The Staircase Where Is The Real Michael Peterson Today

Streaming giants’ dive into true crime has been on the rise, and their documentary-style releases have covered stories from Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler to Hulu’s The Girl from Plainville. However, HBO Max’s release of the TV miniseries The Staircase is a breed all its own. The series focuses on Michael Peterson who was convicted and charged with murdering his wife Kathleen. The miniseries was sparked from the trial and verdict that emerged in 2003, and the documentary that followed in 2004. One aspect that sets the 2004 documentary, also entitled The Staircase, apart from previous releases is the overabundance of 1990s footage that is documented throughout the film. Starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette, HBO Max’s The Staircase was able to cultivate its characters based on this, and give Kathleen her own voice. Despite his denials and reluctance to plead guilty, Peterson was charged with life in prison without the possibility of parole. Here’s where the real Michael Peterson is today.

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The Owl From Under the Stairs

     HBO Max  

Michael Peterson is an American novelist accredited with penning a book called The Immortal Dragon, but is more widely known for being convicted of murder for the death of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. In December 2001, Peterson phoned the authorities, claiming that his wife had fallen down the stairs while he was outside in their yard. Upon arriving on the scene, investigators observed a great deal of blood and questioned if this was truly an accident. After being reviewed by the medical examiner, it appeared that Kathleen had suffered from blunt force trauma to her head, and the investigation began on Peterson. In 2003, Peterson was convicted of murder, and thus would begin the 16-year attempt at appeals, and retrials. The Staircase miniseries focuses on the events leading up to Kathleen’s death and the trial itself to tell a gripping account of what really happened on the staircase.

Peterson’s first appeal was presented by the defense in 2006, and in 2008, his attorneys motioned for a new trial. However, one of the most interesting theories to hold any weight in the Peterson case was the assertion, in 2009, that Kathleen had been attacked by an owl on the night of her death. A neighbor of the Petersons came forward and suggested that Kathleen may have been attacked by an owl and was fleeing when she ran inside. A re-examination of the evidence found that there had, in fact, been microscopic owl feathers found in a clump of hair that Kathleen had been clutching, and an owl’s feather had been reported at the scene with the evidence list. The owl theory was scrapped, and was deemed completely implausible by Newsweek.

Michael Peterson Today: A Free Man

     Netflix  

In 2017, Peterson was granted a new trial, following his being released and placed on house arrest in 2011, after Duane Deaver, a key witness that cemented his conviction, was fired for multiple accounts of false information. Peterson took an Alford plea deal, voluntarily implicating him for the manslaughter of his late wife Kathleen. The Alford plea is when a defendant pleads guilty because of the substantial evidence that is built against them, but still claims innocence. Peterson was sentenced to 86 months in prison, but was allotted a credit for the time that he already served, thus marking Peterson as a free man. Why would an innocent man accept a guilty plea for something he was so certain that he didn’t do? According to Forbes, defense attorney Joshua Ritter claims that a defendant who claims innocence would accept a deal such as this because they are still allowed to maintain said innocence, and it is less risky than opening a new trial.

Since earning his freedom and finally being able to put the now 16-year trial behind him, Peterson has penned two novels based on the events that occurred in December 2001. The first of these was entitled Behind the Staircase and was followed by Beyond the Staircase. Both novels serve as personal memoirs in which Peterson still asserts his innocence. Today, Peterson lives in Durham, North Carolina, in a ground-floor apartment. He still maintains a relationship with his children, who stuck by him through the entire trial, and is a grandfather to their children. Many believe that Peterson is guilty, and others are not so sure. Yet, the truth of what really happened that night sits with Kathleen, and may never surface to light.