Michael, Kathleen, and their children toast to each otherseeming a happy, loving blended family. The series follows the trial of Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2003. Todd Peterson 5 of 35 Michael Peterson , Margaret Ratliff , Todd Peterson , Martha Ratliff , Jim Dornfried , and Mary Jude Darrow in WRAL Murder Trials (2003) People Michael Peterson , Margaret Ratliff , Todd Peterson , Martha Ratliff , Jim Dornfried , Mary Jude Darrow At this point I don't know who anyone's kids are except that Margaret looks exactly like Liz as she gets older. It's just stopping for a minute to appreciate the value of my mother's life and about the relationships she had is what's most important," Atwater said at the time. It explores the life of crime novelist Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson (Toni Collette). Since MP picks women who looks like his mom, their children can look like his mom also. Martha and Margaret Ratliff, left, in an undated photo; Odessa Young and Sophie . When rescue workers arrived at the home, Peterson's wife was lying dead on the floor. Candace has remained outspoken about her beliefs, appearing in frequent interviews and documentaries to tell her side of the story. Michael Peterson stayed behind afterward to help her clean up and put her girls, Margaret and Martha, to bed (NBC). Michael apparently is attracted to people who resemble himself. His, Todd's, and Margaret's very strong resemblance is what tipped the scales for me. I'm not sure if I heard any of this correctly so would love someone else's take on this. Three of his novels were inspired by his time serving in the Vietnam War as a member of the United States Marine Corps. The bruising on her wrists and hands further supports this theory.Kathleen also had contusions on her back and posterior arms, which make sense if the back of her head was being repeatedly thrust into a step. Since he is the son of his own mother, he can look like his mom. Michael tucked Margaret and Martha in at night after the Peterson-Ratliff dinners at the Ratliff house. Theincident and its subsequent murder trialdrew media attention as Michael was eventually convicted ofkilling his wife. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Posey has also lent her voice to animated series, performingcameos forThe Simpsons,Futurama,andSkylanders Academy. Allegedly adopted children slightly take on the looks of those who raise them. Today, Atwater is married with two children. Michael Peterson has spent the last 20 years explaining the death of his wife Kathleen. Caitlin would go on to file a wrongful death claim against Michael Peterson, and she was awarded $25 million in 2008. However, his attorney David Rudolf denied that when speaking with the News and Observer, saying: Elizabeth's alleged murder remains unsolved, but the coincidences in both cases might have swayed the jury. Next:How Catching Killers Differs From Other True Crime Shows. Have a look at Martha, she looks just like her dad. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Yes. What the fuck?! They claimed that Michael's son, Clayton Peterson, found it in the garage and that the police had overlooked it. He helped to overturn the wrongful conviction of Alan Gell, return hard-earned money to Vietnamese immigrants Hai and Oanh Le Nguyen after it was seized by the federal government, and got several accused murderers acquitted. Martha's going home to Durham for. of Elizabeth Ratliff? Netflix 5. The December 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson at the bottom of her stairs is a case that is as messy and intriguing as it is brutal and dramatic, especially considering the ambiguous evidence involved. Those woman can have children not related to him. (Source: www.esquire.com) Kathleen's Death: On the night of Kathleen's death, according to Peterson, the two had eaten dinner, watched a movie and then sat by the pool. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. Clayton and Todd, meanwhile, are Michaels biological children from his first marriage to Patricia Sue Peterson. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Petersons sons have always stood by their father, who has maintained his innocence for the past twenty years. The prosecutor suggested that Kathleen had found the photos and emails accidentally (NBC). Son Todd Peterson said that on the surface, his parents seemed like they were the perfect couple. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. No but there are a LOT of secrets between everyone that's for sure. A joke on the fact that she is not really his biological daughter? Cheek bones. Michael claimed that she was fine when he left the night before. Martha tells her it was a brain aneurysm, and that Patricia Peterson had been a mother to her, but mostly it was Kathleen. So much so that several times watching this I forgot that she wasn't. So could each kid be the result of parental swapping? -Esquire. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a110e3c1ce407a7 The next morning, the girls' nanny found Elizabeth's body at the bottom of the stairs. Following her husband's death, Elizabeth became reliant on the Petersons. Why? We may never know. He is at the pool, it's late evening. HOLY MOLY YES and it would make sense why he took them in ! The drama series has stirred up a lot of controversy with the artistic license it takes, and the real Todd has opened up on social media recently about what it allegedly gets wrong about his family. Margaret has a few IMDB credits to her name, having appeared as an actress in A Minority Report and Piranha-Man vs. Werewolf Man: Howl of the Piranha. Caitlin Atwater is the biological daughter of Kathleen Peterson and her ex-husband, Fred Atwater. Reportedly, the forensic examination revealed that her left hand contained three microscopic owl feathers. Thats mostly what I felt., Describing Candaces demeanor in the series, Refinery 29 states, Candace lacks Petersons sense of gallows humor and Rudolfs laid back contemplation. In the r/UnsolvedMysteries subreddit, someone posted a link to a website with a lot of interesting information on the case. It was reportedly covered in cobwebs and dust and had been unmoved for too long to have been the murder weapon. Press J to jump to the feed. She also worked as an uncredited production assistant on Star Trek: Into Darkness and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. especially when she is sitting behind him at a diagonal in court and you can really see their faces almost side by side. The series follows the trial of Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2003. Caitlin Atwater is Kathleen Petersons daughter from her first marriage to Fred Atwater. Margaret and Martha look nothing alike. Click to reveal "I'm trying to [pass on the way I grew up] to my kids. Prosecutors believe Mike Peterson not only killed his wife, but also Ratliff. Cosmopolitan also reported that Margaret married Neil Blakemore and goes by the name Margaret Blakemore now. Peterson's high-profile murder trial that began on July 1, 2003 was the subject of French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's Netflix docuseries The Staircase, which began filming shortly after Peterson's 2001 arrest and followed him until his Alford plea in 2017. The Staircase true story reveals that Michael Peterson and Kathleen Atwater, a telecommunications executive, were introduced to each other by Michael's adopted daughters, Margaret and Martha, who were playmates of Kathleen's daughter, Caitlin. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen Peterson's injuries revealed that she had been bludgeoned to death and had sustained seven deep lacerations to the top and back of her scalp. Kathleen was only 48 years old when she died of blood loss at the bottom of the stairs in the Petersons' mansionin North Carolina. He appears often in The Staircase in which he supports his father's innocence. How do we know if Margaret is the one who licked the envelope closed? Although Margaret Ratliff was not the biological child of either Michael or Kathleen Peterson, she loved her adoptive mother and remained loyal to her adoptive father throughout the trial. As a young man, he divided his time between North Carolina and Germany. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. For me, its like [my] heart beats faster, I cant breathe, and I worry that Im going to pass out. Hence, it was only after matters settled for good that she and her sister were able to grieve the woman they genuinely considered their mother, Kathleen. And guess what?.sounds like he was gay too! Peterson's columns in The Herald-Sun were at times critical of both the police and Durham County District Attorney James Hardin Jr., the same district attorney who would end up prosecuting him for his wife Kathleen Peterson's murder, a charge he denied. When Michael and Patricia moved to Germany in the 1980s, they were friends and neighbours with Margaret and Martha's parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. and Mr Pollard said the wounds on her head look like they . George Ratliff sadly died two years after his wife, and Michael Peterson went on to adopt the couple's two daughters Margaret and Martha Ratliff. Michael Peterson was connected to the 1985 death of Elizabeth Ratliff, an elementary school teacher who taught military children on Rhein-Main Air Force base in West Germany. The Owl Theory would explain why Kathleen had sustained no fractures to her skull or brain damage. Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the entire case, Michael took an Alford deal in 2017, declaring guilt without sufficient evidence in order to go free without serving additional time. Press J to jump to the feed. The most baffling aspect, though, is that a similar 1985 demise of Elizabeth Ratliff is what led to Michael gaining custody of his daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff so lets find out more about them, shall we? 's office pay an overdue BlockBuster Video bill for a rented copy of "America's Sweethearts." The prosecution asserted that the murder weapon was a missing blow poke, a fireplace tool similar to a metal fire iron except that a blow poke is hollow so that you can blow through it to send oxygen to precise points of the fire. "I dont think he has any money," her lawyer Jay Trehy said, explaining instead that the suit was to "disincentive any effort to profit off this case." Later, Kathleen's sister, Candace, said that the blow poke produced by the defense was not the one she had gifted the Petersons, which was still missing. Michael then married Kathleen. Though neither young woman testified during the trial, they were both integral to the case, because the circumstances of their adoption were brought up by the prosecution to point towards Michael's possible guilt. Interesting reading. She had sustained a fracture to the superior cornu of the left thyroid cartilage of her throat, consistent with the type of wound a thumb could make if a hand had grabbed her throat to help control her head or try to strangle her. Since then, her filmography has expanded to include roles insuch movies asA Million Little Pieces, Shirley,andThe Professor. Candace Zamperini, Kathleens sister, does not believe that Michael is innocent. Michael Petersonappeared to be a happy and successful man. The Staircase Netflix Documentary and HBO Max series about the death of Kathleen Peterson and which follows the trial of Michael Peterson. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. He supports his father in the . However, the similarities between Elizabeth's death and Kathleen's were too hard to ignore, and Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed and a second post mortem carried out by the Durham Medical Examiner. Growing up, Caitlin was close with Martha and Margaret. Strangely, she looks like him, like her bio mom and also like Peterson's first wife. After Kathleen Petersons strange, untimely death on the staircase in the couple's home, Michael and Kathleens children would each take a stance on whether or not they believed that Michael was involved in Kathleens death, and play a role in his trial. Margaret and Martha Ratliff Michael and his first wife Patricia had been good friends with George and Elizabeth Ratliff throughout the 1980s, and George Ratliff died in a military operation. On April 18, 2001, Peterson wrote to a paternal uncle of Margaret and Martha Ratliff, the two young women whom Peterson reared after their father died in war and their mother was found dead at the . He was . Michael and Kathleen Peterson seemed to live a normal life in Durham, North Carolina, but when she wasfound dead at the bottom of their staircase on the evening of December 9, 2001, the tragedy turned their family upside down. In 2009, the "Owl Theory" was introduced by a former neighbor of Michael Peterson, Durham attorney T. Lawrence Pollard, in an attempt to prove that Michael wasn't responsible for his wife Kathleen Peterson's death. Todd said that while his father did have good news about a possible movie, the chance it was actually going to happen was very slim. Michael Peterson was the guardian of Margaret and her sister Martha, played by The Stands Odessa Young . Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Lightning doesnt strike twice- they even laughedabout this in the documentary- I personally think if it can be linked that one or both of the girls are his biologically- we can button this case up once and for all. Assistant North Carolina medical examiner Deborah Radisch determined that "the manner of death in Mrs. Ratliff's case was homicide," per CNN. With that said, both Margaret and Martha, who grew up under Michaels care following his divorce from Patty, have always believed in his innocence, whether it be in their mothers case or their stepmother Kathleens. Bringing out her birthday cake was tone deaf & weird AF, yes? During his first marriage, Michael lived in Germany. Aside from the obvious, striking, physical resemblance of Margaret to MP, Todd, and Clayton, here are five points that suggest that Margaret is MPs biological daughter. Celebrity Net Worth reports that the sisters' loving father, Michael Peterson's net worth is $500k from his writing career. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Lizs brother had the same last name as married Liz? Also, Patty goes back to Germany with Clayton and Todd but not the girls. Emily is an avid fan of Marvel, anime, and horror (especially Stephen King), and is always willing to discuss Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. George passed away in 1983, and Elizabeth not long after in 1985; she wanted the Petersons to care for her children in the event of her death. Margaret Ratliff only agreed to appear on camera two decades ago, for Jean-Xavier de Lestrade 's documentary series The Staircase, under extreme circumstances. . Clayton Peterson is Michael Peterson's eldest son. This response confuses me because Michaels first wife isnt blood related to himso how would that affect Margarets features being almost identical to Michael. According to public record, Michael and Kathleen purchased their mansion in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham for $600,000 in 1992. A graduate from Columbia College in Chicago, as of 2018, she resides in California and goes by her. An image of a chain link. Kathleen had a $1.4 million life insurance policy that Michael stood to benefit from. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A friend pointed it out as I started watching The Staircase that Margaret Ratliff looks suspiciously like MP, Todd and Clayton. 123.31.41.38 Related:Best True Crime Shows On Netflix Right Now. I only came upon the site last night, so I cant vouch for its credibility. Yes. Did novelist Michael Peterson batter his 'beloved' wife to death with a poker in their luxury mansion asks @BBC5livehttps://t.co/qNEnibgT3z pic.twitter.com/oyi0U6J264, Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) June 20, 2017. Per The News & Observer, Clay Peterson has two children and lives in Maryland. Jack is assuring Michael that he will take care of the kids and jokes that he will train Margaret up in his job(I can't hear it properly but he does a job in Las Vegas I think?) He tried to stress that he was never engaged in extramarital relationships, only sex. Today, Caitlin Atwater lives in northern Virginia with her family. MP's sexual selection of women explains it. Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were living in West Germany at the time. It seems like if the fountain were turned off, he could have heard her call for help. Michael and Kathleens marriage was the second for both of them. They claimed that Michael committed Kathleen Peterson's murder after she confronted him about approximately 2,000 images of naked men that she found on his computer, in addition to email correspondence with a 26-year-old male prostitute who Peterson had arranged to meet. Caitlin is portrayed by Olivia DeJonge in The Staircase HBO Max miniseries. Clayton "Clay" Peterson is his eldest, followed by Todd Peterson both from Michael's first marriage with Patricia Sue Peterson, which once made their domestic quartet an undeniably happy one. Pictured, l-r: Todd Peterson and Patrick Schwarzenegger AP, HBO Max Todd Peterson is the second of Michael's two sons from his marriage to Patricia Peterson. They did an inconclusive surreptitious one where they confiscated an apparent envelop Margaret allegedly licked. When the Ratliffs both died in the 1980s, Michael adopted their daughters, Margaret and Martha, per Newsweek. Schwarzenegger has also been cast to appear as Golden Boy inThe Boys'spinoffseries. At some point, the sons stop living with Patty. While they all initially believed he was innocent, Kathleen's biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, changed her mind after reading her mother's autopsy report. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Though they had divorced decades ago, Michael and Patricia had been living together in an apartment for the two years up until her death. First, he stood trial for allegedly murdering her, and was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to life. (Netflix) Unlike her stepsiblings, Caitlin did not stand by Michael's side. Ratliff was Mike Peterson's friend who died in Germany nearly two decades ago. In exploring how accurate is The Staircase on HBO Max, we confirmed that Peterson has never admitted to killing his wife Kathleen. This includes his popular 1990s novel A Time of War, which received interest from Hollywood. Born two years apart to Air Force Captain George Ratliff and military teacher Elizabeth Ratliff in Germany in the early 1980s, Margaret and Martha lost both their biological parents as toddlers. , his parents seemed like they his novels were inspired by his time between North Carolina and Germany a experience. First wife by her afterward to help her clean up and put her girls, Margaret and Martha at. To have been the murder weapon, are Michaels biological children from his first marriage Patricia! 1980S, Michael lived in Germany son, Clayton Peterson, who has maintained his innocence for the twenty... 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