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. 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. Elizabeth died in 1985. "[8], The defense argued that Kathleen accepted Michael's bisexuality and that the marriage was very happy, a position supported by Michael and Kathleen's children and other friends and associates. two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. Patty described what she saw when she entered the house. 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. [35] The judge sentenced him to a maximum of 86 months in prison, with credit for time previously served. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. In 1989, Michael moved in with Kathleen Atwater, a successful Nortel business executive. He later adopted Ratliff's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. [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. 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. The Staircase: For Michael Peterson and Daughter Margaret, the Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. "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.". Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. Autopsy Report Reveals Ratliff Was Homicide Victim - WRAL.com Ratliff taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School. 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 widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. 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. 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 . Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. Following Kathleen's death, which didn't look much like the accident Michael Peterson made it out to be, police almost immediately zoned in on him as the prime suspect. He also suggested some of the blood could have been diluted with urine. After graduating, Peterson took a civilian job with the United States Department of Defense, where he was assigned to research arguments supporting increased military involvement in Vietnam. Registered in England 112955. Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratcliff and Kathleen Peterson. The coroner determined that the hemorrhage resulted in immediate death followed by Ratliff falling down the stairs after collapsing. 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. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. "My mom would . The documentary offers an intimate depiction of defense preparations for the trial. 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. In June 2006, he voluntarily filed for bankruptcy. r/TheStaircase - Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratcliff and They fought and it turned physical. [6], The prosecution said that Kathleen's murder was most likely committed with a custom-made fireplace poker called a blow poke. And in such an evolving industry, tomorrow is always today. He later admitted his war injury was not the result of the shrapnel wound in Vietnam, but was the result of a car accident in Japan, where he was stationed after the war as a military police officer. Jurors Hear About Deaths Of Kathleen Peterson, Elizabeth Ratliff - WRAL.com How Accurate Is 'The Staircase' on HBO Max? - Newsweek 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. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck her children to sleep. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. Michael and Patricia adopted Margaret and her sister Martha after their parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, passed away. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. Just like with Petersons wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. On February 24, 2017, Peterson entered an Alford plea (a guilty plea entered because sufficient evidence exists to convict him of the offense, but the defendant asserts innocence) to the voluntary manslaughter of Kathleen. Peterson's case is the subject of the French documentary miniseries The Staircase, which started filming soon after his arrest in 2001 and followed events until his eventual Alford plea in 2017. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 'The Staircase': What Happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? - Newsweek Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. Peterson's attorneys had determined that the SBI crime lab report listed a microscopic owl feather and a wooden sliver from a tree limb entangled in a clump of hair that had been pulled out by the roots found clutched in Kathleen's left hand. Our stories are global and local, linear and digital, and always compelling. 'The Staircase': Who Are Michael and Kathleen Peterson's Children? Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed in 2003. [citation needed]. They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Grfenhausen, West Germany. On September 19, the Court of Appeals rejected Peterson's arguments that he did not get a fair trial because of repeated judicial mistakes. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Todd dialed 911 within minutes of arriving on the scene. found sufficient evidence drawn from the results of the second autopsy, along with new witness statements describing the scene,[10] to overturn the earlier findings and list Ratliff's cause of death as "homicide". The Netflix series, originally a documentary produced by a French company, examines his original trial. It was directed by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and released by Maha Productions in October 2004. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. How we got here, what's new and why they face resistance, 7 arrested after ALE search at illegal business in Raleigh, Texas man fatally shoots 5 people, including 8-year-old. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. Clayton and Todd later also joined their father. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff While his clothes were bloody from cradling his wife, Peterson had insufficient blood spattering on his clothes to support an attack. Hardin and his prosecution team (among them Mike Nifong) attacked Peterson's credibility, focusing on his alleged misreporting of his military service and what they described as a gay life he led and kept secret. ( Note: Ratliff's cause of death at the time was listed as natural causes by "spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages." During Michael Peterson's 2003 trial, Ratliff's. 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. The Staircase Netflix Documentary and HBO Max series about the death of Kathleen Peterson and which follows the trial of Michael Peterson. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. 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. There was a lot of blood on the walls . 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. Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. 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 He was sentenced to time already served and freed. "Even from this distance I could see that it did not look clear, and that's when he made the statement, right there by her body in my presence, that she had died of a cerebral haemorrhage.". Henry Lee, however, had testified at the trial that the amount of blood was irrelevant, as the blood spatter indicated most of it was spattered as she coughed as the blood ran down her face from the injuries. A Complete Timeline of The Staircase's Michael Peterson Murder Case While there, Peterson was president of Sigma Nu fraternity and was editor of The Chronicle, the daily student newspaper, from 1964 to 1965. 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? [1] In 2017, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Although forensic expert Henry Lee, hired by Peterson's defense, testified that the blood-spatter evidence was consistent with an accidental fall down the stairs, police investigators concluded that the injuries were inconsistent with such an accident. At its heart was a seemingly perfect marriage. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The defense disputed this theory. [34] However, a news report on February 7, 2017, indicated that a resolution had been negotiated by Rudolf (once again representing Peterson) and the Durham County District Attorney. He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. 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. We challenge each other, collaborate and come together, just as a family does; winning as a team and celebrating as one too. Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were living in West Germany at the time. Peterson was housed at the Nash Correctional Institution near Rocky Mount until he was released on December 16, 2011. True story behind The Staircase: The marriage of Michael and Kathleen [2] The Staircase, a 2022 miniseries featuring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, also covers the murder case and its aftermath. Some may criticize them as to why they cant see he did it. With our diverse line-up of original, high-quality programming, our distribution partners across EMEA recognise the benefits of offering A+E Networks EMEA's distinctive, high quality brands on their platforms and services. Following the guilty verdict, de Lestrade interviewed the jurors to find out why they reached their verdict. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 'The Staircase': Money, Sex and Secrets - ABC News In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. "Can people just go dig up graves?". [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]. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. Peterson was reportedly the last person to see her alive. "There was no pool of blood.". Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. 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 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. Rudolf had stated that he could no longer afford to represent Peterson without being paid. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. The difference between a Queen and a Queen Consort. A+E Networks EMEA is an amalgamation of A+E Networks UK, Germany, Italy, Poland, Nordics, Benelux, Spain and Africa. A few people have suspected an affair between Michael and Elizabeth turning sour as his motive for murder, but the novelists former wife Patricia has always vehemently backed him up. 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. She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. Elizabeth Ratliff became good friends with Michael Peterson after meeting his first wife, Patty, when the women worked together at a school in Germany. 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. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. [26] A bloodstain-analysis team that Deaver had trained was suspended and disbanded. [5], Peterson and his first wife Patricia lived in Germany for some time. The body was then transported from Texas to Durham. 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. The author's ex-wife, Patty, maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family. 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. Shortly after Michael and Patty married, Michael went to fight in Vietnam while Patty headed to the Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, where she worked as a second-grade teacher. 1 week ago, Here's the OTHER Death at the Centre of Netflix's The Staircase, "Saint X" Isn't a True Story, but It Parallels the Tragic Disappearance of Natalee Holloway, Watch Natalie Portman Act Out Her Movie Career in Just 7 Minutes With James Corden, Adele Joins James Corden For His Final "Carpool Karaoke": "I'm Going to Miss You So Much", The Future of Netflix's "Beef" Currently Remains Unclear, Will There Be a "Jury Duty" Season 2? Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. All Rights Reserved. Elizabeth Ratliff and. More importantly, both Margaret and Martha Ratliff, whose custody was awarded to the Petersons as per their biological mothers final will, also support their father through and through. All Rights Reserved. Often, he'd help with the dishes or read to Ratliff's two young daughtersbefore returning home, according to the documentary series. On December 9, 2001, Peterson called emergency services on 911, to report that he had just found Kathleen Peterson unconscious in their Forest Hills neighborhood home in Durham, North Carolina, and suspected she had fallen down "fifteen to twenty, I don't know" stairs. AETNUK. Despite speculation that Peterson may have killed Elizabeth Ratliff 16 years before Kathleen's death, something he has always strongly denied, the prosecution in Michael Peterson's trial didn't accuse Peterson of being responsible for Elizabeth Ratliff's death. As per reports, Elizabeth often had dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would stay back to clean up or tuck her little girls to bed, which is precisely what they unwittingly did on her last evening alive. Join our global team of talent. Did Michael Peterson kill Elizabeth Ratliff? Here's what 'The Staircase The exhumation of Elizabeth Ratliff - bbc.co.uk Patricia Peterson and Elizabeth Ratliff had worked together at an elementary school on a U.S. Air Base and lived close by with their families in the town of Graefenhausen. In 2001 the woman Ratliff called "mom," Kathleen Peterson, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in the family's Durham, North Carolina, home. 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. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. Prosecutors have ridiculed the claim, and Deborah Radisch, who conducted Kathleen's autopsy, says it was unlikely that an owl or any other bird could have made wounds as deep as those on her scalp. An autopsy at the time of her death concluded Ratliff died from an intra-cerebral hemorrhage secondary to the blood coagulation disorder Von Willebrand's disease, based on blood in her cerebrospinal fluid and reports that she had been suffering severe, persistent headaches in the weeks leading up to her death. Learning is part of the journey at A+E Networks EMEA and youll be offered personal and professional development opportunities throughout your career with us. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. We understand the opportunity to grow engagement with new audiences of all ages and through new partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, along with our podcasts and on-demand SVOD services, we ensure our programming and unique stories reach audiences across the full demographic spectrum. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go. Although she died in 1985, the death . 1985 death of teacher now ruled homicide | Stars and Stripes 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. So. "I looked around and there was a lot of blood on the floor. 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. [28][29][30] Former North Carolina Attorney General Rufus L. Edmisten said that any evidence gathered after Deaver arrived at the scene might be deemed inadmissible in a new trial. Several other documentaries have been produced about Kathleen's death, including a sequel to the 2004 French documentary, podcasts, radio shows and other media. 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. [13] The Appeals' ruling said the evidence was fairly admitted. 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? It's believed that Michael was the last. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? "Prosecutors spent thousands of dollars transporting her boy 12,000 miles from Bay City, Texas to Chapel Hill," Defense AttorneyDavid Rudolf said on "The Staircase." 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. "What's the fucking grounds?" news, features and health. Why I believe Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff - Reddit Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by. But most of all, we will support you to develop and grow throughout your time with us. Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. There they befriended Elizabeth and George Ratliff and their two children, Margaret and Martha.

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