Who Are Margaret and Martha Ratliff? Like Kathleen, Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Strangely, she looks like him, like her bio mom and also like Peterson's first wife. She was previously married to Neil Blakemore. I would prefer that all personal/private/intimate details be declared irrelevant and therefore off-limits for discussion. Later, Kathleen's sister, Candace, said that the blow poke produced by the defense was not the one she had gifted the Petersons, which was still missing. Parker Posey is a veteran actress with a very impressive filmography. Caitlin Atwater, Clayton Peterson, Kathleen Peterson, Michael Peterson, Todd Peterson, Martha Ratliff, Margaret Ratliff. Yes. good friends with George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Candace became an integral force in the case against Michael, even raising the possibility herself that the fire poker she had gifted her sister had been used as a murder weapon. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a110e3c1ce407a7 Though the docuseries checked in on the Peterson family over the course of seventeen years, the women never seemed to waver in their support of Michael. A fervent supporter of his father while he was on trial, Newsweek reported that Peterson's second son is currently living somewhere in Tennessee. Related:Catching Killers Season 2 Avoids Netflix's Usual True Crime Mistake. Related:Under The Banner Of Heaven Cast & Real Life Character Comparison Guide. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. -Esquire, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. From what we can tell, Caitlin has done her best to move on from the past, but of course, she hasn't let go of her mother, her memories, or her legacy. Growing up, Caitlin was close with Martha and Margaret. In June of 2003, Margaret Ratliff sent a letter to Jim Hardin demanding the D.A. Their father reportedly passed away during a secret overseas operation in 1983, whereas their mother was unexpectedly found dead at the bottom of her stairs on November 25, 1985. I used to suffer a lot from really bad nightmares; I used to have really bad panic attacks in public spaces because of being in the trial, she said. After Kathleen Petersons strange, untimely death on the staircase in the couple's home, Michael and Kathleens children would each take a stance on whether or not they believed that Michael was involved in Kathleens death, and play a role in his trial. (2013-2017) WRAL Murder Trials Self - Audience Member / Self. A joke on the fact that she is not really his biological daughter? The prosecutor suggested that Kathleen had found the photos and emails accidentally (NBC). Just the fact they did that so sneakily makes this look even more suspicious. She can be found on Twitter @ejclute. An initial autopsy ruled her death an "accident." This is one of the motives put forward in the HBO Max miniseries, as it was in real life. The eyes. In researching how accurate is The Staircase on HBO Max, we confirmed that this was the argument put forward by the defense. Did he kill Liz's husband? The only testing done that I can remember reading about was on an envelope/stamp that Margaret had allegedly licked, so was never definitive. While they all initially believed he was innocent, Kathleen's biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, changed her mind after reading her mother's autopsy report. All I could do was sit there and tell myself that its really sad that she is so consumed by anger and hatred. Rewatching the documentary Im really noticing that he seems obsessed with Margaret. Clayton and Todd Peterson are Michael Petersons sons from his first marriage to Patricia Sue Peterson. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Unlike her stepsiblings, Caitlin did not stand by Michael's side. Neither has public social media accounts, and many of the details of their personal lives are similarly private. Michael Peterson stayed behind afterward to help her clean up and put her girls, Margaret and Martha, to bed (NBC). It was reportedly covered in cobwebs and dust and had been unmoved for too long to have been the murder weapon. Michael Peterson was the guardian of Margaret and her sister Martha, played by The Stands Odessa Young . Holland's written notes reveal: "Michael Peterson was excluded as being the biological father of Margaret Ratliff. Ratliff had assigned Michael as guardian of her kids and left him her entire estate. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. His firstmovie appearance was at age 10, inThe Benchwarmers. By that time in the mid-1980s, Michael's marriage to his first wife, Patricia Peterson, was in shambles. Born two years apart to Air Force Captain George Ratliff and military teacher Elizabeth Ratliff in Germany in the early 1980s, Margaret and Martha lost both their biological parents as toddlers. Her Bio, Today, Biological Father, Husband, Michael Peterson Daughter, Age Now, Job, HBO Max's The Staircase! But yes, there are tons of threads in this sub covering how Margaret looks like Michael. Margaret and Martha Ratliff Michael and his first wife Patricia had been good friends with George and Elizabeth Ratliff throughout the 1980s, and George Ratliff died in a military operation. Pictured, l-r: Todd Peterson and Patrick Schwarzenegger AP, HBO Max Todd Peterson is the second of Michael's two sons from his marriage to Patricia Peterson. Though Martha and Margaret struggled with allowing their biological mother to be exhumed, the information didn't alter their opinion of Michael. He is not the father, as Maury would say. Known for his roles insuch movies asA Single Man,The King's Speech,and his recent role inOperation Mincemeat, Firth isvery familiar with dramatic roles. After all, just like The Staircase illustrates, while her husband Michael Peterson alleged her passing was the direct result of an accidental fall, the officials soon accused him of definite murder. The HBO Max miniseriesThe Staircaseis based on a true story, and its all-star castlooks uncannily similar when compared to their characters' real-life counterparts. Stuhlbarg has alsoplayedroles in various television series, including Sy Feltz inFargoand Richard Sackler inDopesick. Minutes later, he called 911 a second time and stated that his wife was dead. Schwarzenegger has also been cast to appear as Golden Boy inThe Boys'spinoffseries. With time served, Peterson was a free man . During his first marriage, Michael lived in Germany. I sort of knew at some point she was going to turn her ire on me! Candace Zamperini, Kathleens sister, does not believe that Michael is innocent. of Elizabeth Ratliff? Reportedly, the forensic examination revealed that her left hand contained three microscopic owl feathers. Also found in the hair in her hand was a sliver of wood from a tree limb. How do we know if Margaret is the one who licked the envelope closed? Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987 and Kathleen and her daughter Caitlin moved in with Michael and his children. A graduate from Columbia College in Chicago, as of 2018, she resides in California and goes by her. CNN reported that Kathleen had been found at the foot of the stairs in the Peterson home with seven lacerations on the back of her head, bruising on her arms that might have been defensive wounds, and fractured thyroid cartilage in her throat that may have been a sign of attempted strangulation. DeWitt is best known for her roles in television series likeStandoff, in whichshe co-starred alongside her future husband, Ron Livingston, andThe United States of Tara. First of all, if we are to accept the paternity test, then they are not genetically related. The judge accepted the plea and sentenced Peterson to a maximum of 86 months in prison. George passed away in 1983, and Elizabeth not long after in 1985; she wanted the Petersons to care for her children in the event of her death. When Michael and Patricia moved to Germany in the 1980s, they were friends and neighbours with Margaret and Martha's parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Allegedly adopted children slightly take on the looks of those who raise them. It's unclear whether this is still something she's pursuing. He claims to have bid goodnight to his wife as she . Caitlin is portrayed by Olivia DeJonge in The Staircase HBO Max miniseries. It should also be noted that Colin Firth is not as physically imposing as the real Michael Peterson was, who certainly had the strength to confidently commit the murder without a weapon. In November of 1985, Michaels family had dinner with Elizabeth and her daughters, Margaret and Martha. The four-part series is a dramatic retelling of the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson and the emotional legal aftermath that followed. He is the second of Michael's two sons from his marriage to Patricia. Yes. and Mr Pollard said the wounds on her head look like they . And first, Caitlin also believed in Michaels innocence. They had befriended Elizabeth and her husband, Captain George Ratliff, before he lost his life in a covert overseas military operation in 1983. At the time of the incident, Toddran a websitecalled Futazi, which provided advice on various topics to teenagers. Candace has remained outspoken about her beliefs, appearing in frequent interviews and documentaries to tell her side of the story. They commented in a episode how similar Elizabeth and Patty looked around the time of her death. Olivia DeJonge began a career in the world of film and television starting withher 2014 feature film debut,The Sisterhood of Night. (Netflix) At the time, it was determined that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her fall, but during Michael's trial her body was exhumed and autopsied again. And Michael jokes that "well, it's in the genes". No but there are a LOT of secrets between everyone that's for sure. She's still breathing. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. I'm about 95% sure Michael is her real father. The next morning, Elizabeth was found dead at the bottom of her staircase by a nanny, in an eerily similar way to how Kathleen Peterson would be found sixteen years later. Therefore the children of the women he picks can look like him. Michael had been the only person present in the house when Kathleen died, and it had long been speculated that he was also the last person to see Elizabeth alive. He said that his father's books "were getting rejected left and right" and weren't bringing in much money. Todd is played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Hollywood legend Arnold, whose screen credits include Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Moxie and Scream Queens. Lestrade said that HBO's The Staircase falsely depicts him and editor Sophie Burnet (portrayed by Juliette Binoche) as being opposed to including in the documentary courtroom footage discussing possible strangulation attempts, despite their producer pushing for the footage to be included. Prosecutors believe Mike Peterson not only killed his wife, but also Ratliff. My body and my whole nervous system will think that something like the trial is happening. Making her debut in the 1990s, Collettegainedmainstream recognition for her role as Lynn Sear inThe Sixth Sense. Like his older brother, Todd Peterson supported his father throughout the documentary series. Michael and Patti Peterson had been living in Germany with their sons Todd and Clayton when they became good friends with George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Kathleen had one biological daughter, Caitlin, and acted as an adoptive mother to Michael's two sons, Clayton and Todd. Or was he her brother in law? If so, he most likely grabbed her by the hair on the front of her head with his right hand and then used his left hand to help repeatedly slam the back of her head into the wooden step at the bottom of the service stairs. Why not just ask for a swab of her inner cheek like most DNA testers? I wholeheartedly believe she is Michael's biological daughter. "I'm trying to be my mother," Caitlin Clark, as Kathleen Peterson's daughter now goes by, once said. She is also a cosplayer who has attended conventions of all kinds for almost ten years. HOLY MOLY YES and it would make sense why he took them in ! Michael then married Kathleen. June 22, 2018 Michael Peterson's adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff, were front and center in The Staircase. Yes. Peterson adopted Margaret and Martha Ratliff after their mother Elizabeth "Liz" Ratliff died in 1985 in Germany at the age of 43. As for Martha, it is believed that she has taken inspiration from her own experiences and is thus focusing on helping others by serving as a mental health counselor/psychotherapist in Colorado these days. She filed a wrongful death claim against Michael Peterson in October 2002. In fact, from what we can tell, Margaret is now based in Los Angeles, California, where she works in the entertainment industry as an actress, an assistant director, a production manager, and much more. Caitlin Atwater is Kathleen Petersons daughter from her first marriage to Fred Atwater. In addition, Kathleen's prints were nowhere to be found on the two wine glasses that were sitting out on the kitchen counter next to a bottle of wine. I came here to see if anyone else is talking about this, its all I could think about while watching the series. Now,The Staircase, like the original 2004 true-crime documentary series of the same name, raises questionsregarding what really happened. 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