GUILTY NC - Kathleen Peterson, 48, found dead in her Durham home, 9 Dec 2001

[laces]

I just have a couple more items that are nagging at me....no high blood spatter cast off, although lots of lower level blood, and....way too much blood, period. i am still wondering if kathleen was on a blood thinner. Fascinating, troubling case.

 

[borndem]

HiYa Laces!! Good to see you!!

Yes, he is guilty, IMO. Falling down the stairs shouldn't be that bloody, right? And your point about a blood-thinner is good. If so, should the defense have mentioned it?? Dunno.

Oh, well. Grrrr.

 

[Lamima]

No way.

 

[Skittles]

NBC has a new sitcom/mockumentary inspired by "The Staircase." The first two half-hour episodes aired last Tuesday, but they are available online here

http://www.nbc.com/trial-and-error?nbc=1

if you missed them.

Here's a blog post from the Raleigh News & Observer about the show.

http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/warm-tv-blog/article137169198.html

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Michael Peterson talks to NBC’s ‘Dateline’ for ‘Down the Back Staircase’ episode

http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/warm-tv-blog/article142842784.html

Michael Peterson has given NBC’s “Dateline” his first network interview since his February manslaughter plea deal in connection with the 2001 death of his wife, Kathleen. It will air Friday night.

Peterson was interviewed by Dennis Murphy, telling Murphy that the plea deal was “the most difficult decision I ever made in my life. ... And I’m talking, you know, joining the Marines, anything I did in my life, this was the most difficult decision I made. And I did it because the second most difficult thing I ever did in my life was to live through that trial and listen to all of those lies and perjuries, the nonsense.”

Murphy also talks to Kathleen Peterson’s sister, Candace Zamparini, who has been outspoken about her belief in Peterson’s guilt: “It was very cathartic to say, ahh, this is what I fought for. … We weren’t quitting until we heard the word guilty. We thought we were going to hear it from another 12 jurors but we got to hear Michael say guilty.”

The two-hour episode of “Dateline,” titled “Down the Back Staircase,” also features interviews with Peterson’s daughters Martha and Margaret Ratliff, his brother Bill Peterson, Durham detective Art Holland, former assistant district attorney Freda Black, Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolf and Kathleen’s daughter Caitlin Atwater.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Am watching the Dateline episode....MP sounds like a mush-mouth or else he has a mouthfull of marbles.

The owl theory is a joke. Wtf?

 

[Skigirl]

Am watching the Dateline episode....MP sounds like a mush-mouth or else he has a mouthfull of marbles.

The owl theory is a joke. Wtf?

Total joke, made up by a friend of his who is a disbarred attorney. We have tons of owls here. I probably have microscopic owl feathers in my hair right now.

 

[suzyjackson]

I hadn't heard of this case but looking for something interesting to watch on TV I came across a long 8 part documentary on this case and have binge watched it in fascination.

MP came over as an odd character, never really protesting his innocence but from the extracts from the trial I was surprised by teh verdict, the case didn't seem to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to me.

The docu ended with a message saying he would be retried next month but a super quick scan of the last page suggests things have changed recently. I'm really interested to read what you all thought as the case was unfolding so going to read it all through now.

 

[wildebeest]

Just watched Dateline. MP totally disgusts me. What a pompous jerk! Did anyone notice the two Ratliff girl's appearance? They both look noticeably older, since the first trial. IMO, it's unusual considering their age. Also, did anyone observe how the older one, Margaret, looks just like MP!!!

 

[Skigirl]

Just watched Dateline. MP totally disgusts me. What a pompous jerk! Did anyone notice the two Ratliff girl's appearance? They both look noticeably older, since the first trial. IMO, it's unusual considering their age. Also, did anyone observe how the older one, Margaret, looks just like MP!!!

I don't think it's strange that they look older; the original trial was 10 years ago...they went from 20s to 30s. I agree with you that Margaret looks an awful lot like MP!

 

[Skigirl]

New BBC podcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...-and-kathleen-peterson?intc_type=singletheme&

So far, pretty interesting. Interviews with neighbors and others who remember the crime. Originally, the producers of The Staircase had agreed to license the sound rights to everything but withdrew from the deal after feeling that the podcast producers were stepping on their toes during the last round of hearings. Too bad -- I'm sure a lot of interesting material didn't make it into The Staircase.

 

[Sailor Haumea]

I actually think an owl was responsible for the wounds...but it's possible that Michael either finished her off or deliberately ignored her cries for help.

I think the owl theory is JUST crazy enough to be true, as it explains a lot of stuff.

I do think that Elizabeth Ratliff's death was just a tragic accident, as she was reported to be having issues a few days before her death. I really do think she had a hemorrhage and fell down the stairs.

Perhaps Michael Peterson is extremely unlucky!

 

[Skigirl]

I actually think an owl was responsible for the wounds...but it's possible that Michael either finished her off or deliberately ignored her cries for help.

I think the owl theory is JUST crazy enough to be true, as it explains a lot of stuff.

I do think that Elizabeth Ratliff's death was just a tragic accident, as she was reported to be having issues a few days before her death. I really do think she had a hemorrhage and fell down the stairs.

Perhaps Michael Peterson is extremely unlucky!

I don't. As an interesting side-note, the man who proposed the owl theory grew up in the house he still lives in now, next door or two doors away from the Peterson residence. His father, Forrest Alford Pollard, murdered a man in 1960. The man he murdered is buried in the same cemetery as Kathleen Peterson.

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/3301410/


"Durham Banker Is Fatally Shot DURHAM <UP1> &#8212; Di.st. Sol. William Murdock planned to ask the Durham County grand jury today to indict Forrest Pollard on first &#8226; degree murder charges in the fatal shooting of Charles S. Allen, prominent Durham bank er. Allen was shot twice at his home shortly after a party to which he escorted Pollards former wife. He fell dead on the porch of his home, according to Murdock. when the second charge from a 12-gauge shotgun struck his left side and abdomen. Pollard, a 53 - year &#8226; old attorney and former state legislator was arrested at his home about 30 minutes after the shooting. Officers said they recovered a gun there which they thought was used in the shooting. According to Murdock, Allen and Mrs. Pollard were sitting in Allen's home with the victim's housekeeper when Pollard rang the door bell. Pollard and Allen exchanged words, the solicitor said, and then went outside. He quoted Mrs. Virginia Pitchford, Allen's housekeeper, as saying she heard shots and ran to the door. She found Allen staggering up to the porch, saying Pollard had shot him. Allen, a fiO - year &#8226; old Weldon native, was president of the Citizens National Bank until it merged recently with the Durham Bank and Trust Co. He was serving as senior vice president of the Durham Bank &&#8226; Trust Co. at the time of his death. He was president of the Durham Baseball Club in the Carolina League and a member of the State Board of Conservation and Development. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. today at Duke I'Diversity Chapel with burial in Maplewood Cemetery."

 

[Skittles]

A new documentary "An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase" will air on the ID Channel for three nights beginning April 8th at 10:00 pm eastern.

This blog post from the Raleigh News and Observer discusses the documentary and also lists the many earlier documentaries about the case:

http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/warm-tv-blog/article205048884.html

 

[Malapoo]

Saw the ID special and had read some on line. The owl theory is a bit interesting as the wounds do resemble an owl claw, but why would she run upstairs if help was out the backdoor as in husband. What explains the other bruising/possible defensive marks. How did blood get so high - 6 feet in some statements but I think ID said 9. Even if she spit blood, which I DO NOT believe, why would she throw her head straight back. If her head was level or just slightly tilted up I don't think spit would make that height unless she's a darn good spitter.

I just think if I was attacked and chased in the front door by an owl, I'd head to the kitchen which would be the closest sink and towels to put pressure on the wounds. Or find the nearest person to help me. I just don't think I would run up steps.

I just can't help but feel had she gotten pressure on the wounds if it was an owl attack, she would have been able to call for help and survived. With no fractures or brain bleed, the owl attack could well be survivable.

 

[Skigirl]

Saw the ID special and had read some on line. The owl theory is a bit interesting as the wounds do resemble an owl claw, but why would she run upstairs if help was out the backdoor as in husband. What explains the other bruising/possible defensive marks. How did blood get so high - 6 feet in some statements but I think ID said 9. Even if she spit blood, which I DO NOT believe, why would she throw her head straight back. If her head was level or just slightly tilted up I don't think spit would make that height unless she's a darn good spitter.

I just think if I was attacked and chased in the front door by an owl, I'd head to the kitchen which would be the closest sink and towels to put pressure on the wounds. Or find the nearest person to help me. I just don't think I would run up steps.

I just can't help but feel had she gotten pressure on the wounds if it was an owl attack, she would have been able to call for help and survived. With no fractures or brain bleed, the owl attack could well be survivable.

I don't think anyone really takes the owl theory seriously. It's just something new for documentaries to talk about. Even the people interviewed who'd been attacked by owls didn't have more than a couple little puncture wounds. I live in the area and there are TONS of owls around here. I probably end up with little owl feathers in my hair sometimes, too, when I spend time in my yard.

The thing that I learned from the first episode that I don't think I'd heard before was that there were blood drops on some of the *advertiser censored* in Peterson's study.

 

[Jewels53]

I personally thought the owl theory was far fetched. I still don't see how that much blood was from just a fall. jmo

 

[Levi]

I did a podcast on this case with Websleuth's own Tricia Griffith. Here is the link if you want to listen on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast...en-peterson/id1200565928?i=1000408918780&mt=2

If you don't have iTunes or an Apple device, you can listen here: https://audioboom.com/posts/6807440-the-staircase-death-of-kathleen-peterson

 

[Skittles]

Apparently we'll be getting more episodes of the 2004 French documentary "The Staircase", not to be confused with the recent documentary on the ID channel. I never saw the original episodes, so I'm looking forward to those re-airing, too.

From the Raleigh News & Observer blog:

Netflix orders more episodes of Michael Peterson documentary series 'The Staircase'

http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/warm-tv-blog/article209243149.html

 

[laces]

OK....I am rewatching STAIRCASE on netflix. Something still bothers me. The police stating the blood was dry. Blood dries much quicker than you would imagine, and that's partly why it is so hard to clean up. I don't believe you can tell how long a person has been down by the blood being dried. I mean, it dries in minutes in the hospital when a patient is bleeding onto the floor. and again, there is all the murkiness about his being bisexual and looking for encounters. Still, does not make him a murderer. I staunchly believed him guilty, based on the previous death, based on sentiment, based on all of the reasons put forth by the prosecution. Now, I'm not so sure. There were no marks on Peterson. No doubt, Kathleen would have fought for her life, she certainly sounds like a very capable and strong willed person. I still wonder if she surprised an intruder. How well did they look for one? After they jumped on the "husband as perp" bandwagon, did they stop any further forensic investigation? Now, let me ask you this....if you knew police would be going through your computer, would you try to delete anything? Since you are here on this forum, you are probably, like many of us, a true crime aficionado (spelling?). So, have you ever searched for a poison, a drug, a murder? What would that look like to an investigator in the event of a mysterious death of someone close to you? I'm just sayin'....