The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Together, they go to the Durham Herald Christmas Ball. Appel-Schumacher said the blood was mostly on a wall adjacent to the staircase and it stretched from the top landing to the bottom. A widow, Elizabeth raised two daughters and her family grew close with the Petersons. The prosecution also discovers that back when Michael and Patty lived in Germany, Michael found ANOTHER woman at the bottom of a staircase Elizabeth Ratliff, the biological mother of Margaret and Martha. When producer Denis Poncet (Frank Feys) and director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (Vincent Vermignon) come across the Peterson story, they wonder if there is a story there. Candace makes an impassioned plea for a dismissal, but the judge overrules her. Under no circumstances would they have had a sexual relationship.". We never charge him another cent and the appeal was done on a court-appointed basis.". But they need to put themselves in their shoes, think if you already came from a broken home, wouldnt you try to believe in every last possibility that your parent could not do something so horrific, even if similar circumstances also involved that parent many years before? Like Kathleen, she'd been found at the bottom of a staircase. 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. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. If you've reached episode three of Netflix's latest true crime addition, The Staircase, you'll have discovered one of many plot twists in the documentary series. So why would you? 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 nanny who found Elizabeth Ratliff's body in 1985 also took to the stand at Michael Peterson's murder trial and testified to witnesses about a large amount of blood at the scene. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Appel-Schumacher recalled that Ratliff had a severe headache four days before she died, severe enough that she made an appointment to see a doctor the following week. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. Authorities ruled Ratliff's death to be of natural causes, concluding that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her to fall and strike her head. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. The News & Observer, Durham's local news outlet, reported how "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned" upon hearing their father's guilty verdict. DURHAM, N.C. An autopsy report released Monday says Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend of novelist Mike Peterson who died 18 years ago, was the victim of a homicide and not a stroke as originally . Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. At the hearing for the Alford plea, the courtroom is noticeably less full. She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. } 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. He has since insisted she was completely okay when he walked out the door, yet the following morning, the girls nanny found her dead at the bottom of the stairs Elizabeth passed away on November 25, 1985. The story follows author Michael Peterson (portrayed by Colin Firth) who finds his wife, Kathleen (Toni Collette) dead at the bottom of the staircase in their Durham, NC home in 2001. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband, George, who was a captain in the military. The night before Elizabeth's death, Michael Peterson and his wife had dinner with Elizabeth and her two young daughters. In 2017, he entered an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter, meaning he admitted the evidence against him would likely lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but he did not have to admit he committed the crime. Why? 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. A medical examiner who examined her body at the scene concurred that the death was probably an accident. The similarities between the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson raised eyebrows among the Durham authorities. In response, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, argued he had never seen such inflammatory wording used in an autopsy before. Now, if you wish to learn more about this nearly four-decade-old matter, including the undeniable suspicions surrounding the same, dont worry; weve got all the essential details for you. Michael moved back to the United States, taking his adopted daughters with him, and met Kathleen Peterson in 1986. 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. Kathleen even has a brief run-in with Freda Black. 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. The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max now. "I don't know that you could possibly make a more serious and damaging claim against a documentarian than that, especially when it's completely and utterly false and demonstrably false. 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. On April 16, 2003, the state medical examiner's office carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. Regina Green, an old family friend of Peterson pointed out in "The Staircase" how much Ratliff and Petersons first wife Patricia looked alike. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters continue to believe Mike Peterson. Michael had two biological sons, Todd and Clayton, with his first wife, Patty. The DA contracts the SBI (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation) to recreate the scene and figure out exactly how the murder took place. No, the will of the Ratliffs stated the girls would be left in the care of Michael Peterson. 10 votes, 25 comments. Here's the OTHER Death at the Center of Netflix's The Staircase. 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. To quote, 'help him' on his appeal. And she said to me, 'So you're going to be content just being an old grandfather?' The North Carolina medical examiner performed a second autopsy and concluded that Ratliff was beaten to death and that the German authorities missed the signs. 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 In the footage, Michael also admits Kathleen never knew about his affairs with men or that he was bisexual. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. He said: "I went to Germany, I investigated that whole thing. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. It also includes imagined dialogue for dramatic purposes but stays grounded in court documents, meticulous research by the team behind the show, and of course, content from Lestrade's 13-part documentary. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. When watching The Staircase, it might be hard to keep track of the complicated Peterson family tree. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 1440 GMT (10:40 PM HKT)
<\/span>'); Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson in the real-life murder trial depicted in the HBO Max series "The Staircase." Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. I spoke with a German investigator. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. 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. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, TX. Although the original autopsy concluded Ratliff died of a brain aneurysm, the coincidence of Peterson being the last known person to see two different women alive before they both wound up dead. 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