Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. The judges did find defects in a search warrant, but said they had no ill effect on the defense. Nearly two decades before Michael's wife, Kathleen, was found lifeless at the bottom of a staircase, there was a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff, whose death would become crucial to the prosecution's story. Nearly two decades before Michael's wife Kathleen was found lifeless at the bottom of a staircase, there was a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff whose death would become crucial to the prosecution's story. The Creators Weigh In, The Bizarre True Story Behind Rachel Weisz's "Dead Ringers" Remake. When Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed from a Texas grave and autopsied by the North Carolina medical examiner's office in 2003, it was determined she had been murdered. Michael Iver Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Eugene Iver Peterson and Eleanor Peterson (ne Bartolino). "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.". [35] The judge sentenced him to a maximum of 86 months in prison, with credit for time previously served. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. [4][37][38], In November 2012, de Lestrade released a sequel, The Staircase 2: The Last Chance, which premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. 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. At the time of the exhumation, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, requested that a "neutral" pathologist from Texas carry out the second autopsy. They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to the documentary. The Staircase launches on Netflix on 8 June. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. Our stories are global and local, linear and digital, and always compelling. ), 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. news, features and health. 4 days ago, by Chanel Vargas When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth had worked in the same school as Michael's then wife Patty. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. The Durham M.E. Elizabeth Ratliff -- "Soupons" -- Maha Documentary 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. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. The Best Arguments For And Against Michael Peterson's Guilt In 'The Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? Here's what we know about the real-life events. As Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. The Staircase vs. the True Story of Kathleen Peterson's Death It's believed that Michael was the last person to see . OR after heaving her down the stairs to make sure she indeed was dead, struck her again a few times with the same item as at the front door-he may not even have had to hit her fast, he could do it more slowly which would not end up leaving castoff on the ceiling, which was an issue at the trial-if he had struck her surely there would be castoff on the ceiling, but they were figuring on it being done in a fast frenzy-he then changed clothing and got rid of the clothing and the item he struck her with. 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. [17][24][25], Deaver was fired from the SBI in January 2011, after an independent audit of the agency found he had falsely represented evidence in 34 cases, including withholding negative results in the case of Greg Taylor, a North Carolina man who spent seventeen years in prison on a murder conviction based on Deaver's testimony. 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.". [31] In July 2014, Peterson's bond restrictions were eased.[32]. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. 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. 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. He co-wrote the biographical Charlie Two Shoes and the Marines of Love Company with journalist David Perlmutt, and co-wrote Operation Broken Reed with Arthur L. Boyd. Who are Michael Peterson's Children and Where Are They Now? - Newsweek How Did Elizabeth Ratliff Die in The Staircase? - POPSUGAR Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Peterson was the last known person to see her alive. Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. He later claimed that he had been outside by the pool and had come in at 2:40am to find Kathleen at the foot of the stairs. 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. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. "My mom would . The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. In shock of what just transpired, Michael returned home where he would await news of Liz being found dead. 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. "There was no pool of blood.". On October 10, 2003, after one of the longest trials in North Carolina history, a Durham County jury found Peterson guilty of the murder of Kathleen,[11] and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. All Rights Reserved. The Staircase director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade has opened up about the death of Elizabeth Ratliff, insisting that Michael Peterson had nothing to do with it. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) 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. The owl theory was raised by Durham attorney T. Lawrence Pollard, a neighbor of the Petersons who was not involved in the case but had been following the public details. Who Was The Elizabeth Ratliff, Michael Peterson's Friend Found Dead In 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. It was one of America's most gripping murder trials of the last two decades. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. Her death had been investigated by both the German police and U.S. military police. The children's nanny, Barbara, discovered the body when she arrived the next morning. 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. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. Clayton and Todd later also joined their father. 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. As we see in The Staircase, it's very clear that Michael Peterson is distressed at the thought of his family friend's body being dug up and re-examined. [20][21] On March 2, 2017 (following his Alford plea), Peterson's attorney filed a motion to allow him to pay for a bird expert at the Smithsonian Institution to examine feather fragments found in Kathleen's hair to determine whether or not she had been attacked by an owl. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The pair "had a loving, almost familial relationship," Patty described. T he death of Elizabeth Ratliff was brought into the Peterson case. The coroner determined that the hemorrhage resulted in immediate death followed by Ratliff falling down the stairs after collapsing. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the US invasion of Grenada. Despite police reports that there was very little blood at the scene of Ratliff's death, the nanny, who was the first to discover Ratliff's body in 1985, took the stand at Peterson's trial and testified that there was a large amount of blood at the scene. If Mike believed Liz's death was a fall, and if he remembered seeing very little blood, he wouldn't have believed it necessary to add lots of blood to the Kathleen crime scene. Blood at Liz Ratliff's death : r/TheStaircase - Reddit After Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987, Clayton and Todd lived with Patricia, and Margaret and Martha stayed with Michael, who then moved to Durham, North Carolina. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. Whether the evidence about Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a particularly swaying influence on the jury or not is impossible to know - but Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson in October 2003. Why I believe Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff - Reddit Several other documentaries have been produced about Kathleen's death, including a sequel to the 2004 French documentary, podcasts, radio shows and other media. Newsweek has everything you need to know. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. 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. The difference between a Queen and a Queen Consort. The Bizarre True Story Behind HBO Max's The Staircase Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a huge impact on her youngest daughter, Martha ( Odessa Young ). 'The Staircase': What Happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? - Newsweek At the time, her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. [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]. ]]> Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratcliff and Kathleen Peterson. She was the first woman in Michael Peterson's life found dead at the bottom of a staircase, and featured in the aptly titled Netflix series "The Staircase.". The Netflix series, originally a documentary produced by a French company, examines his original trial. After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. Testimony in the death of the Elizabeth Ratliff continued Tuesday as the Ratliff nanny Barbara Malagnino started her description of what happened the November morning she found Ratliff's. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. As it came to light that Kathleen was not the first woman associated with Michael to be found dead at the bottom of the staircase, Elizabeths remains were exhumed for more information. I believe that Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, and with the girls left to Michael, this probably only reinforced her suspicions. Registered in England 112955. I do however wished that Michaels lawyer wouldve let him testify because the jurors would've seen his true colors, but as seen in The Staircase on Netflix, even his lawyers knew his personality as they stated it would not be in his best interest to take the stand because his personality would be off-putting to the jury (Im not quoting, but basically they knew the jury would hate him). Whether our stories challenge and inspire intellectually or simply entertain, we know that we are making a positive contribution to our audiences across the many diverse regions and countries in the UK, Europe, The Middle East and Africa. 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. That year he also married Patricia Sue, who taught at an elementary school on the Rhein-Main Air Base in Grfenhausen, West Germany. Because Peterson had already served more time than the sentence (98.5 months), he did not face additional prison time. Years later, during the 1999 Durham mayoral election, Peterson claimed he had been awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Valor, and two Purple Hearts. A second autopsy was performed by the same medical examiner who had done Kathleen Peterson's autopsy. Elizabeth Ratliff and. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. [CDATA[// >