After receiving permission from Elizabeth's mother and sister, authorities went ahead with the exhumation. Why would you do that just to sort of create a negative impression about Michael Peterson?". document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 1440 GMT (10:40 PM HKT)
<\/span>'); "There are many things in the first five episodes, which I've seen that are inaccurate, misleading, and outright false," Rudolph told Newsweek. Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. 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. 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. The Netflix series, originally a documentary produced by a French company, examines his original trial. 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.". 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. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. And she said to me, 'So you're going to be content just being an old grandfather?' At least, until tragedy struck. In the fifth episode, Brunet and Lestrade are seen arguing with their producer over which clip to delete from the documentary. Todd, who has always been the responsible one, starts to unravel under the pressure of the trial. It has been quite a ride, so before we discuss how it ended, lets look at how we got here. 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. 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. 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? Her life was thus incredibly different from her Rhode Island farm upbringing, especially as shed eventually found herself working at an elementary school at the Rhein-Main Air Force Base in West Germany. 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. DA Hardin and ADA Black really hammer home that they found it difficult to believe that Kathleen knew anything about this, alleging that upon discovery of photos and messages on his computer, it led to a confrontation that ended in Michael brutally beating Kathleen to death at the bottom of the staircase. "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.". Sophie is skeptical hearing about this theory at first, but soon leans in and pushes for a re-examination of the body. . 1 day ago. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 PM HKT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); 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. 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. The series takes great inspiration from de Lestrade's documentary and even includes the director (played by Vincent Vermingon) and his documentary team. Ratliff, a. "There was blood splatter all over those walls. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. "Once the trial started, they hired [film editor] Scott Stevenson to edit the trial footage. "I could not give her what she really needed and deserved, and that would be a full-time partner living with her in Paris. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 AM EDT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Peterson agreed to an Alford plea, which enables him to maintain his innocence in the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. How much, I can't say," Appel-Schumacher testified outside the jury's presence. The defense will cross-examine Deaver Tuesday. Together, Elizabeth and George Ratliff had two daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff, who Michael Peterson would adopt following their deaths. 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. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. He hires David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose price tag is as big as his reputation. Both the German officials as well as the United States military police conducted investigations into Elizabeths case, and their autopsy ruled her manner of death an accident. Shed reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. It's believed that Michael was the last. "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 Kathleen's death, her two sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Lori (Maria Dizzia) firmly believe Michael at first, but quickly switch sides, along with Caitlin, and stand with the prosecution. As HBOs hit limited series The Staircase comes to a close, it is time to take a look back and assess what we just witnessed. The Staircase addresses both of those theories, and just like the documentary of the same name by Oscar-winning filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade on which the show is based, whether you believe Michael Peterson is a killer is your own decision to make. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff Rudolf pointed out how in one scene, Peterson's brother is seen selling the Peterson family belongings in order to pay for his appeal, an "offensive" detail Rudolph wants to correct. "For another year, she was gone. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Although she died in 1985, the death of Elizabeth Ratliff played a key role in Michael Peterson's trial after he was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson on December 9, 2001. The author's ex-wife, Patty, maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. "What's the fucking grounds?" The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. ", 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. by Lindsay Kimble Peterson subsequently ended up raising Ratliff's young. In 2011, a retrial hearing is granted after Duane Deaver, the analyst that had given the damning evidence against Michael at the first trial, finds himself under investigation. Peterson's lawyers took issue with the examiner's assessment. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, TX. 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 Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. He was an out bisexual man who had continuous affairs with men outside his marriage. Chief among them: A close friend of Peterson's, Elizabeth Ratliff, had also been found dead at the bottom of a staircase, in 1985. defense lawyer Thomas Maher asked. 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. 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. I couldn't afford to live in Paris and my children, and grandchildren were in America," he said. In that case, it's thought that Ratliff succumbed to her blood clotting disorder via an intra-cerebral hemorrhage and then fell down the stairs after she was already deceased. Jennifer McHugh is a Los Angeles-based writer. On April 16, 2003, the state medical examiner's office carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. As both their families grew, so did the bonds between them. 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. . In response, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, argued he had never seen such inflammatory wording used in an autopsy before. Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. 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. 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. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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. It's all in the documentary, it's there. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 43-year-old Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead in her home in Graefenhausen, Germany. 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. 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. You know, I mean, all you have to do is watch the documentary to know that that's not true. From Rudolf's perspective, in HBO Max's The Staircase, it is implied Rudolf found out about Ratliff only a few weeks before the trial. RELATED: Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. It was a unanimous decision by all 12 jury members. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. (We dont know if this is factual or just a dramatized coincidence.) On the prosecution side, Durham County District Attorney Jim Hardin (Cullen Moss) and Assistant District Attorney, Freda Black (Parker Posey) take on the case. The prosecutors have also hypothesized that Elizabeths perplexing 1985 passing inspired Michael to fake Kathleens accident in 2001, yet there has never been any direct evidence to back it up. Colin Firth & Toni Collette on 'The Staircase' and What They Hope Audiences Take Away From It. 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. The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? 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. Cosmopolitan, Part of the Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network. 1 week ago, by Joely Chilcott Authorities ruled Ratliff's death to be of natural causes, concluding that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her to fall and strike her head. The jury finds Michael guilty and sentences him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. 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. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting center of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. 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 However, there are no skull fractures, which is practically impossible. In the footage, Michael also admits Kathleen never knew about his affairs with men or that he was bisexual. I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. I do not think that the girls could mentally handle it if they allowed their minds to go to the place of believing he did it. I do feel that Michael was in a bit of shock as to what happened, it probably all happened very fast as it did back in 1985 with Liz. ), I believe Michael and Elizabeth were upstairs in her home, possibly having a romantic interlude, when the conversation turned more serious as Elizabeth asked Michael to leave his wife (Patty) at the time. 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. 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. Peterson had been at her house the night before her death. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Peterson was the. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { Just like with Peterson's wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. The Staircase launches on Netflix on 8 June. 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. "We made plans to live in Paris. Newsweek has everything you need to know. 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. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. On November 25, 1985, Elizbeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase, in an eerily similar way to the way Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found on December 1, 2001. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. It took weeks for all the blood to be cleaned up, according to "The Staircase. Rudolf is highly skeptical of the documentary crew following their every move but eventually has to relent. Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. 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 is further my opinion that these injuries were incurred while Mrs. Ratliff was alive and are of sufficient severity to have caused her death.". 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