18 years after the release of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's docuseries "The Staircase," the story of Kathleen Peterson's death is being turned into a scripted series on HBO Max. In March 2021, Variety reported that HBO Max was adapting the case for an eight-part limited drama, also titled "The Staircase." Emmy-winning actor Toni Collette is portraying Kathleen, and Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth is taking on the role of Michael Peterson, Kathleen's husband who was convicted of her murder in 2003.
The show's cast also includes Sophie Turner, Michael Stuhlbarg, Juliette Binoche, Dane DeHaan, Olivia DeJonge, Rosemarie DeWitt, Tim Guinee, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Vincent Vermignon, Odessa Young, and Parker Posey. Antonio Campos's "The Staircase" will explore the life of the Peterson family in North Carolina, the circumstances surrounding Kathleen's suspicious death, and Michael's involvement.
While it's unclear how much of the infamous case the HBO Max series will cover, its teaser trailer, which...
The show's cast also includes Sophie Turner, Michael Stuhlbarg, Juliette Binoche, Dane DeHaan, Olivia DeJonge, Rosemarie DeWitt, Tim Guinee, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Vincent Vermignon, Odessa Young, and Parker Posey. Antonio Campos's "The Staircase" will explore the life of the Peterson family in North Carolina, the circumstances surrounding Kathleen's suspicious death, and Michael's involvement.
While it's unclear how much of the infamous case the HBO Max series will cover, its teaser trailer, which...
- 4/20/2022
- by Grayson Gilcrease
- Popsugar.com
(Note: This post contains spoilers for later episodes of Netflix’s true crime documentary “The Staircase.” You might want to finish it before reading on.)
The big turning point in “The Staircase” is when Mike Peterson, after being convicted of murdering his wife Katherine and serving eight years in prison, gets a chance at a new trial. That’s because something major has changed: an expert who testified against him lost his credibility.
Duane Deaver, formerly an agent in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, testified about blood spatter analysis at Peterson’s trial, but a newspaper expose revealed that Deaver and other Sbi agents had misrepresented evidence in more than 200 cases. The big one was that of Greg Taylor who, thanks to Deaver’s testimony, was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and spent almost 17 years in prison.
Also Read: 'The Staircase': What Happened...
The big turning point in “The Staircase” is when Mike Peterson, after being convicted of murdering his wife Katherine and serving eight years in prison, gets a chance at a new trial. That’s because something major has changed: an expert who testified against him lost his credibility.
Duane Deaver, formerly an agent in the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, testified about blood spatter analysis at Peterson’s trial, but a newspaper expose revealed that Deaver and other Sbi agents had misrepresented evidence in more than 200 cases. The big one was that of Greg Taylor who, thanks to Deaver’s testimony, was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and spent almost 17 years in prison.
Also Read: 'The Staircase': What Happened...
- 6/26/2018
- by Phil Hornshaw
- The Wrap
Recently revisited by Netflix, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's harrowing legal saga, The Staircase, reopens one of the most infamous cases in true crime: the tragic death of Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her home. There are many theories about her death, from murder by her novelist husband, Michael Peterson, to an owl attack. The details of her case have been debated and considered over countless sources throughout the years, from series like Forensic Files to podcasts like Criminal. The evidence is upsetting but provides no definitive answer. Keep reading as we dissect the details surrounding Kathleen's death for a closer look.
Who Was Kathleen Peterson?
Kathleen worked as a successful executive at Nortel Networks. Prior to her marriage to Michael, she had one daughter, Caitlin Atwater, from a previous relationship. Michael, who had four children of his own, moved in with Kathleen,...
Who Was Kathleen Peterson?
Kathleen worked as a successful executive at Nortel Networks. Prior to her marriage to Michael, she had one daughter, Caitlin Atwater, from a previous relationship. Michael, who had four children of his own, moved in with Kathleen,...
- 6/26/2018
- by Stacey Nguyen
- Popsugar.com
(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you have not watched Netflix’s “The Staircase.”)
Sixteen years after Kathleen Peterson died in her North Carolina home, “The Staircase” filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade still doesn’t know whether Kathleen’s husband, Michael Peterson, is actually guilty of crime he was convicted — and later almost retried — for.
“When I started shooting, I really didn’t know if Michael Peterson was involved and the purpose of the series was not to show if he was innocent, because I don’t know,” de Lestrade told TheWrap. “I didn’t know at the time of the start and I don’t know, 16 years later. I can’t tell you if he’s innocent or not. But when we started to really look at the physical evidence, at every file, what really struck me, if it’s a model, it’s a very unusual model — I’m still trying to understand,...
Sixteen years after Kathleen Peterson died in her North Carolina home, “The Staircase” filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade still doesn’t know whether Kathleen’s husband, Michael Peterson, is actually guilty of crime he was convicted — and later almost retried — for.
“When I started shooting, I really didn’t know if Michael Peterson was involved and the purpose of the series was not to show if he was innocent, because I don’t know,” de Lestrade told TheWrap. “I didn’t know at the time of the start and I don’t know, 16 years later. I can’t tell you if he’s innocent or not. But when we started to really look at the physical evidence, at every file, what really struck me, if it’s a model, it’s a very unusual model — I’m still trying to understand,...
- 6/18/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
True crime fans watching “The Staircase” over the weekend might have noticed a familiar face examining the murder scene — Werner Spitz, the forensic pathologist whose cases have included JonBenet Ramsay and John F. Kennedy’s.
“The Staircase” is Netflix’s newest true crime documentary which looks at the death of novelist Mike Peterson’s wife, Kathleen. It investigates his involvement in her death, which he claims resulted from a fall down stairs in their home. Spitz worked on Peterson’s defense team alongside Dr. Henry Lee.
Spitz is one of the most renowned pathologists in the world, having testified in 1969 on behalf of Joseph and Gwen Kopechne, the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who died in a car accident while a passenger in a vehicle driven by Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Six years later, Spitz was asked to work as an advisor to the Rockefeller Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations,...
“The Staircase” is Netflix’s newest true crime documentary which looks at the death of novelist Mike Peterson’s wife, Kathleen. It investigates his involvement in her death, which he claims resulted from a fall down stairs in their home. Spitz worked on Peterson’s defense team alongside Dr. Henry Lee.
Spitz is one of the most renowned pathologists in the world, having testified in 1969 on behalf of Joseph and Gwen Kopechne, the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who died in a car accident while a passenger in a vehicle driven by Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Six years later, Spitz was asked to work as an advisor to the Rockefeller Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations,...
- 6/11/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Sophie Brunet, an editor for Netflix’s “The Staircase,” was romantically involved with Michael Peterson, the subject of the docuseries, director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade said in an interview. But he added that it didn’t affect the narrative.
Lestrade told the French news weekly L’Express that Brunet had a relationship with Peterson while working on the series. He was responding to a reporter’s comment that Brunet “fell in love (‘qui est tombée amoureuse’)” with Peterson.
“This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. Life is really full of surprises. They had a real story, which lasted until May 2017,” Peterson replied. “But she never let her own feelings affect the course of editing.”
Also Read: 'The Staircase': What Happened to Blood Spatter Analyst Duane Deaver After the Case?
He did not say how long Brunet and Peterson were romantically involved, or delve into other details about the relationship.
Lestrade told the French news weekly L’Express that Brunet had a relationship with Peterson while working on the series. He was responding to a reporter’s comment that Brunet “fell in love (‘qui est tombée amoureuse’)” with Peterson.
“This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. Life is really full of surprises. They had a real story, which lasted until May 2017,” Peterson replied. “But she never let her own feelings affect the course of editing.”
Also Read: 'The Staircase': What Happened to Blood Spatter Analyst Duane Deaver After the Case?
He did not say how long Brunet and Peterson were romantically involved, or delve into other details about the relationship.
- 6/11/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
(Note: This post contains spoilers for the Netflix series “The Staircase,” so you might want to finish it before reading on.)
One of the key figures in the long-running case of Michael Peterson in “The Staircase” is Duane Deaver, a blood spatter analyst who worked for North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation in 2002 when the case went to trial.
Deaver’s expert testimony is a major part of what lead to Peterson’s conviction for the murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2001. The blood spatter expert insists in “The Staircase” that the patterns seen in the staircase of the Peterson home were the result of Kathleen Peterson being beaten to death. Though Peterson maintained his innocence and the defense presented blood spatter experts of its own, the jury convicted Peterson of first-degree murder in 2003, and sentenced him to life in prison.
It wasn’t until eight years later,...
One of the key figures in the long-running case of Michael Peterson in “The Staircase” is Duane Deaver, a blood spatter analyst who worked for North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation in 2002 when the case went to trial.
Deaver’s expert testimony is a major part of what lead to Peterson’s conviction for the murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2001. The blood spatter expert insists in “The Staircase” that the patterns seen in the staircase of the Peterson home were the result of Kathleen Peterson being beaten to death. Though Peterson maintained his innocence and the defense presented blood spatter experts of its own, the jury convicted Peterson of first-degree murder in 2003, and sentenced him to life in prison.
It wasn’t until eight years later,...
- 6/8/2018
- by Phil Hornshaw
- The Wrap
The death of Kathleen Peterson led to not just one of the most infamous murder trials but one of the most prolonged. Kathleen's husband, Michael Peterson, just recently walked free, a decade and a half after her death, but some people still think he's responsible. Others, as you'll see below, say an owl is a real culprit. And now Investigation Discovery is reexamining the case with An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase. Here's the backstory: In the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2001, a then-58-year-old Mike called 911 to say his 48-year-old wife had fallen down a staircase at their home in Durham, Nc. Mike — a novelist, a military veteran, and a one-time Durham mayoral candidate — said he'd come in from the backyard to find her dead. And he said she'd been drinking. Sure enough, her blood alcohol level was 0.07, but the autopsy report also determined she'd suffered head trauma consistent with a beating.
- 4/6/2018
- by Dan Clarendon
- In Touch Weekly
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