She was found dead at the bottom of a staircase, Ratliff was found tilted sideways at the bottom of a wooden staircase inside her home, according to "The Staircase.". Later in the trial the defense team produced the missing blow poke, which they said had been overlooked in the garage by police investigators. There they befriended Elizabeth and George Ratliff and their two children, Margaret and Martha. Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. 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. [35] The judge sentenced him to a maximum of 86 months in prison, with credit for time previously served. It took weeks for all the blood to be cleaned up, according to "The Staircase. [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]. 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. Here's what we know about the real-life events. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. 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. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. In June 2006, he voluntarily filed for bankruptcy. However as Kathleen was not having any of it, I believe she decided to storm out and go to a relatives house or even a hotel, just to get out as some people do in the onset of a huge argument-just need to get out even to go for a drive. The staircase in Germany where Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead, Michael Peterson with Elizabeth Ratliffs daughter, Martha. It's believed that Michael was the last. 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. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. Durham novelist Peterson walks out of jail; awaits new murder trial. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. Forensic tests revealed that it had been untouched and unmoved for too long to have been used in the murder. They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to the documentary. There was a substantial amount of blood around the staircase, Witness Cheryl Appel-Schumacher testified during Petersons 2003 trial that the blood reached all the way up the staircase. Lee had also duplicated blood spatter from coughing for the jury by drinking ketchup and spitting it out. The Durham M.E. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. Two weeks later, Caitlin filed an objection to the bankruptcy. All Rights Reserved. We offer a range of benefits such as a generous pension plan, life assurance and holiday allowance, and there are useful local perks in various offices, and summer Fridays across the whole company. As both their families grew, so did the bonds between them. A second autopsy, conducted by Durham, North Carolina officials this time, revealed sufficient evidence to suspect the manner of death being clear homicide. With that said, no charges against Michael have ever been brought in connection to this matter, and he maintains his innocence. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. [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. 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. Ratliff, a. The judges did find defects in a search warrant, but said they had no ill effect on the defense. The Scene of Her Death. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Eight 45-minute episodes of the documentary were assembled from more than 600 hours of footage. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. On November 9, the Court announced that it affirmed the decision of the appeals. In late 2009, a new theory of Kathleen's death was raised: that she had been attacked by a barred owl outside, fallen after rushing inside, and been knocked unconscious after hitting her head on the first tread of the stairs. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? It is only natural that a mother want custody of her children, but why not the girls as their mother was supposedly her best or very close friend?? Patty described what she saw when she entered the house. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 'The Staircase': What Happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? - Newsweek 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. Before Peterson's trial, the Durham court ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's embalmed body, buried in Texas, for a second autopsy in April 2003. The exhumation of Elizabeth Ratliff. In October 2014, the court appointed Mike Klinkosum to represent Peterson, replacing David Rudolf, who had been working pro bono on the case since Peterson's conviction was overturned. And its with just as much passion that we strive to gain new audiences with our creativity and by using innovative technology, by partnering with leading and emerging local platforms. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, "Novelist Michael Peterson, Convicted of Wife's Murder, Is Released From Prison and Will Get New Trial", "Hollywood just can't seem to get enough of the Michael Peterson 'Staircase' story", "Guide to the Michael Peterson papers, 19612001 and undated, bulk 1972", "Durham mayoral candidate Michael Peterson fabricated war injury, admits falsehood", "Wife's staircase death at center of novelist's murder trial", "Who is Michael Peterson and why are people talking about him? "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.". Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. [14][15] Because the ruling was not unanimous, under North Carolina law, Peterson had the right to appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court, which accepted the case. Now fast forward to 2001-the night Michaels second wife, Kathleen dies. Elizabeth died in 1985. Clayton and Todd later also joined their father. Wouldnt it make more sense to leave them with a relative.unless Elizabeth wanted Michael to know and raise his daughter along were her sister together. Reddit - Dive into anything Patricia has always vehemently backed him up. [36] By and large, the jurors were swayed by the amount of blood Kathleen lost and the number of lacerations, which indicated to them it could not have been an accident. Registered in England 112955. It was a unanimous decision by all 12 jury members. Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend of the Petersons, who died in Germany in 1985, had also been found dead at the foot of her staircase with injuries to the head. Around that same time, Elizabeth and George grew close to the Petersons, their neighbors, bonding over Michael being a Vietnam War veteran and his then-wife Patricia being her coworker. Elizabeth Holmes has 11-year jail sentence delayed, Woman leaves husband over 'inattentive parenting', Women awoke to naked man beside her on the train, Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. The Bizarre True Story Behind HBO Max's The Staircase At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. 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. 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. Despite police reports that there was very little blood at the scene of Ratliff's death, the nanny, who was the first to discover Ratliff's body in 1985, took the stand at Peterson's trial and testified that there was a large amount of blood at the scene. In 1989, Michael moved in with Kathleen Atwater, a successful Nortel business executive. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. T he death of Elizabeth Ratliff was brought into the Peterson case. On September 19, the Court of Appeals rejected Peterson's arguments that he did not get a fair trial because of repeated judicial mistakes. What we do know is that he was found guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen. 3 days ago, by Joely Chilcott The two were buried side by side after Ratlitt died. When the prosecution learned of Elizabeth's death and identified the coincidence that she, too, had died as a result of falling down the stairs, they called for her body to be exhumed from the grave in Texas where she was buried. [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. Here's the OTHER Death at the Center of Netflix's The Staircase. The author's ex-wife, Patty, maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. .css-4xjy6g{display:block;font-family:RundDisplay,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:0.01em;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-4xjy6g:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-4xjy6g{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.9375rem;margin-top:1.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-4xjy6g{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:1.25rem;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-4xjy6g{font-size:1.625rem;line-height:1.2;}}Fans say same thing about new Will and Kate photo. Jurors Hear About Deaths Of Kathleen Peterson, Elizabeth Ratliff - WRAL.com Despite the evidence submitted during the trial, Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters, Margaret and Martha - who had been brought up by Michael and Kathleen - stood by their adoptive father and continued to protest his innocence. Some may criticize them as to why they cant see he did it. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. I do not think that the girls could mentally handle it if they allowed their minds to go to the place of believing he did it. "The embarrassment is just going to keep growing over this," Laura Harth, the campaign director at Safeguard Defenders, told Newsweek. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. The neighbour, Karin Hamn, testified that she saw MP hurrying away from ER's house at 12.50 am on November 25th. 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. The filmmakers started their project within weeks of Kathleen's death and Peterson's murder indictment; jury selection took place in May 2003 with the case itself going to trial in July 2003. Everyone has a voice and should feel proud and free to run with their ideas, enjoying their successes and journey with us. Suspicion surrounding Elizabeth Ratliff's death, Neurosurgeon and owl expert Alan van Norman, Patrick T. Redig, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota, and Kate P. Davis, the director of Raptors of the Rockies, signed affidavits claiming that the evidence and injuries are consistent with an attack by an owl, possibly a. Several other documentaries have been produced about Kathleen's death, including a sequel to the 2004 French documentary, podcasts, radio shows and other media. After seeing much of The Staircase on Netflix and seeing Michaels narcissistic and cocky personality I believe he tried to make her believe she was crazy to think that or try to make up a story, as that was what he did for a living so it would be easy for him to come up with excuses easily. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. [27], On December 16, 2011, Peterson was released from the Durham County jail on $300,000 bail and placed under house arrest with a tracking anklet. A quick recap for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. Michael Peterson trial - Wikipedia Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were living in West Germany at the time. When Elizabeth Ratliff died in 1985, Michael became the guardian of her two children. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. "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. He also suggested some of the blood could have been diluted with urine. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the US invasion of Grenada. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family. Thus, all we can positively state is, whatever the case may be, both Elizabeth and Kathleens deaths were simply tragic. Despite Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, requesting that a "neutral" pathologist from Texas carried out the autopsy, the District Attorney had Dr. Deborah L. Radisch, the state pathologist, do it instead. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed in 2003. The Staircase Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? - Collider He has since insisted she was completely okay when he walked out the door, yet the following morning, the girls nanny found her dead at the bottom of the stairs Elizabeth passed away on November 25, 1985. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". Peterson's appeal was filed by his defense counsel, with Thomas Maher now serving as his court-appointed attorney, and was argued before the North Carolina Court of Appeals on April 18, 2006. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Several similarities exist between the death of Elizabeth Ratliff in Germany in 1985 and the subject of this trial, which is the death of Kathleen Peterson in Durham, North Carolina in 2001. Because Peterson had already served more time than the sentence (98.5 months), he did not face additional prison time. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? Todd dialed 911 within minutes of arriving on the scene. 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. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. [CDATA[// >