Ok so here is my theory for the Michael Peterson case-while I do not think he is a serial killer who always plans to kill women by the same method of throwing them down the stairs, I do think he has the personality of flying into a rage which ended with the deaths of 2 women and here is how I think it happened: 1985-Germany-Michael was carrying on an affair with family friend, Elizabeth Ratliff (he claims they never did but then he did look elsewhere who knows how many times during his marriages for other partners to satisfy his sexual desires, and as we cannot ask Elizabeth, I would say his ability to lie and tell stories, definitely does not add anything to his credibility. His analysis of the crime scene suggested that most of the blood splatter on the . Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. At the hearing for the Alford plea, the courtroom is noticeably less full. Elizabeth now feeling frustrated and not wanting to continue being alone with 2 small children told him she was going to go tell his wife that her daughter Margaret was Michaels daughter (as you can see the incredible similarities between she and Michael as well as his boys Todd & Clayton with Patty). Michael and his ex-wife, Patty (Trini Alvarado), had become the legal guardians of Margaret and Martha after both of their parents died. 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. The North Carolina medical examiner performed an autopsy and concluded that she died from blunt force injuries and that it was the result of a homicide. The series takes great inspiration from de Lestrade's documentary and even includes the director (played by Vincent Vermingon) and his documentary team. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide." (We dont know if this is factual or just a dramatized coincidence.) 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. 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? Scott Stevenson was the editor on the in-court stuff, she had nothing to do with it. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 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. 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. 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. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. 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. Period. 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. However, there are no skull fractures, which is practically impossible. 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 . I couldn't afford to live in Paris and my children, and grandchildren were in America," he said. Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen were first married in 1997. We charge Michael a fee for the trial. (We'll get back to that.). The Innocence Project gets involved and approaches Freda Black, now working at a dry cleaner, for information. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. An autopsy concluded Elizabeth died from a. They were 2 and 1 years old when Ratliff died. 13 hours ago, by Chanel Vargas Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. Netflixs new series The Staircase chronicles the trial of author Michael Peterson, whose wife Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina home in November 2001. Elizabeth now feeling frustrated and not wanting to continue being alone with 2 small children told him she was going to go tell his wife that her daughter Margaret was Michael's daughter (as you can see the incredible similarities between she and Michael as well as his boys Todd & Clayton with Patty) https://flic.kr/p/JR7p1K 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. Additionally, he was unimpressed with some of the early court scenes. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. Just like with Petersons wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. She edited the scenes of us in the house, you know, meeting with experts, that sort of thing," he continued. I don't speak French. In the end, Lestrade and Brunet won and the scene with Clayton Peterson was included in the documentary instead. Why?? Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Like Kathleen, she'd been found at the bottom of a staircase. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. When watching The Staircase, it might be hard to keep track of the complicated Peterson family tree. Appel-Schumacher will return to the stand for more questions from the defense when the hearing continues Wednesday at 3 p.m. Newsweek reached out to HBO and director Antonio Campos's representatives. Instead, they used her death as an example of an incident that could have helped him "fake" Kathleen's accident. The author's ex-wife, Patty, maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. Bush: Prosecutor taking up Schiavo inquiry. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. The SBI, the organization that recreated the crime scene, is placed under investigation for unethical practices, which opens up another opportunity for an appeal in Michael's case. Rudolf calls witnesses including the lead investigator from The Innocence Project and manages to convince the judge that Deaver lied about his qualifications on the stand. Prosecutors say the similarities are too many to be coincidental. Michael and Patty had two sons while living over in Germany - Clayton and Todd - while Elizabeth and George had two daughters, Margaret and Martha. Appel-Schumacher recalled that Ratliff had a severe headache four days before she died, severe enough that she made an appointment to see a doctor the following week. Judge Orlando Hudson Jr. will rule on whether the similarities between Ratliff's death and Kathleen Peterson's are sufficiently similar that jurors should hear the evidence. Lestrade appears throughout the series, filming Michael in the most mundane and dramatic of moments, capturing his family and his entire trial, appeal, and release. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. The prosecution shockingly reveals to the jury that, at age 43, Ratliff turned up dead at the bottom of her stairs in 1985, some 16 years earlier. Above, the real David Rudolf (R) and Michael Peterson (L) appear in court. Since his guilty conviction, much has happened in Michael Peterson's case, from a retrial in 2011 to being officially released from prison in 2017 after entering an Alford Plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. 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. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. 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. by Monica Sisavat Elizabeth Ratliff Wasn't Murdered It's been incredibly infuriating that people keep insisting that Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth. To begin with, he said that the scene where he was introduced to Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth) in a diner while eating pastrami did not happen in real life. While looking for something in the study or den, Kathleen either stumbled upon the emails exposing Michaels bisexual desires either on the computer or possibly a hard copy of something. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." he continued. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. U.S. Army doctor Dr. Larry A. Barnes carried out an autopsy on Elizabeth and confirmed that a cerebral haemorrhage was her cause of death. By John SpringerCourt TV.com Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. For example, when prosecutor Jim Hardin is presenting his case to the grand jury ahead of the trial, Rudolf is seen standing in the same grand jury room, something that he said would never happen in a U.S. courtroom. 1 week ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon 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. What are the side effects of antidepressants? 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. Their blended family included Michaels two sons from his first marriage, Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan) and Todd Peterson (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Kathleens daughter from her first marriage, Caitlin Atwater (Olivia DeJonge), and Michael's two adopted daughters, Margaret Ratliff (Sophie Turner) and Martha Ratliff (Odessa Young). What we do know is that he was found guilty of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen. Additionally, at the beginning of each episode, there is a disclaimer stating the show is "a dramatization based on certain facts. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. They argued to keep the clip showing Peterson interacting with his son, Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan), whereas their producer wanted to include a scene that covered evidence presented at Peterson's trial that Kathleen Peterson may have been strangled. 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.". 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. RELATED: Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. "The blood was all the way up the staircase.". When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth worked in the same school as Michael's then-wife, Patty. 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. 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. They fought and it turned physical. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. 13 hours ago, by Njera Perkins She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck in her children at bedtime. It was a unanimous decision by all 12 jury members. The critically acclaimed documentary of the same name came out in 2004 a few years after the trial and is now available to stream on Netflix, while this fictionalized version tells the tale of The. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. The Scene of Her Death The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. Now, if you wish to learn more about this nearly four-decade-old matter, including the undeniable suspicions surrounding the same, dont worry; weve got all the essential details for you. In The Staircase, Patty recalls how they would all eat together and how Michael would regularly stay behind to help Elizabeth clean up and put her daughters to bed. It took weeks for all the blood to be cleaned up, according to "The Staircase. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. Elizabeth Ratliff and. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. And no questions were raised when her close friend Michael Peterson adopted her daughters, Margaret and Martha. She continued: "Rather, they are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts, either from blows to the head caused by a blunt object or by the head being forcibly struck against a hard surface. What's eerily coincidental is the nature of her death: Elizabeth was found at the bottom of a staircase in her home with severe injuries to her head. In the first three episodes of The Staircase on HBO Max, there have been subtle mentions of a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff, and in Episode 4, audiences learn a little bit more about her. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 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. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Those who were there in the aftermath of Elizabeth's death were called as witnesses, and the the state pathologist took to the stand to confirm Elizabeth Ratliff had sustained similar injuries to the ones Kathleen Peterson suffered. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. I spoke with a German investigator. 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? Their lead analyst, Duane Deaver (Myke Holmes) leads the charge in recreating the scene to prove the prosecution's 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. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. host = host.toLowerCase(); The autopsy report found that Elizabeth Ratliff had died in 1985 from “blunt force trauma to the head” by a “homicidal attack,” rather than of a brain hemorrhage while . "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. Why would you do that just to sort of create a negative impression about Michael Peterson?". She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. Michael struggles with life outside of prison and sees his children are struggling as well. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. Sam Smith is going to be in And Just Like That s2! 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. At least, until tragedy struck. As seen on The Staircase, both girls publicly supported Peterson during his trial and became inconsolable when he was convicted. 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. 1 week ago, Here's the OTHER Death at the Centre of Netflix's The Staircase, A Tragic Twist in Part 2 of the "The Last of Us" Video Game Could Tease What's to Come on the Show, 12 Bone-Chilling Serial Killer Documentaries on Netflix Now, Selena Gomez Says She Avoided Her "Wizards of Waverly Place" Costars After Series Due to Shame, Eugene Levy Says a "Schitt's Creek" Movie Is Very Possible: "We're Open to Anything", "The Last of Us" Stars Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey Hit Back at Homophobes: "Don't Like It, Don't Watch", Jessica Chastain Tripped Over Her Dress at the SAG Awards, but It Didn't Take Away From Her Big Win. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. It's all in the documentary, it's there. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". His appeal is rejected, but the documentary is a huge hit and renews interest in his case. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. In HBO Max's The Staircase, Brunet (played by Juliette Binoche) appears throughout the series, at first working to edit the documentary film released in 2004 and later as Peterson's romantic partner. Amongst them is the 1985 death of Elizabeth Ratliff, primarily because of the way she was found and how her two orphaned daughters soon ended up being adopted by the Petersons. That is f***ing defamation because Sophie was off the project," Rudolf said. It also includes imagined dialogue for dramatic purposes but stays grounded in court documents, meticulous research by the team behind the show, and of course, content from Lestrade's 13-part documentary. Regardless, Rudolf believes the damage has been done, describing it as "defamation" towards Brunet and de Lestrade. 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 . Speaking to Newsweek, Rudolf raised several concerns he had about the show's accuracy, including its representation of Lestrade and documentary editor Sophie Brunet, and some small details in the earlier episodes. And she said to me, 'So you're going to be content just being an old grandfather?' The Staircase will be your new fav true crime show, The legal age you can get married has just changed, Charles & Camilla break major royal tradition, Courteney Cox speaks on Harry magic mushroom claim, Harry 'adding at least one more chapter' to memoir, Dylan responds to being misgendered on Instagram. //-->. You know, I mean, all you have to do is watch the documentary to know that that's not true. Margaret and Martha lived with Michael Peterson but were never adopted by him. He explained that he first met Peterson at this house in Durham, North Carolina, and holding a meeting in a diner with a client would just never happen. Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. According to the second autopsy, seven deep lacerations on Elizabeth's head - just like those found on Kathleen's - were concluded to have been sustained as a result of blunt force trauma. Despite a large amount of blood, witness Cheryl Appel-Schumacher testified Monday, Ratliff's death didn't pique the interest of German and U.S. investigators, and they left the house without the body and without taking any photographs. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. he spits. } else if ( host.indexOf("edition.") "We made plans to live in Paris. 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. Jean and Sophie dont know what to think anymore. Under no circumstances would they have had a sexual relationship.". She was not close to her sisters, Appel-Schumacher said on cross-examination, and thought it would be good for the girls to live with the Petersons in Europe if anything ever happened to her. Firth portrayed Peterson for eight episodes of the HBO Max drama based on the documentary of the same name. "She wasn't actively dating, if that's the question," Appel-Schumacher said. Together, they go to the Durham Herald Christmas Ball. 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. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. Inside, he and Kathleen have quite a makeup session after their own argument the night before at dinner. "She hadn't gotten to the point where she was seeing other men?" Brunet also stressed in the same article that her relationship with Peterson began later than depicted in the series and that her editorial decisions were not affected. Lawyer David Rudolf (L) and Michael Peterson (R) address reporters after his court hearing in Durham, North Carolina, on February 24, 2017. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. Elizabeth Ratliff, shown in the Netflix docu-series "The Staircase.". Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. She filed a . Ultimately, Michael decides not to move to Paris in order to start a new life elsewhere with Sophie, and their relationship ends. , Let's Break Down The Staircase's Deeply Frustrating 13 Episodes, The "Bel-Air" Cast Weren't Surprised by the Show's Success: "A Huge 'I Told You So' Moment", "Outer Banks" Had No Business Making Rafe Look This Fine With a Buzz Cut, Jazz Catches Hilary in a Lie in This Exclusive "Bel-Air" Season 2 Sneak Peek, Selena Gomez Says She Avoided Her "Wizards of Waverly Place" Costars After Series Due to Shame, "The Last of Us" Stars Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey Hit Back at Homophobes: "Don't Like It, Don't Watch", Jessica Chastain Tripped Over Her Dress at the SAG Awards, but It Didn't Take Away From Her Big Win, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Together, Elizabeth and George Ratliff had two daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff, who Michael Peterson would adopt following their deaths. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Now fast forward to 2001-the night Michaels second wife, Kathleen dies. Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. 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. Michael is convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the DA in the past. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. Peterson has to hire a high-powered defense team for his trial. Authorities in Germany had determined that Ratliff's death was the result of a fatal stroke that sent her toppling down the stairs. Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. A retrial is granted, and Michael is released from prison and sentenced to house arrest with an ankle bracelet. As Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. We didn't get paid anything for the appeal. This meant 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. "They have a scene where Michael's brother is on the phone with me, telling me that he's selling all the furniture, to pay to write me checks for the appeal. ", Speaking separately to Vanity Fair about the scenes in the fifth episode of HBO Max's The Staircase, Lestrade said: "We gave [Campos] all the access he wanted, and I really trusted the man. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. Great, Click the Allow Button Above 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. The Scene of Her Death. . The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. Clayton has been in some trouble in the past, but has since been trying to turn his life around. "I've read 260 autopsies from blunt trauma to the head, and never once did I see any of your people say the inflicted trauma is clearly from a homicidal assault," Rudolf is heard saying in the documentary. After knocking Kathleen out (with what exactly, there are so many possibilities-afterall if all your kids were no longer living at home, would they be able to identify what things were or werent missing? Sign up for our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter. Aside, from being untrue, it's completely offensive.". 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas "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.". He said they wanted the same medical examiner who claimed that Peterson's wife wasn't accidental to perform the autopsy rather than a neutral pathologist in Texas as he suggested. And then when the appeal was over, for the next, whatever, eight years, I represent them for free, and never charge them a penny, I paid my own expenses. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". believed to have been the last person to see her alive, carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. Tragedy struck, however, in 1983, when Elizabeth's husband George was killed in a secret military operation overseas. 1 day ago, by Njera Perkins Bill Peterson (Tim Guinee), Michaels brother, is his biggest ally and works with the lawyers and the family to try and keep everything in order while it feels like chaos. The family is ecstatic but quickly learns that not everybody is thrilled and accepting of his release, with public scrutiny at an all-time high. . All external sites will open in a new browser. Michael Stuhlbarg portrayed Peterson's lawyer David Rudolf in the series. He was an out bisexual man who had continuous affairs with men outside his marriage. At their request, Ratliff's body was exhumed in Texas in April. Peterson subsequently ended up raising Ratliff's young. The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. An old grandfather? other men? Holmes ) leads the charge in the... 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Peterson was included in the Netflix docu-series `` the Staircase, both girls supported! Away from it never adopted by him Ending Explained: What is the Truth a autopsy. That Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth 's death gets involved and approaches Freda Black, working! And get access to exclusive content was seeing other men? body was elizabeth ratliff death scene. D been found at the age of 43 documentary is a huge hit and renews interest his! Cosmopolitan UK 's features editor covering women 's issues, health and current affairs rejected, but has been... Martha and Margaret convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns the. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth 's updated autopsy indicated... Half a million readers enjoying Newsweek 's free newsletters free newsletters ) Blakemore and Martha to! Eight episodes of the first degree murder of his wife, Kathleen columns on the Staircase... They have had a sexual relationship. `` track of the same as... Grandfather? 's nanny, Barbara Malagnino go get ready for a meeting the next week her! * * ing defamation because Sophie was off the Project, '' he said most the...