A new motion was filed in August 2010 by David Rudolf, one of Peterson's original attorneys, who acted pro bono in proceedings challenging the SBI testimony. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. 1 week ago, Here's the OTHER Death at the Centre of Netflix's The Staircase, "Saint X" Isn't a True Story, but It Parallels the Tragic Disappearance of Natalee Holloway, Watch Natalie Portman Act Out Her Movie Career in Just 7 Minutes With James Corden, Adele Joins James Corden For His Final "Carpool Karaoke": "I'm Going to Miss You So Much", The Future of Netflix's "Beef" Currently Remains Unclear, Will There Be a "Jury Duty" Season 2? Peterson was housed at the Nash Correctional Institution near Rocky Mount until he was released on December 16, 2011. Elizabeth died in 1985. [16][17] A re-examination of the hair in September 2008 had found two more microscopic owl feathers. An autopsy on the body of Elizabeth Ann McKee Ratliff, 43, was performed by the state medical examiner's office April 16 at the request of Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin, who contends that. After graduating, Peterson took a civilian job with the United States Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam. [34] However, a news report on February 7, 2017, indicated that a resolution had been negotiated by Rudolf (once again representing Peterson) and the Durham County District Attorney. 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. [20][21] On March 2, 2017 (following his Alford plea), Peterson's attorney filed a motion to allow him to pay for a bird expert at the Smithsonian Institution to examine feather fragments found in Kathleen's hair to determine whether or not she had been attacked by an owl. The difference between a Queen and a Queen Consort. ), I believe Michael and Elizabeth were upstairs in her home, possibly having a romantic interlude, when the conversation turned more serious as Elizabeth asked Michael to leave his wife (Patty) at the time. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. "I've read 260 autopsies from blunt trauma to the head, and never once did I see any of your people say the inflicted trauma is clearly from a homicidal assault," Rudolf is heard saying in the documentary. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. After eight years, Peterson was granted a new trial after the judge ruled a critical prosecution witness gave misleading testimony. [citation needed] A juror contacted after the trial noted that the jury had dismissed the idea of the blow poke as the murder weapon.[9]. Kate's 'princess shuffle' is going viral on TikTok, Meghan 'signs with major Hollywood talent agency', Anne's coronation role leaves fans "in tears", TV legend Jerry Springer has died at the age of 79. But two years after George's death, as if the Ratliff family hadn't suffered enough trauma, Elizabeth too was found dead - at the bottom of the staircase at her home in Germany. The prosecution contended that the Petersons' marriage was far from happy, suggesting that Kathleen had discovered Michael's alleged secret gay life and wanted to end their marriage. They married in 1997, and Kathleen's daughter Caitlin became the fifth sibling in the blended family.[6]. They argued as he would not agree to this. In 2001 the woman Ratliff called "mom," Kathleen Peterson, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in the family's Durham, North Carolina, home. Michael and Patty had two sons while living over in Germany - Clayton and Todd - while Elizabeth and George had two daughters, Margaret and Martha. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. The prosecution declined to accuse Peterson of Ratliff's death, but introduced the death into the trial as an incident giving Peterson the idea of how to "fake" Kathleen's accident. . The documentary offers an intimate depiction of defense preparations for the trial. Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. The Scene of Her Death The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. After knocking Kathleen out (with what exactly, there are so many possibilities-afterall if all your kids were no longer living at home, would they be able to identify what things were or werent missing? 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. 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. Peterson claimed he had received one Purple Heart after being hit by shrapnel when another soldier stepped on a land mine, and the other when he was shot. In The Staircase, Patty recalls how they would all eat together and how Michael would regularly stay behind to help Elizabeth clean up and put her daughters to bed. Regina Green, an old family friend of Peterson pointed out in "The Staircase" how much Ratliff and Petersons first wife Patricia looked alike. Toxicology results showed that Kathleen's blood alcohol content was 0.07 percent (70mg/100mL), her alcohol in urine was 0.11 and she had taken between 5 and 15mg of Valium. 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. New statewide softball rankings ahead of conference tournament week, Riverside-Durham alum Jordon Riley drafted by the New York Giants, Fatal crash on Lake Woodard Drive Sunday evening, NFL Draft: Panthers draft Wolfpack's offense guard Chandler Zavala, GOP lawmakers want to pay for students' private education. They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. Hardin and his prosecution team (among them Mike Nifong) attacked Peterson's credibility, focusing on his alleged misreporting of his military service and what they described as a gay life he led and kept secret. Now as both Elizabeth and her husband were both deceased, the girls Margaret and Martha would surely be left in the care of one of their relatives? Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. 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. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. The owl theory was raised by Durham attorney T. Lawrence Pollard, a neighbor of the Petersons who was not involved in the case but had been following the public details. Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? Storyville Death on . Peterson defense dissects Deaver's methods, Former NC AG says it will be harder for the State to convict Peterson in retrial, "Mike Peterson gets new attorney for second murder trial", "Judge rules Michael Peterson will stand trial in murder case", "Mike Peterson walks free as 15-year murder case ends with plea deal", "COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Medical examiner explains about-face on cause of death", North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Forensics Scandal Grows With New Evidence of Fraud, "Coming soon by Tiddy Smith DEATH BY TALONS: Did an Owl 'Murder' Kathleen Peterson? 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.". Testimony in the death of the Elizabeth Ratliff continued Tuesday as the Ratliff nanny Barbara Malagnino started her description of what happened the November morning she found Ratliff's. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. A+E Networks EMEA is an amalgamation of A+E Networks UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Nordics, Benelux, Spain and Africa. He later claimed that he had been outside by the pool and had come in at 2:40am to find Kathleen at the foot of the stairs. 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. 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. Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a huge impact on her youngest daughter, Martha ( Odessa Young ). In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. [22], In August 2010, following a series of newspaper articles critical of the SBI, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper led an investigation which resulted in the suspension of SBI analyst Duane Deaver, one of the principal witnesses against Peterson, after the report found his work among the worst done on scores of flawed criminal cases. As Peterson was the only person at the residence at the time of Kathleen's death, he was the prime suspect and was soon charged with her murder. 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 . Now, if you wish to learn more about this nearly four-decade-old matter, including the undeniable suspicions surrounding the same, dont worry; weve got all the essential details for you. If Mike believed Liz's death was a fall, and if he remembered seeing very little blood, he wouldn't have believed it necessary to add lots of blood to the Kathleen crime scene. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The exhumation of Elizabeth Ratliff. [19], Despite interest in this theory among some outside advocates, no motion for a new trial was filed on this point in 2009. An autopsy at the time of her death concluded Ratliff died from an intra-cerebral hemorrhage secondary to the blood coagulation disorder Von Willebrand's disease, based on blood in her cerebrospinal fluid and reports that she had been suffering severe, persistent headaches in the weeks leading up to her death. The autopsy report concluded that the 48-year-old woman sustained a matrix of severe injuries, including a fracture of the superior cornu of the left thyroid cartilage and seven lacerations to the top and back of her head, consistent with blows from a blunt object, and had died from blood loss ninety minutes to two hours after sustaining the injuries. Michael and Patricia adopted Margaret and her sister Martha after their parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, passed away. After Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987, Clayton and Todd lived with Patricia, and Margaret and Martha stayed with Michael, who then moved to Durham, North Carolina. ]]> A global broadcaster since 1995, we reach audiences in over 100 countries, including the UK, Nordics, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, Spain, Italy, Germany, Africa and the Middle East. He pleaded not guilty. The trial drew increasing media attention as details of Peterson's private life emerged. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. On November 9, the Court announced that it affirmed the decision of the appeals. With offices in London, Rome, Madrid, Warsaw, Munich and Johannesburg, we are a truly international company that celebrates difference and diversity. 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 Durham M.E. We believe that once she learned this information that an argument ensued and a homicide occurred. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. . Registered in England 112955. 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. Doubt as to the admissibility of the Ratliff evidence in court was one of the grounds for the subsequent appeal against his conviction, lodged by Peterson's lawyers in 2005. Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December9, 2001. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability. Michael Iver Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Eugene Iver Peterson and Eleanor Peterson (ne Bartolino). 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. Both subsequently broke off from the rest of the family. As per reports, Elizabeth often had dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would stay back to clean up or tuck her little girls to bed, which is precisely what they unwittingly did on her last evening alive. Prosecutors have ridiculed the claim, and Deborah Radisch, who conducted Kathleen's autopsy, says it was unlikely that an owl or any other bird could have made wounds as deep as those on her scalp. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. [7] Kathleen's daughter, Caitlin, and Kathleen's sister, Candace Zamperini, both initially proclaimed Michael's innocence and publicly supported him alongside his children, but Zamperini reconsidered after learning of Michael's bisexuality, as did Caitlin after reading her mother's autopsy report. Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband, George Ratliff, were close friends of Michael Peterson and his first wife Patricia Peterson when they lived in Germany in the 1980s. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. While his clothes were bloody from cradling his wife, Peterson had insufficient blood spattering on his clothes to support an attack. Although forensic expert Henry Lee, hired by Peterson's defense, testified that the blood-spatter evidence was consistent with an accidental fall down the stairs, police investigators concluded that the injuries were inconsistent with such an accident. Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. The defense disputed this theory. Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. It was one of America's most gripping murder trials of the last two decades. Eight 45-minute episodes of the documentary were assembled from more than 600 hours of footage. WildBlue Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Peterson_trial&oldid=1152187173, 20th-century American non-fiction writers, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni, Overturned convictions in the United States, People convicted of murder by North Carolina, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by North Carolina, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Motion for new trial denied by Durham County Superior Court on March 10, 2009, "The Staircase Murders" - 2007 TV Movie written by Aphrodite Jones, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 18:49. [1] In 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany at the time. In the end, Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson. Therefore, when the Captain suddenly lost his life during a secret overseas operation in 1983, his widows connection with them only furthered she even began relying on Michael for some help in daily chores. At its heart was a seemingly perfect marriage. As we see in The Staircase, it's very clear that Michael Peterson is distressed at the thought of his family friend's body being dug up and re-examined. [33] On November 14, 2016, Peterson's request for the second trial to be dismissed was refused, and a new trial was scheduled to begin on May 8, 2017. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. The two were buried side by side after Ratlitt died. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck her children to sleep. Often, he'd help with the dishes or read to Ratliff's two young daughtersbefore returning home, according to the documentary series. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". 3 days ago, by Kelsie Gibson Our people are our strength, and our differences are celebrated. 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. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. "What's the fucking grounds?" Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. When authorities found Elizabeth dead at the bottom of a staircase. The court case generated widespread interest, in part because of a televised documentary series variously named Soupons (Suspicions), Death on the Staircase, and The Staircase, which detailed Peterson's legal and personal troubles. The pair "had a loving, almost familial relationship," Patty described. Our culture embraces individuals, in all their daring, passionate, ambitious glory. So much so, that Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed and a second post mortem carried out by the Durham Medical Examiner. "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. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. It had been a gift to the Petersons from Kathleen's sister but was missing from the house at the time of the investigation. On March 10, 2009, Peterson's motion was denied by the Durham County Superior Court. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. 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. 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. "It is further my opinion that these injuries were incurred while Mrs. Ratliff was alive and are of sufficient severity to have caused her death.". Years later, during the 1999 Durham mayoral election, Peterson claimed he had been awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor, and two Purple Hearts. Freda Black's closing argument October 3, 2003 Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. OR after heaving her down the stairs to make sure she indeed was dead, struck her again a few times with the same item as at the front door-he may not even have had to hit her fast, he could do it more slowly which would not end up leaving castoff on the ceiling, which was an issue at the trial-if he had struck her surely there would be castoff on the ceiling, but they were figuring on it being done in a fast frenzy-he then changed clothing and got rid of the clothing and the item he struck her with. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? The Petersons had dinner with Ratliff and her daughters, and Peterson had stayed and helped Ratliff put the children to bed before going home. Lee had also duplicated blood spatter from coughing for the jury by drinking ketchup and spitting it out. T he death of Elizabeth Ratliff was brought into the Peterson case. [5], Peterson and his first wife Patricia lived in Germany for some time. The neighbour, Karin Hamn, testified that she saw MP hurrying away from ER's house at 12.50 am on November 25th. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, TX. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. According to their analysis, the lacerations were not consistent with blows of any sort, because there was a lack of underlying injury, such as skull fractures or bruising, swelling and hemorrhaging of the brain. On November 12, 2008, attorneys J. Burkhardt Beale and Jason Anthony of Richmond, Virginia, who were now representing Peterson, filed a motion for a new trial in Durham County court on three grounds: that the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence about the blow poke, that the prosecution used an expert witness whose qualifications were disputed, and that one juror based his judgment on racial factors. The ME overturned Elizabeth's original autopsy and concluded she also died by homicide. Im also sure as he is a master storyteller, that he convinced himself the story he told was the truth and his mind believed it, thus giving his consciousness the ability to feel he was innocent and then able to act the part of the victim as well. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. What will the King Charles era be called? [28][29][30] Former North Carolina Attorney General Rufus L. Edmisten said that any evidence gathered after Deaver arrived at the scene might be deemed inadmissible in a new trial. The body was then transported from Texas to Durham. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. [12] Denial of parole requires premeditation. Media reports explained this by suggesting he probably changed his clothes, but investigators determined very early that he had not. Seeing Margaret everyday no doubt caused her much stress and probably was the reason for many arguments that eventually led to the divorce. Elizabeth Ratliff, a 43-year-old widow who taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs on November 25, 1985.
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