by Lindsay Kimble Ultimately, Michael decides not to move to Paris in order to start a new life elsewhere with Sophie, and their relationship ends. 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 was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. 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 homicide. He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. 1 day ago. 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? Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. Michael Stuhlbarg portrayed Peterson's lawyer David Rudolf in the series. An autopsy concluded Elizabeth died from a. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. 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. ", Her death was eventually ruled a homicide. Or anyone else for that matter-NO ONE knows exactly what someone has in their home-their own or someone elses) he then went into self-preservation mode-his mind took him back to what happened with Elizabeth Ratliff and so he carried Kathleen or even helped guide her up the stairs, if she was still conscious, telling her he would help her and not to worry, however after climbing a certain amount of stairs, he then ended up heaving her down the stairs. for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. 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. 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. Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. "It is further my opinion that these injuries were incurred while Mrs. Ratliff was alive and are of sufficient severity to have caused her death.". document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 PM HKT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); Authorities in Germany had determined that Ratliff's death was the result of a fatal stroke that sent her toppling down the stairs. 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. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck her children to sleep. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. At their request, Ratliff's body was exhumed in Texas in April. Peterson subsequently ended up raising Ratliff's young. he spits. != -1 ) { With two young children (Martha, the youngest, was just months old when her father passed away), Elizabeth relied on Michael and Patty's support more than ever. At least, until tragedy struck. Elizabeth Ratliff's Time of Death According to David Rudolf, the biggest flaw in the prosecution's theory regarding ER's death is the timeline and moreover that no one observed rigor mortis when they arrived on the scene. 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. I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. "It was a great blow to both of us, for which I feel not guilt, but sorrow," he continued. That was then confirmed by another doctor and the military police. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Regardless, Rudolf believes the damage has been done, describing it as "defamation" towards Brunet and de Lestrade. David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson in the real-life murder trial depicted in the HBO Max series "The Staircase." I believe that Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, and with the girls left to Michael, this probably only reinforced her suspicions. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. 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. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Furious she confronts Michael with her findings. The defence countered these claims, arguing that half of Elizabeth's brain was missing during the new autopsy and pushing against the idea that Michael was the last person to see her alive. "So to create the impression that somehow I'm this greedy lawyer, who's forcing my client to sell his furniture in order to write me checks to do his appealI mean that is sort of offensive to me. Later, Jean-Xavier shows Sophie the latest footage of his chat with Michael, where he explains his bisexuality. Great, Click the Allow Button Above However, in reality, Rudolf stated he traveled to Germany to investigate what happened to Ratliff and knew about her death a year and a half before the trial. } else if ( host.indexOf("asia.cnn.com") != -1 ) { Peterson agreed to an Alford plea, which enables him to maintain his innocence in the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. 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. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. "First of all, Sophie didn't edit any of the courtroom scenes. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. Authorities ruled Ratliff's death to be of natural causes, concluding that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her to fall and strike her head. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. host = host.toLowerCase(); So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. "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. The deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", state pathologist wrote in her report. After knocking Kathleen out (with what exactly, there are so many possibilities-afterall if all your kids were no longer living at home, would they be able to identify what things were or werent missing? But . Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. She filed a . Bush: Prosecutor taking up Schiavo inquiry. The Innocence Project gets involved and approaches Freda Black, now working at a dry cleaner, for information. The Staircase will be your new fav true crime show, The legal age you can get married has just changed, Charles & Camilla break major royal tradition, Courteney Cox speaks on Harry magic mushroom claim, Harry 'adding at least one more chapter' to memoir, Dylan responds to being misgendered on Instagram. Together, Elizabeth and George Ratliff had two daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff, who Michael Peterson would adopt following their deaths. I don't speak French. There are theories he had been in an illicit relationship with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife Patty strenuously denies. 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. 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. Bill Peterson (Tim Guinee), Michaels brother, is his biggest ally and works with the lawyers and the family to try and keep everything in order while it feels like chaos. Elizabeth Ratliff, shown in the Netflix docu-series "The Staircase.". It's all in the documentary, it's there. I do however wished that Michaels lawyer wouldve let him testify because the jurors would've seen his true colors, but as seen in The Staircase on Netflix, even his lawyers knew his personality as they stated it would not be in his best interest to take the stand because his personality would be off-putting to the jury (Im not quoting, but basically they knew the jury would hate him). In 2017, Michael is contemplating taking the Alford plea, in which he would have to plead guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for a reduced sentence, but he could not be retried. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. The prosecution calls Kathleen's sister Candace to the stand, and she tears Michael a new one again. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. So that's why today I'm very uncomfortable because I feel that I've been betrayed in a way.". Colin Firth as Michael Peterson in "The Staircase." On the prosecution side, Durham County District Attorney Jim Hardin (Cullen Moss) and Assistant District Attorney, Freda Black (Parker Posey) take on the case. Liz Ratliff also died under mysterious circumstances. We didn't get paid anything for the appeal. Elizabeth Ratliff and. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Despite Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, requesting that a "neutral" pathologist from Texas carried out the autopsy, the District Attorney had Dr. Deborah L. Radisch, the state pathologist, do it instead. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. Rudolf calls witnesses including the lead investigator from The Innocence Project and manages to convince the judge that Deaver lied about his qualifications on the stand. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff The defense countered these claims, arguing that half of Elizabeth's brain was missing during the new autopsy and pushing against the idea that Michael was the last person to see her alive. Michael is convinced that the DA is on a witch hunt since Michael had written critical columns on the DA in the past. She was not close to her sisters, Appel-Schumacher said on cross-examination, and thought it would be good for the girls to live with the Petersons in Europe if anything ever happened to her. "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. She'd reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. 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. Michael is having a rough time in prison. Her husband, George Ratliff, died shortly before her in a secret military operation overseas in 1983, according to CourtTV. 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. Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband, George Ratliff, were close friends of Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, when they lived in Germany in the 1980s. 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? Earlier Monday,jurors heard testimony froma blood spatter expertwho examined blood stains in the stairwell where Kathleen Peterson died. 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. "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. She was the first woman in Michael Peterson's life found dead at the bottom of a staircase, and featured in the aptly titled Netflix series "The Staircase.". Meanwhile, Michael's defense attorneys hire their own blood spatter experts, who testify that the blood patterns are just not consistent with a brutal strike to the head. 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. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. Michael Peterson and his wife Kathleen were first married in 1997. In the documentary, Michael remembers he and his then-wife, Patricia, had dinner at the Ratliff home and he stayed behind to help Elizabeth put Martha and Margaret to. 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 Michael's daughter (as you can see the incredible similarities between she and Michael as well as his boys Todd & Clayton with Patty) https://flic.kr/p/JR7p1K . German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max now. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. Chief among them: A close friend of Peterson's, Elizabeth Ratliff, had also been found dead at the bottom of a staircase, in 1985. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. However, Rudolf and the real Lestrade have both taken issue with how Peterson's romance with Brunet has been portrayed, believing some scenes implied her relationship with Peterson impacted her neutrality whilst editing the documentary. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? George and Elizabeth's daughters, Margaret and Martha - now orphaned - were taken in by Michael and Patty, and the expanded family continued as normal until the parents split the following year. Peterson and friends maintained that their friendship was purely platonic. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. 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. All external sites will open in a new browser. 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. 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. 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. In The Staircase, Patty recalls how they would all eat together and how Michael would regularly stay behind to help Elizabeth clean up and put her daughters to bed. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. As per reports, Elizabeth often had dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would stay back to clean up or tuck her little girls to bed, which is precisely what they unwittingly did on her last evening alive. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. 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. Margaret and Martha lived with Michael Peterson but were never adopted by him. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck in her children at bedtime. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. I feel here is where things took a turn. 10 votes, 25 comments. defense lawyer Thomas Maher asked. His only respite is his new relationship with Sophie, the documentary editor, and her letters. "She wasn't actively dating, if that's the question," Appel-Schumacher said. Michael and his ex-wife, Patty (Trini Alvarado), had become the legal guardians of Margaret and Martha after both of their parents died. The family gathers in the courtroom for the retrial hearing. Above, the real David Rudolf (R) and Michael Peterson (L) appear in court. Sophie remained the editor for several months on the out-of-court stuff. Do any of us? 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 Scene of Her Death. 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. The autopsy report found that Elizabeth Ratliff had died in 1985 from &#8220;blunt force trauma to the head&#8221; by a &#8220;homicidal attack,&#8221; rather than of a brain hemorrhage while . "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. 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. Patty described what she saw when she entered the house. 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. 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. She edited the scenes of us in the house, you know, meeting with experts, that sort of thing," he continued. 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. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. Michael's adopted daughters also believe that he did not kill their biological mother. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. I do feel that Michael was in a bit of shock as to what happened, it probably all happened very fast as it did back in 1985 with Liz. For exhumation, she has to receive permission from Caitlin, who vehemently denies her request. When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth worked in the same school as Michael's then-wife, Patty. Following Kathleen's death, which didn't look much like the accident Michael Peterson made it out to be, police almost immediately zoned in on him as the prime suspect. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. The prosecution shockingly reveals to the jury that, at age 43, Ratliff turned up dead at the bottom of her stairs in 1985, some 16 years earlier. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. Three, she never wrote to Michael while she was working on the project, never ever, ever. His appeal is rejected, but the documentary is a huge hit and renews interest in his case. He continued: "In other words, by that point, Michael didn't have any assets and the court appointed us to represent him on appeal and paid U.S. court-appointed rates. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. Prosecutors say the similarities are too many to be coincidental. Additionally, he was unimpressed with some of the early court scenes. To quote, 'help him' on his appeal. So you know, I'm sorry that I have to say this, but I think Antonio Campos [The Staircase on HBO Max director] went way beyond what was ethical for him as a filmmaker to do just in order to either sell this film, or to pump its ratings, and that in my judgment is despicable. . That is f***ing defamation because Sophie was off the project," Rudolf said. She refuses to binge-watch anything. , Let's Break Down The Staircase's Deeply Frustrating 13 Episodes, The "Bel-Air" Cast Weren't Surprised by the Show's Success: "A Huge 'I Told You So' Moment", "Outer Banks" Had No Business Making Rafe Look This Fine With a Buzz Cut, Jazz Catches Hilary in a Lie in This Exclusive "Bel-Air" Season 2 Sneak Peek, Selena Gomez Says She Avoided Her "Wizards of Waverly Place" Costars After Series Due to Shame, "The Last of Us" Stars Storm Reid and Bella Ramsey Hit Back at Homophobes: "Don't Like It, Don't Watch", Jessica Chastain Tripped Over Her Dress at the SAG Awards, but It Didn't Take Away From Her Big Win, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. 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. Fear of this realization getting out, Michael possibly grabbed and shook Liz, his anger finally caused him to push her hard and she fell down the stairs to her demise. he continued. 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. Sign up for our Celebrity & Entertainment newsletter. Both the German officials as well as the United States military police conducted investigations into Elizabeths case, and their autopsy ruled her manner of death an accident. Shed reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. Editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche) finds herself so entranced with Peterson she begins reaching out to him via letters to prison. They call him "Dad" and have supported him without wavering since the second woman they called "Mom"--Kathleen Peterson--was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. "We made plans to live in Paris. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 AM EDT (1440 GMT)
<\/span>'); ", Speaking separately to Vanity Fair about the scenes in the fifth episode of HBO Max's The Staircase, Lestrade said: "We gave [Campos] all the access he wanted, and I really trusted the man. 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. 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. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. 11 hours ago, by Monica Sisavat Two Ukrainian women look back at one year of war, Why you shouldn't go into TikTok's "monk mode". by Monica Sisavat Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. 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. "And you never saw any kind of indication that she had any kind of romantic relationship with Michael Peterson?" She was found dead at the bottom of a staircase, Ratliff was found tilted sideways at the bottom of a wooden staircase inside her home, according to "The Staircase.". The out-of-court stuff Sophie, the real David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson would adopt following deaths! Black, now working at a dry cleaner, for information d reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage secondary... Illicit affair with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife Patty strenuously.! All external sites will open in a new one again together, Elizabeth and George Ratliff had died to! Their request, Ratliff 's death were first married in 1997 done, it! Has been done, describing it as `` defamation '' towards Brunet and de 's... Of romantic relationship with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife strenuously. The widow grew even closer with the Petersons resided in Germany in 1985 the... The last person to see her alive of place, except that she was no longer living ''... To quote, 'help him ' on his appeal he explains his bisexuality her to fall and her! ) and Michael Peterson ( L ) appear in court but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth although! 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