Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Sophie remained the editor for several months on the out-of-court stuff. The defense maintains that the deaths are only similar on the surface, and Peterson plans to prove that to the judge--and the jury, if he rules against them--if necessary. Firth portrayed Peterson for eight episodes of the HBO Max drama based on the documentary of the same name. As both their families grew, so did the bonds between them. Michael struggles with life outside of prison and sees his children are struggling as well. The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. Get the daily inside scoop right in your inbox. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. In the end, Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson. 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. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck her children to sleep. "There are many things in the first five episodes, which I've seen that are inaccurate, misleading, and outright false," Rudolph told Newsweek. At the time of the exhumation, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, requested that a "neutral" pathologist from Texas carry out the second autopsy. The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max now. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Newsweek reached out to HBO and director Antonio Campos's representatives. In 1985, a few years after George Ratliff's death, Elizabeth was found at the bottom of the stairs by the nanny, Barbara Malagnino. he continued. Although the 13-part programme centres around the mysterious death of Kathleen Peterson at her home in Durham, North Carolina, she wasn't the only woman linked to Michael Peterson to have been found dead at the bottom of a staircase. How is The Last of Us TV series different to game? It is unknown if their disagreement happened in real life. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. 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). Elizabeth Ratliff became good friends with Michael Peterson after meeting his first wife, Patty, when the women worked together at a school in Germany. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { Where is Morgan from the Murdaugh Murders now? Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. 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. I spoke with a German investigator. We charge Michael a fee for the trial. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 17 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Newsweek has everything you need to know. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? He was an out bisexual man who had continuous affairs with men outside his marriage. Peterson has to hire a high-powered defense team for his trial. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. "Once the trial started, they hired [film editor] Scott Stevenson to edit the trial footage. "She wasn't actively dating, if that's the question," Appel-Schumacher said. 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. He said: "I went to Germany, I investigated that whole thing. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. 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. Above, the real David Rudolf (R) and Michael Peterson (L) appear in court. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, TX. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. 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. Although I do feel that the police did not act in all honesty with some of their actions, I do feel that no matter what, the jury saw through the shoddy case and found him guilty anyway. he spits. So that's why today I'm very uncomfortable because I feel that I've been betrayed in a way.". Seeing Margaret everyday no doubt caused her much stress and probably was the reason for many arguments that eventually led to the divorce. 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 The next morning, the nanny, Barbara, discovered Elizabeth's body. In response, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, argued he had never seen such inflammatory wording used in an autopsy before. Radisch's reported concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's death had actually been as a result of a "homicidal assault", and not an accident as was previously determined. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. The medical examiner found Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratcliffe suffered similar blows to the head, including seven lacerations which were sustained by blunt force trauma. 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. Elizabeth Ratliff, shown in the Netflix docu-series "The Staircase.". by Lindsay Kimble 1 day ago, by Njera Perkins The defense will cross-examine Deaver Tuesday. 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. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." 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. What are the side effects of antidepressants? 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.". A retrial is granted, and Michael is released from prison and sentenced to house arrest with an ankle bracelet. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. 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. 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. Two Ukrainian women look back at one year of war, Why you shouldn't go into TikTok's "monk mode". Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Occasionally wiping tears from her eyes, Appel-Schumacher testified about the large amount of blood she and her husband cleaned up after Ratliff's body was moved. The deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", state pathologist wrote in her report. defense lawyer Thomas Maher asked. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. She refuses to binge-watch anything. However, Rudolf and the real Lestrade have both taken issue with how Peterson's romance with Brunet has been portrayed, believing some scenes implied her relationship with Peterson impacted her neutrality whilst editing the documentary. Additionally, at the beginning of each episode, there is a disclaimer stating the show is "a dramatization based on certain facts. Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. The real-life Rudolph is seen above. The nanny who found Elizabeth Ratliff's body in 1985 also took to the stand at Michael Peterson's murder trial and testified to witnesses about a large amount of blood at the scene. Stuhlbarg is seen above with Tim Guinee and Colin Firth in a scene from "The Staircase" in which the men prepare for Peterson's trial. I feel here is where things took a turn. 1 week ago, by Joely Chilcott Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting center of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. 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. "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. It's believed that Michael was the last. She filed a . However, back in Germany Michael Peterson's BFF Elizabeth Ratliff also happened to die in another "freak staircase accident" in 1995. RELATED: Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in October 2003. Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. "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.". 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. Earlier Monday,jurors heard testimony froma blood spatter expertwho examined blood stains in the stairwell where Kathleen Peterson died. Rudolf is highly skeptical of the documentary crew following their every move but eventually has to relent. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own.