The defense will cross-examine Deaver Tuesday. In shock of what just transpired, Michael returned home where he would await news of Liz being found dead. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. But . } Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen were first married in 1997. 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. Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. 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. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. He hires David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose price tag is as big as his reputation. 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. I'm too old. On November 25, 1985, she was found dead at the bottom of her staircase surrounded by pools of blood. 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. German officials declared that she died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the scene of her death. The similarities between the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson raised eyebrows among the Durham authorities. I spoke with a German investigator. And you can quote me on that. Chief among them: A close friend of Peterson's, Elizabeth Ratliff, had also been found dead at the bottom of a staircase, in 1985. The Staircase is the latest true-crime drama to land on HBO Max and viewers are still trying to process the jaw-dropping story of Michael Peterson who, in 2003, was found guilty of killing his wife Kathleen Peterson at their home on December 9, 2001. The DAs case focuses mainly on Michael Petersons lifestyle. She refuses to binge-watch anything. For exhumation, she has to receive permission from Caitlin, who vehemently denies her request. 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 Michaels daughter (as you can see the incredible similarities between she and Michael as well as his boys Todd & Clayton with Patty). Additionally, at the beginning of each episode, there is a disclaimer stating the show is "a dramatization based on certain facts. Newsweek has everything you need to know. We never charge him another cent and the appeal was done on a court-appointed basis.". At the hearing for the Alford plea, the courtroom is noticeably less full. Repeating testimonythe judgeheardThursday and Friday without the jury being present, witness Peter "Duane" Deaver said he concluded that Kathleen Peterson was beaten with a blunt object and was struck a minimum of four times. Elizabeth Ratliff, a 43-year-old widow who taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs on November 25, 1985. The author's ex-wife, Patty, maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. I don't speak French. They argued to keep the clip showing Peterson interacting with his son, Clayton Peterson (Dane DeHaan), whereas their producer wanted to include a scene that covered evidence presented at Peterson's trial that Kathleen Peterson may have been strangled. The defense would go on to use Elizabeth Ratliff's death as part of their case against Michael Peterson, which also led to tensions within his own family, particularly between his adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff. 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. To begin with, he said that the scene where he was introduced to Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth) in a diner while eating pastrami did not happen in real life. 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. He also said thatthe person wearing apair of bloody shorts and bloody sneakers--both belonging to Michael Peterson--had to be present in the stairwell or just outside when Kathleen Peterson's head or a pool of her blood were hit with great force. David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson in the real-life murder trial depicted in the HBO Max series "The Staircase." Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were among the many people who filled the foyer that Monday morning 18 years ago, the witness testified. 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. The similar nature of Elizabeth's and Kathleen's deaths was enough to leave the jury serving on Michael's trial in Durham significantly suspicious. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. 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. 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. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. The defense maintains that the deaths are only similar on the surface, and Peterson plans to prove that to the judge--and the jury, if he rules against them--if necessary. Ultimately, Michael decides not to move to Paris in order to start a new life elsewhere with Sophie, and their relationship ends. "There was blood splatter all over those walls. "They have a scene where Michael's brother is on the phone with me, telling me that he's selling all the furniture, to pay to write me checks for the appeal. The last person believed to see her alive was Michael Peterson the night before when their families had dinner together in her home. Now at this time a few things couldve happened-whatever he struck her with at the front door, he now needed to get rid of, so as she lay dying at the bottom of the stairs, he changed out of any bloodied clothes and got rid of them with the item he struck her with. Therefore, when the Captain suddenly lost his life during a secret overseas operation in 1983, his widows connection with them only furthered she even began relying on Michael for some help in daily chores. 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. There are theories he had been in an illicit relationship with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife Patty strenuously denies. 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. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. The similarities between the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson raised eyebrows among the Durham authorities. And then when the appeal was over, for the next, whatever, eight years, I represent them for free, and never charge them a penny, I paid my own expenses. You know, I mean, all you have to do is watch the documentary to know that that's not true. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. All Rights Reserved. At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident, and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. An autopsy on the body of Elizabeth Ann McKee Ratliff, 43, was performed by the state medical examiner's office April 16 at the request of Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin, who contends that. 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. Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. Ratliff's two young daughters ended up living with Michael Peterson, and he raised them in North Carolina with his two sons from his first marriage. An autopsy concluded Elizabeth died from a. At least, until tragedy struck. Under no circumstances would they have had a sexual relationship.". 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas Elizabeth's death was initially ruled an accident, but when her body was exhumed during the trial for a second autopsy in April 2003, the coroner found sufficient evidence to categorize it as a . First, her death was ruled natural After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. 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. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 PM HKT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); 1 week ago, by Joely Chilcott Michael is convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the DA in the past. Together, Elizabeth and George Ratliff had two daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff, who Michael Peterson would adopt following their deaths. Peterson was the. However, there are no skull fractures, which is practically impossible. It is unknown if their disagreement happened in real life. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! But I didn't say to her, 'You know, yeah, that works fine for me.'". 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. It is true that Peterson and Brunet did date, with Peterson confirming to The News and Observer they went their separate ways in 2017. Appel-Schumacher said the blood was mostly on a wall adjacent to the staircase and it stretched from the top landing to the bottom. At their request, Ratliff's body was exhumed in Texas in April. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. 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. Editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters to prison. 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. Con Girl: Where is Samantha Azzopardi now? Netflix's 'The Staircase': How did Elizabeth Ratliff really die? Around that same time, Elizabeth and George grew close to the Petersons, their neighbors, bonding over Michael being a Vietnam War veteran and his then-wife Patricia being her coworker. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. Michael is having a rough time in prison. } else if ( host.indexOf("edition.") Great, Click the Allow Button Above So that's why today I'm very uncomfortable because I feel that I've been betrayed in a way.". In 2003, Michael Peterson was convicted of killing his wife Kathleen Peterson after she was found dead in a pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase in their home on December 9, 2001. 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 Staircase through flashbacks to the Petersons' lives before the murder, the night of the murder, the times leading up to the trial, the trial, and beyond. The series takes great inspiration from de Lestrade's documentary and even includes the director (played by Vincent Vermingon) and his documentary team. Sam Smith is going to be in And Just Like That s2!