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

[Boodles]

I saw something earlier, probably WTVD/ABC. They showed video of him at court walking across the breezeway at the Durham courthouse, then inside chatting with someone. He is not looking good if you ask me. From what I could gather, nothing much transpired. A trial date was not set, they said, if there is to be a trial date at all, because he could take a plea deal.

 

[Skigirl]

Possible suspects:


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There have been quite a few car break-ins in the 'hood lately, resulting mostly in small amounts of cash stolen. I sent a note out to police to suggest the above and indigent Michael Peterson as potential suspects. Will report back when they contact me with their feedback.

 

[borndem]

There have been quite a few car break-ins in the 'hood lately, resulting mostly in small amounts of cash stolen. I sent a note out to police to suggest the above and indigent Michael Peterson as potential suspects. Will report back when they contact me with their feedback.

Great Work, Skigirl! That's exactly what a good WebSleuther should do!!

Why didn't I think of that?? :/

 

[BrittMontero]

Could anyone direct me to the original threads on this trial? I've searched and searched but can't seem to find them.
Thanks so much!

 

[madeleine]

guilty as sin,never been more sure about the guilt of a convict like in this case!

 

[borndem]

Could anyone direct me to the original threads on this trial? I've searched and searched but can't seem to find them.
Thanks so much!

Go to this link http://www.wral.com/news/local/page/8169497/?navkeyword=Michael+Peterson

and scroll down to where you see "View more" on the left side of the page. Click on that and you should get WRAL's links for their coverage of the 1st Peterson trial. Notice that the links are divided into each trial day, in order of last day to first day.

WRAL's archives on the trials -- their news articles and the trials -- that they stream is a great resource for those who want a refresher on this case or others.

 

[Skigirl]

I almost (literally) bumped into him at the YMCA this week! I had no idea he was still coming to the neighborhood! He's much shorter than I would have guessed.

 

[Puja]

Still trawling the YMCA, eh? Old habits die hard. I hope they can still convict him without the blood evidence.

 

[borndem]

Well, folks, will his trial start today? He's scheduled for it. No local MSM news on it, however. We'll see. Court should start around 9:30amEST. Jury selection. The first trial was streamed after jury selection was completed -- dunno about this one. Should be. Nuttin' else going on.

District and Superior Courts of DURHAM County

Court	Defendant	Date of Birth	Court Date	Court Room	Session	Case Number	Citation Number
Superior	PETERSON,MICHAEL,IVER	10/23/1943	02/02/2015	007C	AM	2001CRS024821

http://www1.aoc.state.nc.us/www/cal...son,mi&start=0&navindex=0&submit=Submit+Query


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SUPERIOR COURT CRIMINAL CASE MANAGEMENT CALENDAR
BEGINNING WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2, 2015
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PETERSON, MICHAEL^ 01 CRS 24821 1st Degree Murder Mike Klinkosum
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http://www.nccourts.org/County/Durham/Calendars/case-management-020215.pdf

 

[squeaky]

I've read a couple different places that the trial is expected to take place "late this year," but I have yet to read anything definitive or more specific.

January 5, 2016
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/article52817750.html

After being released from prison two years ago, Michael Peterson, now 72, is scheduled to be retried this year for the mysterious death of his wife, Kathleen, in 2001.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Thank u for the update Squeaky. I followed this case closely and hope to God MP is locked up for good - eventually. He's disgusting.....and I can't say I think much of his oldest son either. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, that's for sure.

I remember how composed and articulate KP's daughter Caitlyn (sp?) was throughout this horrific ordeal, and also KP's sister. They both fought vigorously for justice on KP's behalf.

 

[Jennibee]

I'm a little late but I just finished the documentary. Right now I really believe he is innocent but I am yet to do any of my own additional research.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[fred&edna]

I didn't follow this case when it was current, but I've read quite a bit about it. I recently watched the documentary, and it's quite possible I missed it, but I don't remember any mention of MP's bloody footprint on the back of Kathleen's pants. Anyone know if there are still some functioning links (such as trial testimony) about this piece of evidence?

 

[Skigirl]

I've read a couple different places that the trial is expected to take place "late this year," but I have yet to read anything definitive or more specific.

January 5, 2016
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/article52817750.html

I have a friend who works in the Durham office that handles indigent defendants, and I have heard that the case is not expected to go back to trial. I don't know if that means they expect to reach a plea agreement, or if they plan to just keep putting the trial off indefinitely, or if that was just a guess. I haven't wanted to probe too much because I'm sure my friend isn't allowed to say more.

 

[Skigirl]

I didn't follow this case when it was current, but I've read quite a bit about it. I recently watched the documentary, and it's quite possible I missed it, but I don't remember any mention of MP's bloody footprint on the back of Kathleen's pants. Anyone know if there are still some functioning links (such as trial testimony) about this piece of evidence?

Here's an old link to a contemporary CNN article about the testimony: http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/07/25/ctv.novelist.trial/

snippets from the article in case it disappears:

"DURHAM, North Carolina (Court TV) -- One of defendant Michael Peterson's sneakers made a bloody print on the back of the sweatpants his wife, Kathleen, was wearing when she died at the bottom of a staircase, an investigator testified Tuesday.

The discovery of the shoe print is odd given what jurors have already been told about the sneakers. They, and a pairs of gym socks, were found next to Kathleen Peterson's body and Michael Peterson's feet were bare when officers arrived...

On Tuesday morning, jurors were permitted to hold autopsy photos that showed lacerations on the back of Kathleen Peterson's head. A police evidence technician who witnessed the autopsy testified that she collected blood samples and photographs the coroner had taken, and well as a "wood-metal chip" found in Kathleen Peterson's scalp."

I had never heard anything about the "wood-metal" chip in her scalp. I guess those owls must have attacked her with a weapon.

 

[SCHMAE]

I'm watching the Staircase and still have one episode left but I noticed something odd. When Michael is speaking to his attorney he said that he ABSOLUTELY did have affairs with multiple men and women when married to his first wife in Germany, Patty . He made no hesitations and said it more than once and that once he married Kathleen he had no more affairs or sexual contact with any females, only males. When his attorneys arrived in Germany , they asked the first wife, Patty, if Michael may have been having an affair with the neighbor, Liz, and Patty seemed horrified and said absolutely no way and he was not that kind of man and he had never ever cheated on her and for sure not with the now deceased neighbor, Liz . So, I thought this odd and his attorneys never spoke of it again that I noticed and I have been watching for them to. Like I say, one episode to go so they still may. So the first wife,Patty, who knows him so well says there is no way he could have slept with anyone while married to her and he very candidly admits he had many affairs while married to her. So this tells me he was good at being a doting and non suspicious acting spouse. I don't know if he killed anyone but he definitely snuck some affairs past the first wife's nose.

 

[SCHMAE]

The investigator for the state ( idk name ) says that plenty of Liz's friends and family can attest to the horrible and dark side of MP. Why is that the only statement about it in the whole documentary ? Did anyone ever hear what he's talking about ? Why not bring them in as character witnesses if they had something to say about MP having a violent or aggressive nature ?

ETA I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to discuss. Is there a separate thread for the docu regarding the trial ? TIA

 

[Skigirl]

The investigator for the state ( idk name ) says that plenty of Liz's friends and family can attest to the horrible and dark side of MP. Why is that the only statement about it in the whole documentary ? Did anyone ever hear what he's talking about ? Why not bring them in as character witnesses if they had something to say about MP having a violent or aggressive nature ?

ETA I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to discuss. Is there a separate thread for the docu regarding the trial ? TIA

I think a few things could account for the lack of further mention in the documentary.
- If I recall correctly, the prosecution stopped cooperating with the film, so they may not have been inclined to produce people to support things they said early in filming.
- Many other things were left out -- maybe to make him seem less guilty -- by the filmmakers. For instance, there was no mention of their $145,000 in credit card debt, which was central to the prosecution's assertion that they were in deep financial trouble and that MP killed KP for the insurance.

One of the people involved in the film -- I believe a producer -- is romantically involved with MP. I don't recall if they married or not (I think not), but I am pretty sure I heard she moved in with him. In interviews about the film, the filmakers talked a lot about how they felt MP was being unfairly prosecuted because of intolerance toward his sexuality. One even gave an interview in which he said that KP's daughter had wanted some of her handbags said he thought she was the type of girl who would marry a very rich man (the misogyny rather boggles the mind and about the victim's daughter, no less). In any case, I think it's fair to say that the film makers had definite opinions and those opinions informed their decisions about what to include and what to exclude.

 

[Puja]

Diane Fanning's book (Written in Blood) and http://www.peterson-staircase.com talk a lot about the information that was absent from the documentary, if you want to get a broader view of the case.

 

[borndem]

Grrrrrr.

Here's the latest from local MSM. Mike Klinkosum (was with the Capital Defender's Office -- he may have been appointed a while back to defend Peterson, IDK) is now defending Mr. Peterson, and he is taking shots at evidence preservation. Here's the article:

Crime

March 22, 2016 6:24 PM

Mike Peterson’s attorney questions preservation of evidence in murder case


Highlights:
In court documents, Mike Klinkosum describes disarray
Garbage found on a shirt collected after Kathleen Peterson’s 2001 death
Evidence with ‘biohazard’ labels unsealed and exposed

DURHAM
When novelist Mike Peterson went to trial in 2003, accused of murdering his wife, his defense team spent much of the protracted trial describing what they argued was a shoddy police investigation.

Now, as the 71-year-old man awaits a second trial on the same charge – that he murdered Kathleen Peterson on Dec. 9, 2001 – a new defense team is questioning whether protection of the evidence for the 15-year-old case also has been shoddy.
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Klinkosum was assigned to the case in October 2014 after Peterson sought a publicly appointed attorney. He is considered indigent by the courts.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/lo...7.html#emlnl=morning_newsletter#storylink=cpy​

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Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/lo...7.html#emlnl=morning_newsletter#storylink=cpy​

I've seen Klinkosum as an appointed defender several times -- he is smart and good. He's always been calm and patient when making his arguments or points in the courtroom. When I saw him -- and I'm sure many of other WS'ers have seen him, too -- he was with the Captial Defender's Office, and I think he still helps them out from time to time. He seems like a good guy, IMO. I am sorry that he is having to defend this ~man~.

For more info about Klink:
http://www.avvo.com/attorneys/27601-nc-maitri-klinkosum-1733986.html

http://www.tinfulton.com/attorneys/mike-klinkosum/