, explaining that this was likely because of the book deal he had with Harper Collins. Upon seizing Michael's computer, investigators found as many as 2000 images of naked men, along with email exchanges between Michael and a male escort, via NBC News. The trial of Michael Peterson saw untold twists and revelations, and a new HBO miniseries starring Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen looks likely to blow the whole thing open again. Michael told Dr. Phil McGraw that medical reports confirmed Liz Ratliff died of a stroke. 9 comments 45% Upvoted Sort by: best level 1 Includes Address (7) Phone (5) Email (5) See Results. She was lying in a dried pool of her own blood. Soon after entering prison, Michael was injured in a fight, something HBO Max's adaptation explores in depth. Plus the death of Liz Ratliff in Germany was deemed inadmissible. On December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson found his wife, Kathleen Peterson, dead at the bottom of the back staircase in the 11,000-square-foot mansion that they shared with their children in Durham, North Carolina. The front of the house at 1810 Cedar St. is visible from the street, but the entire 3.4-acre property is gated. Related To Carol Peterson, Lisa Peterson. Shortly after the tragedy, Peterson allowed French documentary filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade to conduct interviews with him, his kids, and his attorneys, most of which took place in the Peterson household. Over the years, there had been some tense moments over money and Michaels mayoral election bid, and the two frequently fought and made up. Kathleen Peterson and her then husband Fred Atwater, a physicist, welcomed Caitlin on April 27 1982. Whats more, the raptors are known to dive-bomb humans when they feel threatened, almost always targeting the head.. They ranged from simple companionship to just about anything under the sun sexually. Today, Caitlin is married and is now known as . Self-professed psychic Irene Lalagos testified Thursday that Stacy Peterson feared her police sergeant husband would carry out a murderous threat if she ended their . Where are Michael & Kathleen Peterson's kids now? Michael Peterson is an author and a military veteran who served in the Vietnam War. Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. In court and on camera, Peterson initially presented his marriage to Kathleen as an enormously happy one, but prosecutors unearthed evidence that he had been secretly seeing men and that the couple had argued about it shortly before her death; they also found a trove of male pornography on his laptop, which they used to further cast scrutiny on his claims of being content in the marriage. Then, she stumbled indoors and, disoriented, fell down the stairs and was knocked unconscious, unable to call for help. Per the publication, some reports have suggested that Michael Peterson was the last person to see Elizabeth alive, but Michael's lawyer pointed out inconsistencies with this theory. Kathleen Peterson had been drinking some, and her flimsy sandals were nearby - the scene looked to be the outcome of a tragic accident. He won the right to a new trial after authorities discovered that expert prosecution witness Saami Shaibani had misrepresented his own professional credentials. Jessica O'Connor is a public historian focusing on Deep South Black History with degrees from Winston-Salem State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ratliff had assigned Michael as guardian of her kids and left him her entire estate. The last thing anyone wants to see is one of these fierce-looking tree-dwellers flying straight towards them, sharp talons extended as it prepares to latch onto the scalp. An agent from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), Raymond Young, assessed the couples finances and discovered that they had more than $142,000 in debt spread across 20 different accounts. Lestrade's access to Michael Peterson means the HBO Max adaptation has a wealth of source material to draw upon. While the prosecution argued that Michael most likely murdered Kathleen with a fireplace blow poke that was deemed missing from their Durham home at the time of her death, Michael's defense attorney argued that Kathleen died from a fall down the stairs. Still, experts could not say with certainty that this was her cause of death. A male escort even testified in court that he'd engaged in an email exchange with Michael mere months before Kathleen's death, with the pair planning to meet in person, via CNN. Off he went to North Carolinas Correctional Facility in Nash. By using this site, you agree to the Terms . We also talk about "life" on the Other Side with a new anecdote or two! Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Irresistible deal. Kathleen had also had a $1.4 million life insurance policy, which would be paid to Michael in the event of her death. Here are some of the random interesting facts we know about the house at 1810 Cedar St.. The house is currently owned by clairvoyant and medium Biond Fury, who paid $1.3 million for it in 2008. Woman killed in double shooting on Durham highway, Chatham County housing authority director arrested, accused of $200,000+ in wire fraud, Alligator living at Walmart in NC stirs debate, as many demand it be allowed to stay. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. The value of Kathleens Nortel stock had dropped from more than $2 million at its peak to $50,000. Although Michael Peterson reported Kathleen's death as an accident to the 911 dispatcher, when paramedics and police officers arrived at the Petersons' home, they were . Clayton Peterson. Much of that footage would be used for the construction of the original Staircase documentary. But at Target, a less affluent, more diverse crowd welcomes him because they know firsthand how unfair the law can be, he said. Michael moved into a two-bedroom condo, according to reporting from Cosmopolitan on June 11, 2018. Peterson is now serving a life term. Three small feathers were found in the hair strands in Kathleens hand, and Pollard said the lacerations on her scalp were consistent with owl talons. About. She was the first woman accepted into Duke Universitys school of engineering. In the spring before Gates bought the home in June 1989, it was a location for the 1990 movie The Handmaids Tale, which was filmed in Durham and Raleigh and starred Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway and Natasha Richardson. 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