Meanwhile, in France, two filmmakers are searching for their next project. 1 week ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon I believe they had been around Michael long enough to possibly take on his ability of telling stories, the more they told themselves he did not do it or that he could not have done it, the more they believed it. Did Michael Peterson Kill Elizabeth Ratliff? Sophie remained the editor for several months on the out-of-court stuff. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. All Rights Reserved. (We'll get back to that.). The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max now. She agrees to help them and tips them off that the SBI is very corrupt and should be looked into. With The Staircase retelling the tale of Michael Peterson and his alleged hand in wife Kathleen Petersons bizarre December 2001 demise, several related matters are coming back into the spotlight. How much, I can't say," Appel-Schumacher testified outside the jury's presence. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. Ultimately, Michael decides not to move to Paris in order to start a new life elsewhere with Sophie, and their relationship ends. However, in reality, Rudolf stated he traveled to Germany to investigate what happened to Ratliff and knew about her death a year and a half before the trial. "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.". Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. In 2003, Michael Peterson was convicted of killing his wife Kathleen Peterson after she was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in their home on December 9, 2001. On April 16, 2003, the state medical examiner's office carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. 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. They call him "Dad" and have supported him without wavering since the second woman they called "Mom"--Kathleen Peterson--was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. In response, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, argued he had never seen such inflammatory wording used in an autopsy before. Seeing Margaret everyday no doubt caused her much stress and probably was the reason for many arguments that eventually led to the divorce. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. DURHAM, North Carolina (Court TV) -- Author Michael Peterson is charged with killing his wife in their home here 18 months ago, but it was the death of a neighbor in Germany 18 years ago that took center stage at Peterson's first-degree murder trial Monday. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 AM EDT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); 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. Peterson agreed to an Alford plea, which enables him to maintain his innocence in the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. "First of all, Sophie didn't edit any of the courtroom scenes. Michael wasn't accused of murdering Elizabeth outright, but the fact that her daughters who he, again, adopted after her death were the recipients of a hefty life insurance policy was enough to cast doubt in the jurors of his case. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Elizabeth Ratliff's Time of Death According to David Rudolf, the biggest flaw in the prosecution's theory regarding ER's death is the timeline and moreover that no one observed rigor mortis when they arrived on the scene. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 PM HKT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); Do any of us? When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth had worked in the same school as Michael's then wife Patty. The two were buried side by side after Ratlitt died. 15 hours ago, by Chandler Plante 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. }else { His analysis of the crime scene suggested that most of the blood splatter on the . 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. I completely feel for his family, especially the kids. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. But yet, they [in The Staircase on HBO Max] somehow create the impression that Michael was hiding this from me until four weeks before the trial. Kathleen even has a brief run-in with Freda Black. When watching The Staircase, it might be hard to keep track of the complicated Peterson family tree. 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. He hires David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose price tag is as big as his reputation. "The blood was all the way up the staircase.". How is The Last of Us TV series different to game? Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in "The Staircase." 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters to prison. Instead, they used her death as an example of an incident that could have helped him "fake" Kathleen's accident. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. It's believed that Michael was the last. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. They argued as he would not agree to this. (We dont know if this is factual or just a dramatized coincidence.) The final episode of the series is told through three time periods 2001, the day before Kathleens death, 2011, the night before Michaels retrial, and 2017, when Michael is contemplating the Alford plea. 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. The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. 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. Inevitably, the series includes elements of fiction, particularly the flashback scenes to Kathleen (Toni Collette) and Michael Peterson's marriage and the days leading up to her death. When re-examined, Elizabeth's relationship with Michael's family and the details of her passing thicken the plot of this engrossing true crime case. The filmmakers, with Michael's permission, are granted 24/7 access to document the entire process from prepping for the trial, the trial itself, and after the jury verdict is announced. "She wasn't actively dating, if that's the question," Appel-Schumacher said. Later, Jean-Xavier shows Sophie the latest footage of his chat with Michael, where he explains his bisexuality. Story goes there was a lot of blood at the scene of Liz's death, according to the three women who testified at the trial In the end, Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson. But the autopsies were enough to convince Kathleen Peterson's daughter Caitlin to change her mind about her stepfather. Elizabeth's death was initially ruled an accident, but when her body was exhumed during the trial for a second autopsy in April 2003, the coroner found sufficient evidence to categorize it as a homicide. 1 week ago, by Joely Chilcott 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. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. Rudolf is highly skeptical of the documentary crew following their every move but eventually has to relent. It wasn't until after Kathleen's death in December 2001 that the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth Ratliff's fall and subsequent death were re-evaluated. As both their families grew, so did the bonds between them. Great, Click the Allow Button Above 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. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. In 1985, a few years after George Ratliff's death, Elizabeth was found at the bottom of the stairs by the nanny, Barbara Malagnino. "I don't know that you could possibly make a more serious and damaging claim against a documentarian than that, especially when it's completely and utterly false and demonstrably false. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. In 2017, he entered an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter, meaning he admitted the evidence against him would likely lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but he did not have to admit he committed the crime. And she said to me, 'So you're going to be content just being an old grandfather?' Two Ukrainian women look back at one year of war, Why you shouldn't go into TikTok's "monk mode". There are theories he had been in an illicit relationship with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife Patty strenuously denies. Viewers new to The Staircase story may have been surprised to learn Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, the editor of Lestrade's first documentary. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. "There are many things in the first five episodes, which I've seen that are inaccurate, misleading, and outright false," Rudolph told Newsweek. Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! I believe that Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, and with the girls left to Michael, this probably only reinforced her suspicions. On the night of her death, Todd pops by and sees Michael and Kathleen watching a movie and having a lovely evening together. If you've reached episode three of Netflix's latest true crime addition, The Staircase, you'll have discovered one of many plot twists in the documentary series. Although the original autopsy concluded Ratliff died of a brain aneurysm, the coincidence of Peterson being the last known person to see two different women alive before they both wound up dead. So. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. 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. His children, who all decided not to attend the hearing, see the news break on television but decide to keep their distance to try and maintain normalcy in their own lives. Lawyer David Rudolf (L) and Michael Peterson (R) address reporters after his court hearing in Durham, North Carolina, on February 24, 2017. He also said thatthe person wearing apair of bloody shorts and bloody sneakers--both belonging to Michael Peterson--had to be present in the stairwell or just outside when Kathleen Peterson's head or a pool of her blood were hit with great force. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. 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. Margaret and Martha lived with Michael Peterson but were never adopted by him. 43-year-old Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead in her home in Graefenhausen, Germany. 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. Now at this time a few things couldve happened-whatever he struck her with at the front door, he now needed to get rid of, so as she lay dying at the bottom of the stairs, he changed out of any bloodied clothes and got rid of them with the item he struck her with. host = host.toLowerCase(); It is unknown if their disagreement happened in real life. They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to the documentary. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. He did meet with Michael Stuhlbarg who portrayed him in the series and even lent him his real glasses to wear during the film. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. She was very happy while planning a party she threw for Appel-Schumacher and her new husband two nights before she died, the witness recalled. "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. ", Her death was eventually ruled a homicide. "She hadn't gotten to the point where she was seeing other men?" At the time, her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. What we do know is that he was found guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen. Here's the OTHER Death at the Center of Netflix's The Staircase. 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. The medical examiner rules that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. We charge Michael a fee for the trial. So much so, that Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed and a second post mortem carried out by the Durham Medical Examiner. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." Con Girl: Where is Samantha Azzopardi now? So you know, I'm sorry that I have to say this, but I think Antonio Campos [The Staircase on HBO Max director] went way beyond what was ethical for him as a filmmaker to do just in order to either sell this film, or to pump its ratings, and that in my judgment is despicable. A retrial is granted, and Michael is released from prison and sentenced to house arrest with an ankle bracelet. Elizabeth died in 1985. The defence 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. 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. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. if ( host.indexOf("europe.cnn.com") != -1 ) { 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. She edited the scenes of us in the house, you know, meeting with experts, that sort of thing," he continued. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". "So to create the impression that somehow I'm this greedy lawyer, who's forcing my client to sell his furniture in order to write me checks to do his appealI mean that is sort of offensive to me. 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. So you know, the bottom line of all of that, is it creates this impression that this Academy Award-winning director, a documentarian was twisting his film for a completely unethical purpose to help the subject. 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? 1987-United States-Michael and Patty have now since divorced (funny how so soon after this all happened) And in the divorce, the Petersons boys went with Patty while the Ratliff girls remained with Michael. He continued: "In other words, by that point, Michael didn't have any assets and the court appointed us to represent him on appeal and paid U.S. court-appointed rates. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. Thats where she first came across Captain George Ratliff, a navigator, only to tie the knot with him in 1981 before welcoming two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. At least, until tragedy struck. After Vietnam, retired Marine Captain Michael joined Patty in Germany and the couple quickly became good friends with Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband George, also a Captain in the military. The details of Elizabeth Ratliff's second autopsy were submitted as prosecuting evidence in Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife, Kathleen. Ratliff, a close Peterson friend,wasthought to have died from a fall down a set of stairs until Peterson's wife Kathleen died in a similar manner in December 2001. DURHAM, N.C. An autopsy report released Monday says Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend of novelist Mike Peterson who died 18 years ago, was the victim of a homicide and not a stroke as originally . 13 hours ago, by Njera Perkins She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. In 2017, Michael is contemplating taking the Alford plea, in which he would have to plead guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for a reduced sentence, but he could not be retried. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. Together, they go to the Durham Herald Christmas Ball. George Ratliff died in a military operation in 1983, and two years later, Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was found dead by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, at the bottom of her staircase on November 25, 1985. Michael is convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the DA in the past. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. But they need to put themselves in their shoes, think if you already came from a broken home, wouldnt you try to believe in every last possibility that your parent could not do something so horrific, even if similar circumstances also involved that parent many years before? "And you never saw any kind of indication that she had any kind of romantic relationship with Michael Peterson?" With The Staircase's true-crime drama available to watch on HBO Max now and the original The Staircase documentary streaming on Netflix, it is ultimately up to viewers to form their own opinion on what they believe happened on the evening Kathleen Peterson died. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. 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. 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. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. That was then confirmed by another doctor and the military police. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the US invasion of Grenada. She filed a . . The next morning, the nanny, Barbara, discovered Elizabeth's body. 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.". In the documentary, Michael remembers he and his then-wife, Patricia, had dinner at the Ratliff home and he stayed behind to help Elizabeth put Martha and Margaret to. Todd, who used to be the responsible son, now seems to be falling apart as Clay, who used to be the irresponsible one, has fallen into the role of caretaker. 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. Aside, from being untrue, it's completely offensive.". A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. Their mom, Patty, decides to relocate back to NC to be near Michael and the boys.