The house is currently owned by a psychic, who ironically was not aware of the houses history or the Peterson case when he purchased it. He also believes the shotgun wound killing Paul was a contact wound to the back of his head. Murdaugh trial, Day 25: Defense rests case, jury to visit Moselle, John Marvin testified in his brother's defense today, while another defense witness theorized Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were killed by two shooters, Murdaugh defense to make closing arguments at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Murdaugh Trial, Day 26: Testimony gets heated during states rebuttal, One dead, driver and 3-year-old injured during crash in Greer, Teen charged, suspect wanted after shots fired during break-in, Upstate woman charged after deadly stabbing in Mauldin, Attorney Jack Swerling Discusses Closing Arguments in Murdaugh Trial, High School in Rutherford Co. responds to reported threat, Veterans Museum of The Carolinas Launches Lecture Series, kelli.radcliff@foxcarolina.com - 864-213-2103. After Michael Peterson and Patricia Sue divorced in 1985, Clayton and his younger brother Todd went to live with their mother. By entering an Alford plea, Michael pled guilty to manslaughter while still claiming to be innocent. Parker Posey stars as Durham County assistant district attorney, the lead prosecutor at Peterson's trial. Since the premiere of .css-7qz8rz{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#f7623b;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #feebe7 50%, #feebe7);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-7qz8rz:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}HBO Max's true crime series The Staircase, viewers have been revisiting the mysterious circumstances surrounding Kathleen Peterson's death. After all, as examined in The Staircase, they were thrust into the limelight not just because of her brutal demise but also because the familys patriarch immediately became the prime suspect. The eldest of Michael and Kathleen Peterson's two adopted daughters, Margaret, now 36, got married in her late twenties and is now known as Margaret Blakemore. His other credit includes Hell on Wheels and The Punisher. As a 2018Heavy explainer noted, Caitlin Atwater, now Caitlin Clark, was the only one out of her siblings to share her belief that Michael Peterson was guilty. Michael Petersons defense team, however, did not pursue this theory as grounds for a re-trial. And although some viewers of "The Staircase"might have expected his two other daughters, Margaret and Martha, to follow suit especially considering the similarities between the deaths of their biological mother, Elizabeth Ratliff, and their adopted mother, Kathleen Peterson, roughly 17 years later they seemingly never wavered in their support, or their opinion that Kathleen's death was an accident. The completed series hit British and American airwaves in 2005, on BBC Four and the Sundance Channel, respectively. In the end, Peterson entered an Alford plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was also present for the search of their mothers Almeda home, but said he did not recognize the blue raincoat that was recovered. He testified the damage caused by the shotgun wounds would have left the gunman covered in biological material - and potentially even injured. Tim Guinee portrays Bill Peterson in HBO Max's The Staircase, Michael Peterson's brother. This new installment follows Peterson as he and his legal team weigh their options on whether to go through with a new trial or put forward an Alford plea. In the first episode, its clear that something happened with Clayton during spring break in college, but it isnt explained or further discussed at that time. Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application. Though there hasn't been a more recent update on how Todd is handling things, it seems as though he has done just that: moved on with his life far from the cameras. Todd was reportedly one of the first on the scene after Michael discovered Kathleen's body, arriving not long after the ambulances did. Hudson tells de Lestrade, There were things that I would have changed. It is, of course, yet another mystery why a business executive with a 10 AM meeting would still be up at 2:30 AM drinking and throwing herself down the stairs. Kathleen and Michael married in 1997 and blended their families, living a seemingly happy life. At the center of this documentary is Michael Peterson, who is accused of murdering his wife. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The first new Netflix episode screened at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Parker Posey as Freda Black in The Staircase. Guinee is best known for his role as the United States Air Force Major Allen in Iron Man and Iron Man 2. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In real life and in the documentary series, Bill was present for much of Michael. Australian actor Olivia DeJonge plays the role of Caitlin Atwater, Kathleen's daughter from a previous relationship. Longtime fans of The Staircase will be very familiar with an alternate cause of Kathleen Petersons death dubbed The Owl Theory. The Owl Theory proposes that Kathleen Peterson died as the result of being attacked by an owl and subsequently hitting her head on one of the steps of the staircase. David Michael Malvin was born July 7, 1963, in Willmar, Minnesota. Interviewing Michael led Rudolf to believe his side of the story: that he and Kathleen had a very happy marriage and there was no reason for him to kill her. To distract from the theft, Peterson left a pipe bomb that he claims was rigged to not detonate. The reason? He came to know SLED agent David Owens after the murders and said he told Owens to reach out to him if he ever needed answers from the family and couldnt get in touch with someone else. He also used Busters cell phone to help ping Maggies phone which was missing from the scene. Not long after, Michael Peterson became the prime suspect and was indicted on the charge of killing his wife. When Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of her Durham home stairs in the early hours of December 9, 2001, everything changed for the brood she shared with her then-husband. Not long after, Michael Peterson became the prime suspect and was indicted on the charge of killing his wife. Recently, however, he was able to secure a release through a plea deal thanks to his team of lawyers. In this new installment, Petersons legal team appeal to the courts for a new trial after it comes out that bloodstain analyst Duane Deaver, who was a key witness for the prosecution, had given false and misleading testimony during the case and in other trials. Law enforcement will go with the jury to keep the scene secure. A Vietnam war veteran, he wrote three novels- The Immortal Dragon, A Time of War, and A Bitter Peace- that depicted his experience in the war. There was also a fear that it might unfairly sway the jury to be against Peterson, but as pointed out by de Lestrade and Metzgoff, Durham County, home to many prominent universities, is one of the more progressive places in North Carolina. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. Although it was initially presented as a single feature-length documentary film, it was released as two new episodes of The Staircase when it aired on American television. So, where is Todd Peterson today? Newsweek has everything you need to know about the cast of The Staircase and their real-life characters. ", Per Bustle, it seems that Michael Peterson's sons and daughters have continued to stand by their father and remain in each other's lives. Reports & Files Visitation for David will be from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, March 3, at Peterson Brothers Atwater Funeral Home in Atwater. Toni Collette portrays the late Kathleen Peterson in The Staircase on HBO Max. So now, if you wish to learn more about the individuals Michael Peterson once candidly referred to as his rocks throughout the legal proceedings, that is, his children, weve got the details for you. Guinee is best known for his role as the United States Air Force Major Allen in Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Posey has numerous acting credits to her name, including Lost in Space, Search Party, The Good Wife, Boston Legal, and Parks and Recreation. Clayton Peterson is the eldest child of Michael Peterson. Though Rudolf has defended other high profile clients including Rae Carruth and Reade Seligmann his involvement in Michael Peterson's case has proved to be one of the most definitive of his career. He was emotional during portions of his testimony in defense of his older brother, especially when talking about Paul. To the News & Observer, Rudolf said: David Rudolf appears to be one of Michael's biggest supporters and has believed in his innocence since taking on the case in 2001, despite the fact that Michael was legally found guilty. And to be curious about one Peterson is to be curious about all the Petersons, especially since the show depicts them as such a tight-knit unit. -- Lestrade article, TheAge.com, "It's either a very unusual fall, or a very unusual beating." Even though de Lestrade was not in pursuit of the truth, he still feels that Michael Peterson was not guilty of the crime he was accused of committing. After being arrested for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, Michael Peterson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. I thought that all the homosexual evidencehowever it was usedwould have been unduly prejudicial to the defense, and probably should not have come into evidence., Although most true crime television series are concerned with solving a mystery and ascertaining the truth, these were not the intentions of de Lestrade. As if that's not enough, he reportedly loaned his brother around $300,000 to pay for his mounting legal expenses, stayed in North Carolina instead of his home in Nevada as much as possible, and also defended his sexuality publicly. This meant that he had pleaded guilty because the prosecution had enough evidence to find him so, though he asserted his innocence. Enormous amounts of her blood were smeared and spattered across the floors and up the walls to the ceiling. 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