Thats where she first came across Captain George Ratliff, a navigator, only to tie the knot with him in 1981 before welcoming two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. I believe that the 2 were out by the pool having a glass or 2 of wine as they often did. During the retrial hearing, SBI Assistant Director Eric Hooks testified that Deaver had written only 47 reports. "Prosecutors spent thousands of dollars transporting her boy 12,000 miles from Bay City, Texas to Chapel Hill," Defense AttorneyDavid Rudolf said on "The Staircase." Often, he'd help with the dishes or read to Ratliff's two young daughtersbefore returning home, according to the documentary series. Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed in 2003. A quick recap for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. Both subsequently broke off from the rest of the family. Peterson also worked as a newspaper columnist for The Herald-Sun, where his columns became known for their criticism of police and of Durham County district attorney James Hardin Jr., who would later prosecute Peterson for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen. Peterson claimed he had received one Purple Heart after being hit by shrapnel when another soldier stepped on a land mine, and the other when he was shot. After Vietnam, retired Marine Captain Michael joined Patty in Germany and the couple quickly became good friends with Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband George, also a Captain in the military. It was one of America's most gripping murder trials of the last two decades. On March 10, 2009, Peterson's motion was denied by the Durham County Superior Court. According to Assistant District Attorney Freda Black, Kathleen, "would have been infuriated by learning that her husband, who she truly loved, was bi-sexual and having an extramarital relationshipnot with another womanbut a man, which would have been humiliating and embarrassing to her. A friend of Elizabeth Ratliff's also testified about a bloody death scene. In late 2009, a new theory of Kathleen's death was raised: that she had been attacked by a barred owl outside, fallen after rushing inside, and been knocked unconscious after hitting her head on the first tread of the stairs. Forensic tests revealed that it had been untouched and unmoved for too long to have been used in the murder. After receiving permission from Elizabeth's mother and sister, authorities went ahead with the exhumation. It also examines the role and behavior of the press as it covered aspects of the case. Media reports explained this by suggesting he probably changed his clothes, but investigators determined very early that he had not. She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck in her children at bedtime. Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. During Michael's trial, Cheryl Appel-Schumacher, one of the late schoolteacher's friends, recalled that Elizabeth had severe headaches a few days before she was found dead. ", "Novelist convicted of first-degree murder in wife's staircase death", Novelist Convicted of Beating Wife to Death, Three affidavits support Peterson's murderous owl theory, "Episode 1: Animal Instincts (1.31.2014)", Attorney wants owl theory reconsidered in Peterson murder case, "North Carolina vs Michael Peterson - Motion for order allowing transport of microslide to expert for inspection and testing", "DURHAM: Attorney forbidden from filing Michael Peterson motions | Crime", "Troubled SBI agent Duane Deaver fired - Politics - NewsObserver.com", Judge says Peterson must keep wearing ankle bracelet. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. While his clothes were bloody from cradling his wife, Peterson had insufficient blood spattering on his clothes to support an attack. 43-year-old Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead in her home in Graefenhausen, Germany. 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 thought. On February 24, 2017, Peterson entered an Alford plea (a guilty plea entered because sufficient evidence exists to convict him of the offense, but the defendant asserts innocence) to the voluntary manslaughter of Kathleen. Clayton and Todd later also joined their father. [citation needed]. Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the US invasion of Grenada. As seen on The Staircase, both girls publicly supported Peterson during his trial and became inconsolable when he was convicted. On December 9, 2001, Peterson called emergency services on 911, to report that he had just found Kathleen Peterson unconscious in their Forest Hills neighborhood home in Durham, North Carolina, and suspected she had fallen down "fifteen to twenty, I don't know" stairs. In June 2006, he voluntarily filed for bankruptcy. I do not think that the girls could mentally handle it if they allowed their minds to go to the place of believing he did it. In October 2014, the court appointed Mike Klinkosum to represent Peterson, replacing David Rudolf, who had been working pro bono on the case since Peterson's conviction was overturned. Michael and Patricia adopted Margaret and her sister Martha after their parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, passed away. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. Whether our stories challenge and inspire intellectually or simply entertain, we know that we are making a positive contribution to our audiences across the many diverse regions and countries in the UK, Europe, The Middle East and Africa. On November 12, 2008, attorneys J. Burkhardt Beale and Jason Anthony of Richmond, Virginia, who were now representing Peterson, filed a motion for a new trial in Durham County court on three grounds: that the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence about the blow poke, that the prosecution used an expert witness whose qualifications were disputed, and that one juror based his judgment on racial factors. The defense would go on to use Elizabeth Ratliff's death as part of their case against Michael Peterson, which also led to tensions within his own family, particularly between his adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff. With our diverse line-up of original, high-quality programming, our distribution partners across EMEA recognise the benefits of offering A+E Networks EMEA's distinctive, high quality brands on their platforms and services. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? She continued: "Rather, they are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts, either from blows to the head caused by a blunt object or by the head being forcibly struck against a hard surface. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. Will King Charles III get a coronation medal? [13] The Appeals' ruling said the evidence was fairly admitted. Now at this time a few things couldve happened-whatever he struck her with at the front door, he now needed to get rid of, so as she lay dying at the bottom of the stairs, he changed out of any bloodied clothes and got rid of them with the item he struck her with. 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. In the 2003 Peterson trial, Deaver testified that he had been mentored by SBI bloodstain specialist David Spittle, worked 500 bloodstain cases, written 200 reports, and testified in 60 cases. Although she died in 1985, the death . Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. 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. So. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. 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. Join our global team of talent. Doubt as to the admissibility of the Ratliff evidence in court was one of the grounds for the subsequent appeal against his conviction, lodged by Peterson's lawyers in 2005. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. He later admitted his war injury was not the result of the shrapnel wound in Vietnam, but was the result of a car accident in Japan, where he was stationed after the war as a military police officer. In shock of what just transpired, Michael returned home where he would await news of Liz being found dead. A second autopsy was performed by the same medical examiner who had done Kathleen Peterson's autopsy. WildBlue Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Peterson_trial&oldid=1152187173, 20th-century American non-fiction writers, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni, Overturned convictions in the United States, People convicted of murder by North Carolina, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by North Carolina, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Motion for new trial denied by Durham County Superior Court on March 10, 2009, "The Staircase Murders" - 2007 TV Movie written by Aphrodite Jones, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 18:49. On November 9, the Court announced that it affirmed the decision of the appeals. "Can people just go dig up graves?". All Rights Reserved. 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. The prosecution declined to accuse Peterson of Ratliff's death, but introduced the death into the trial as an incident giving Peterson the idea of how to "fake" Kathleen's accident. 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. Three episodes in, drops a major bombshell: Peterson was the last person to see another woman who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in Germany in 1985. Now fast forward to 2001-the night Michaels second wife, Kathleen dies. He pleaded not guilty. . Rudolf had stated that he could no longer afford to represent Peterson without being paid. From D.A. After Kathleen passed, the young woman developed a severe form of anxiety, aggravated by. Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a huge impact on her youngest daughter, Martha ( Odessa Young ). Elizabeth Ratliff's children Margaret (Ratliff) Blakemore and Martha Ratliff. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see her alive. Instead, they used her death as an example of an incident that could have helped him "fake" Kathleen's accident. Regina Green, an old family friend of Peterson pointed out in "The Staircase" how much Ratliff and Petersons first wife Patricia looked alike. Registered in England 112955. Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. Odessa Young and Sophie Turner as Elizabeth Ratliff's daughters Martha and Margaret. With The Staircase retelling the tale of Michael Peterson and his alleged hand in wife Kathleen Petersons bizarre December 2001 demise, several related matters are coming back into the spotlight. Elizabeth was just 43 years old when she died on November 27, 1985. Why?? When Elizabeth Ratliff died in 1985, Michael became the guardian of her two children. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. [4] The News & Observer said records did not contain any mention of the two Purple Hearts that Peterson said he had received. They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. Ok so here is my theory for the Michael Peterson case-while I do not think he is a serial killer who always plans to kill women by the same method of throwing them down the stairs, I do think he has the personality of flying into a rage which ended with the deaths of 2 women and here is how I think it happened: 1985-Germany-Michael was carrying on an affair with family friend, Elizabeth Ratliff (he claims they never did but then he did look elsewhere who knows how many times during his marriages for other partners to satisfy his sexual desires, and as we cannot ask Elizabeth, I would say his ability to lie and tell stories, definitely does not add anything to his credibility. 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. 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. He said they wanted the same medical examiner who claimed that Peterson's wife wasn't accidental to perform the autopsy rather than a neutral pathologist in Texas as he suggested. At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. Another witness testified to spending much of the day cleaning blood stains off the wall. 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. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. 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? The staircase in Germany where Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead, Michael Peterson with Elizabeth Ratliffs daughter, Martha. Michael Iver Peterson was born near Nashville, Tennessee, the son of Eugene Iver Peterson and Eleanor Peterson (ne Bartolino). If Mike believed Liz's death was a fall, and if he remembered seeing very little blood, he wouldn't have believed it necessary to add lots of blood to the Kathleen crime scene. According to their analysis, the lacerations were not consistent with blows of any sort, because there was a lack of underlying injury, such as skull fractures or bruising, swelling and hemorrhaging of the brain. 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. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. Michael, a Vietnam War vet, bonded with Elizabeth's husband George, who was a captain in the military. 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. They fought and it turned physical. He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. The SBI cited the bloodstain analysis given in the fourth case as the reason for firing Deaver. ( Note: Ratliff's cause of death at the time was listed as natural causes by "spontaneous intracranial hemorrhages." During Michael Peterson's 2003 trial, Ratliff's. "What's the fucking grounds?" [16][17] A re-examination of the hair in September 2008 had found two more microscopic owl feathers. Testimony in the death of the Elizabeth Ratliff continued Tuesday as the Ratliff nanny Barbara Malagnino started her description of what happened the November morning she found Ratliff's. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. Two weeks later, Caitlin filed an objection to the bankruptcy. At the time of the exhumation, Michael Peterson's lawyer, David Rudolf, requested that a "neutral" pathologist from Texas carry out the second autopsy. The North Carolina medical examiner performed an autopsy and concluded that she died from blunt force injuries and that it was the result of a homicide. Nearly two decades before Michael Peterson found his wife at the bottom of a staircase, a close friend of his in Germany, Elizabeth Ratliff, had also died after a fall down a staircase. [22], In August 2010, following a series of newspaper articles critical of the SBI, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper led an investigation which resulted in the suspension of SBI analyst Duane Deaver, one of the principal witnesses against Peterson, after the report found his work among the worst done on scores of flawed criminal cases. [12] Denial of parole requires premeditation. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. 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. After Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987, Clayton and Todd lived with Patricia, and Margaret and Martha stayed with Michael, who then moved to Durham, North Carolina. Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. Several similarities exist between the death of Elizabeth Ratliff in Germany in 1985 and the subject of this trial, which is the death of Kathleen Peterson in Durham, North Carolina in 2001. AETNUK. Although the 13-part programme centres around the mysterious death of Kathleen Peterson at her home in Durham, North Carolina, she wasn't the only woman linked to Michael Peterson to have been found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Newsweek has everything you need to know. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. OR after heaving her down the stairs to make sure she indeed was dead, struck her again a few times with the same item as at the front door-he may not even have had to hit her fast, he could do it more slowly which would not end up leaving castoff on the ceiling, which was an issue at the trial-if he had struck her surely there would be castoff on the ceiling, but they were figuring on it being done in a fast frenzy-he then changed clothing and got rid of the clothing and the item he struck her with. 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.". Elizabeth's Ratliff's sudden death in November 1985 became of great significance in the case against Michael Peterson during his trial for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. Despite police reports that there was very little blood at the scene of Ratliff's death, the nanny, who was the first to discover Ratliff's body in 1985, took the stand at Peterson's trial and testified that there was a large amount of blood at the scene. And its with just as much passion that we strive to gain new audiences with our creativity and by using innovative technology, by partnering with leading and emerging local platforms. The similarities between the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson raised eyebrows among the Durham authorities. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. We believe that once she learned this information that an argument ensued and a homicide occurred. By being summoned to the scene in Germany and living at the scene in Durham, the Defendant is then present on the scene . [19], Despite interest in this theory among some outside advocates, no motion for a new trial was filed on this point in 2009. Michael placed two 911 calls, and emergency services attended the scene soon after. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. There was a substantial amount of blood around the staircase, Witness Cheryl Appel-Schumacher testified during Petersons 2003 trial that the blood reached all the way up the staircase. The trial drew increasing media attention as details of Peterson's private life emerged. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. The Scene of Her Death 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. 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. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. The pair "had a loving, almost familial relationship," Patty described. But, in February, just months before the scheduled retrial, Peterson submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned". Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? Noticing the uncanny similarities with Kathleen's case, prosecutors took a closer look at Elizabeth's death in 2003. Several other documentaries have been produced about Kathleen's death, including a sequel to the 2004 French documentary, podcasts, radio shows and other media. Elizabeth Ratliff, Mike Peterson's friend, was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. They were 2 and 1 years old when Ratliff died. They married in 1997, and Kathleen's daughter Caitlin became the fifth sibling in the blended family.[6]. In the end, Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson. "Even from this distance I could see that it did not look clear, and that's when he made the statement, right there by her body in my presence, that she had died of a cerebral haemorrhage.". The Durham M.E. If Mike believed Liz's death was a fall, and if he remembered seeing lots of blood, there must be a reason that he now lies to say there was little blood. Peterson lived next door to Ratliff when she died. She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery.. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. ), I believe Michael and Elizabeth were upstairs in her home, possibly having a romantic interlude, when the conversation turned more serious as Elizabeth asked Michael to leave his wife (Patty) at the time. 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. Sixteen years prior, Ratliff's birth. But most of all, we will support you to develop and grow throughout your time with us. 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. New statewide softball rankings ahead of conference tournament week, Riverside-Durham alum Jordon Riley drafted by the New York Giants, Fatal crash on Lake Woodard Drive Sunday evening, NFL Draft: Panthers draft Wolfpack's offense guard Chandler Zavala, GOP lawmakers want to pay for students' private education. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 4 days ago, by Chanel Vargas Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I believe that Patty suspected Michaels infidelity with Liz, and with the girls left to Michael, this probably only reinforced her suspicions. The court case generated widespread interest, in part because of a televised documentary series variously named Soupons (Suspicions), Death on the Staircase, and The Staircase, which detailed Peterson's legal and personal troubles. [34] However, a news report on February 7, 2017, indicated that a resolution had been negotiated by Rudolf (once again representing Peterson) and the Durham County District Attorney. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) She was found by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, who sought help from Patty shortly after making the grim discovery. 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. So is Michael Peterson guilty? Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault.
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