The couple also were legal guardians to Margaret and Martha, who lost their . 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. A combination of biology and psychology. Both Margaret and Martha appeared frequently in interviews and documentaries in support of their father. . The eyes. The outlet also reports Clay as saying it has been surreal to still be dealing with the question of whether his father is guilty or innocent. In 2001 the woman Ratliff. lol, I just made a thread titled "Margaret looks exactly like Clayton" then I saw this and deleted it. and Mr Pollard said the wounds on her head look like they . After his breakthrough role inA Serious Manin 2009, Stuhlbarg became well known for his performances in such movies asCall Me By Your Name andBest Picture winner The Shape of Water. But they're not all irrelevant. Although DNA testing seems to show shes not his biological daughter, he might be especially caring toward her BECAUSE she reminds him of himself and hes a bit of a narcissist. As the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger is no stranger to Hollywood. Heavily featured in the miniseries are his daughters, Margaret and Martha. Yes. I think the three Peterson brothers actually reference Margaret's genes the night before the verdic. It came from a letter sent by Margaret Ratliff, the daughter of Elizabeth Ratliff. Since then, Turner hasplayed Jean Grey in theX-Menfranchise andappeared in such moviesasBarely LethalandThe Thirteenth Tale. "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." 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. As a young man, he divided his time between North Carolina and Germany. -Esquire, Yes. Parker Posey is a veteran actress with a very impressive filmography. Collette has also earned a variety of awards throughout her career, including a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe. Petersons son Clay lives in Maryland with his two children. As for Martha, it is believed that she has taken inspiration from her own experiences and is thus focusing on helping others by serving as a mental health counselor/psychotherapist in Colorado these days. Unfortunately, owing to the way everything played out, as per Netflixs The Staircase, Martha began dealing with anxiety. Elizabeth's daughters, Margaret and Martha Ratliff, were adopted by the Petersons and they moved back to the United States with Michael, settling in North Carolina. Both Margaret and Martha Ratliff seem to have moved on with their lives as much as they were able to after what happened. First of all, if we are to accept the paternity test, then they are not genetically related. Here's a breakdown of the family depicted in the new HBO Max series. They married five years later in 1997 and lived in the home until Kathleen Peterson's death in December 2001. The Ratliff sisters, Margaret and Martha lived quite a good life due to their parents' influence while their respective net worth still intrigues the public today. Todd dialed 911 within minutes of arriving on the scene. She's still breathing. Petersons sons have always stood by their father, who has maintained his innocence for the past twenty years. Why? It should also be noted that Colin Firth is not as physically imposing as the real Michael Peterson was, who certainly had the strength to confidently commit the murder without a weapon. Netflix's The Staircase might be listed as a true-crime documentary, but it's a tragic family drama above all else. David Rudolf served as Michael Peterson's defense attorney during his trial. Rudolf specializes in covering high-profile cases. Like in the HBO Max miniseries, The Staircase true story confirms that Peterson said he was outside by the pool smoking a pipe and didn't come back inside until 2:40 a.m., at which time he discovered his wife Kathleen at the bottom of the service staircase. So. Cosmopolitan also reported that Margaret married Neil Blakemore and goes by the name Margaret Blakemore now. Martha Ratliff Born: January 3, 1983 Birthplace: Germany Bio: Michael Peterson's Adopted Daughter Trini Alvarado Born: January 10, 1967 Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA Patricia Peterson Born: March 12, 1943 Birthplace: Paris, Arkansas, USA Death: July 8, 2021, Durham, North Carolina, USA (heart attack) Bio: Michael Peterson's First Wife Patricia was Elizabeth's coworker at the elementary school and the Petersons were also Elizabeth's neighbors. The Staircase Netflix Documentary and HBO Max series about the death of Kathleen Peterson and which follows the trial of Michael Peterson. Why wouldnt they leave their kids to family? In researching The Staircase fact vs. fiction, we confirmed that on the night of December 9, 2001, Michael claimed that his wife, Kathleen Peterson, fell down the service stairs of their North Carolina mansion. Clayton and Todd, meanwhile, are Michaels biological children from his first marriage to Patricia Sue Peterson. So could each kid be the result of parental swapping? The judge accepted the plea and sentenced Peterson to a maximum of 86 months in prison. Apologies I just finished watching and maybe I missed something. The hemorrhage caused her to fall down the stairs. Im at a talk by David Rudolph and he states that they had them DNA tested and he is NOT her father!!! Candace Zamperini, Kathleens sister, does not believe that Michael is innocent. Yes. Yes. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Many opinions on this subject here. Yes, The Staircase on HBO Max is based on a true story. 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 Hewas by his father's side from the very beginning of the case, helping him navigate both the immediate aftermath of Kathleen's death and the trial process. Heres a breakdown of the family members, how they sided during Michael Petersons trial, and where each person is now. At the time, it was determined that a cerebral hemorrhage caused her fall, but during Michael's trial her body was exhumed and autopsied again. I can't believe this hasn't been all over this case or doc. CNN reported that Kathleen had been found at the foot of the stairs in the Peterson home with seven lacerations on the back of her head, bruising on her arms that might have been defensive wounds, and fractured thyroid cartilage in her throat that may have been a sign of attempted strangulation. They had befriended Elizabeth and her husband, Captain George Ratliff, before he lost his life in a covert overseas military operation in 1983. Peterson was also a journalist, writing a column for Durham's Herald-Sun newspaper. His sons, Clayton and Todd, also appear in the show. He claims to have bid goodnight to his wife as she . When rescue workers arrived at the home, Peterson's wife was lying dead on the floor. According to his lawyer, David Rudolf, Peterson lives in Durham, North Carolina in a ground-floor apartment with no stairs. Minutes later, he called 911 a second time and stated that his wife was dead. I hate that I'm replying to this post. She filed a wrongful death claim against Michael Peterson in October 2002. 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. Read on to learn more about Michael Petersons children. Daisy Jones & The Six Is A Nostalgic Series Based On A Best-Selling Book, The 'Ted Lasso' Season 3 Trailer Is Finally Here & Fellas, It'll Give You Goosebumps, '1923' Will Deliver More Dutton Family Drama In Season 2 Of The 'Yellowstone' Prequel, 'Yellowjackets' Season 3 Is Officially Happening, What Parents Are Talking About Delivered Straight To Your Inbox, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. And after the closing arguments, when all was said and done, I felt confident that I knew what happened. But where are Martha and Margaret Ratliff today? (2013-2017) WRAL Murder Trials Self - Audience Member / Self. 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. He served an honorable military career and became a published author, newspaper columnist, and mayoral candidate. If so, he most likely grabbed her by the hair on the front of her head with his right hand and then used his left hand to help repeatedly slam the back of her head into the wooden step at the bottom of the service stairs. She also worked as an uncredited production assistant on Star Trek: Into Darkness and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. 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. Press J to jump to the feed. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for Kathleen Peterson's murder. Caitlin is portrayed by Olivia DeJonge in The Staircase HBO Max miniseries. Rosemarie DeWitt has appeared in many films and television series throughout her career, ranging from horror to comedy. 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. His time already served allowed him to walk away a free man. So much so that several times watching this I forgot that she wasn't. Related:Tiger King Makes Netflixs True Crime Problems So Much Worse. He was later criticized for not answering all of the dispatcher's questions, which some say further points to his guilt in Kathleen Peterson's murder. Althoughshe supported him in the beginning, autopsy photos of her mother's body turned her into a key witness for the prosecution. Its so fekking creepy. If true, this is something that must be weighed when evaluating the Germany murder. 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 Stuhlbarg is a well-known character actor with avery successful career. I have been thinking too, often times, a father's first daughter is a spitting image of him. This was the main motive that the prosecution argued. 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. While The Staircase miniseries on HBO Max is based on Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's Netflix docuseries of the same name, the director told Vanity Fair that he feels "betrayed in a way" by Antonio Campos, the director of the HBO miniseries. Margaret and Martha look nothing alike. The next morning, Elizabeth was found dead at the bottom of her staircase by a nanny, in an eerily similar way to how Kathleen Peterson would be found sixteen years later. How do we know if Margaret is the one who licked the envelope closed? Yes. -Esquire. Margaret Ratliff was born on December 10, 1981 in Germany. Afterspending some timeinprison for attempting to firebomb the Duke University administration building, Clayton got out of trouble and is now married with two children. Did he kill Liz's husband? While they all initially believed he was innocent, Kathleen's biological daughter, Caitlin Atwater, changed her mind after reading her mother's autopsy report. Thats especially because while Elizabeths death was initially ruled to be from an intracerebral hemorrhage, a second autopsy (from her exhumed body) in 2003 updated her manner of death to homicide. Posey has also lent her voice to animated series, performingcameos forThe Simpsons,Futurama,andSkylanders Academy. . On December 9, 2001, according to Peterson, he was having a glass of wine with his wife by the pool of his home in Durham, North Carolina after watching a Blockbuster rental, "America's. In 2017, he was granted a new trial, and just last year, Peterson took an Alford plea to the reduced charge of manslaughter. 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. From the psychological horrorA Cure for Wellnessto the space operaValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsto playing the villainous Green Goblin inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2,DeHaan hasactedin a wide spectrum of roles. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. DeJonge is also slated to star inBaz Luhrmann's ElvisbiopicportrayingPriscilla Presley. "The Staircase" revolves around the death of Peterson's wife Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of a . Allegedly adopted children slightly take on the looks of those who raise them. In 2002, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him, which they settled for $25 million in 2007. Powered by. Defense attorney Mary Jude Darrow said that while it does appear that Kathleen Peterson's injuries could have been made by an owl's talons, "I would hate to risk my client's life or future on that argument." Perhaps to have all of the siblings together? "So that's why today I'm very uncomfortable because I feel that I've been betrayed in a way. In addition, Kathleen's prints were nowhere to be found on the two wine glasses that were sitting out on the kitchen counter next to a bottle of wine. So, where is Todd Peterson today? The series follows the trial of Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2003. Explaining why Margaret Ratliff looks like Michael Peterson First of all, if we are to accept the paternity test, then they are not genetically related. In the first episode of HBO Maxs .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}The Staircase, the Peterson family is seated around the table for dinner. They claimed that Kathleen had attempted to walk up a poorly lit stairwell after drinking wine and taking valium. -Esquire. We may never know. Michael had been the only person present in the house when Kathleen died, and it had long been speculated that he was also the last person to see Elizabeth alive. In November of 1985, Michaels family had dinner with Elizabeth and her daughters, Margaret and Martha. Their father reportedly passed away during a secret overseas operation in 1983, whereas their mother was unexpectedly found dead at the bottom of her stairs on November 25, 1985. Patty Peterson reportedly lived with ex-husband Michael Peterson at the time of her death Ratliff's housekeeper found her body near the bottom of the stairs. She is also a cosplayer who has attended conventions of all kinds for almost ten years. Bringing out her birthday cake was tone deaf & weird AF, yes? They commented in a episode how similar Elizabeth and Patty looked around the time of her death. 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. She said that the Alford plea he eventually submitted was meaningless.