In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. On November 25, 1985, Elizbeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase, in an eerily similar way to the way Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found on December 1, 2001. 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. . The couples lived close; just down the road from each other in the town of Graefenhausen. host = new String(location.hostname); At least, until tragedy struck. Radisch's reported concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's death had actually been as a result of a "homicidal assault", and not an accident as was previously determined. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. Michael ultimately takes the Alford plea, which involves the defendant acknowledging there is enough evidence to find him guilty of charges while also maintaining innocence, and is sentenced to time already served. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide." 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 worst of it, at least so far, is in Episode Five, when they paint a picture of Jean-Xavier, the director, and Sophie, conspiring to cut out a certain scene in order to make the documentary more favorable to Michael. The jury finds Michael guilty and sentences him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although she died in 1985, the death of Elizabeth Ratliff played a key role in Michael Peterson's trial after he was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson on December 9, 2001. 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? 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. 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. 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. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. Later, Jean-Xavier shows Sophie the latest footage of his chat with Michael, where he explains his bisexuality. The family gathers in the courtroom for the retrial hearing. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. The DA contracts the SBI (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation) to recreate the scene and figure out exactly how the murder took place. In 2011, a retrial hearing is granted after Duane Deaver, the analyst that had given the damning evidence against Michael at the first trial, finds himself under investigation. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Regardless, Rudolf believes the damage has been done, describing it as "defamation" towards Brunet and de Lestrade. It is true that Peterson and Brunet did date, with Peterson confirming to The News and Observer they went their separate ways in 2017. 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 medical examiner found Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratcliffe suffered similar blows to the head, including seven lacerations which were sustained by blunt force trauma. What's eerily coincidental is the nature of her death: Elizabeth was found at the bottom of a staircase in her home with severe injuries to her head. The medical examiner rules that the cause of death was blunt force trauma. The defense will cross-examine Deaver Tuesday. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. The Scene of Her Death. "What's the fucking grounds?" In 1985, a few years after George Ratliff's death, Elizabeth was found at the bottom of the stairs by the nanny, Barbara Malagnino. Now as both Elizabeth and her husband were both deceased, the girls Margaret and Martha would surely be left in the care of one of their relatives? Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. Editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters to prison. Viewers new to The Staircase story may have been surprised to learn Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, the editor of Lestrade's first documentary. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. Prosecutors say the similarities are too many to be coincidental. two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. Sophie is skeptical hearing about this theory at first, but soon leans in and pushes for a re-examination of the body. He was an out bisexual man who had continuous affairs with men outside his marriage. Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. And as far as the girls, Margaret and Martha, Michael was the only parent they had been around the longest, they knew of their birth mothers death but couldnt associate with it as they were so young when it happened. After Kathleen's death, her two sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Lori (Maria Dizzia) firmly believe Michael at first, but quickly switch sides, along with Caitlin, and stand with the prosecution. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 AM EDT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); Instead, they used her death as an example of an incident that could have helped him "fake" Kathleen's accident. Michael Peterson took charge of all the details, and friends of Elizabeth Ratliff were grateful that he did, she said. All Rights Reserved. "For another year, she was gone. A second autopsy, conducted by Durham, North Carolina officials this time, revealed sufficient evidence to suspect the manner of death being clear homicide. With that said, no charges against Michael have ever been brought in connection to this matter, and he maintains his innocence. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. Peterson subsequently ended up raising Ratliff's young. The real-life Rudolph is seen above. He did meet with Michael Stuhlbarg who portrayed him in the series and even lent him his real glasses to wear during the film. . Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. 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. His only respite is his new relationship with Sophie, the documentary editor, and her letters. Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. 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. I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. The SBI, the organization that recreated the crime scene, is placed under investigation for unethical practices, which opens up another opportunity for an appeal in Michael's case. Appel-Schumacher said the blood was mostly on a wall adjacent to the staircase and it stretched from the top landing to the bottom. 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. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. Con Girl: Where is Samantha Azzopardi now? Its construction of the case emphasized prejudicial aspects, like the judge allowing evidence of Ratliff's death, which a state medical examiner also deemed a homicide, and the prosecution exposing Peterson's sex life so as to use jurors' potentially anti-gay attitudes against him. Just like with Peterson's wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. I believe that Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, and with the girls left to Michael, this probably only reinforced her suspicions. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen were first married in 1997. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. Head indicated blunt force trauma maintains his innocence was purely platonic lives Margaret and,... Man who had continuous affairs with men outside his marriage Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, friends... 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