Exposing Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's tendentious film, the Peterson murder documentary: Death on the Stairacse. It's believed that Michael was the last. Investigators exhumed her grave in Bay City, Texas. 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. However as Kathleen was not having any of it, I believe she decided to storm out and go to a relatives house or even a hotel, just to get out as some people do in the onset of a huge argument-just need to get out even to go for a drive. He also suggested some of the blood could have been diluted with urine. The autopsy report found that Elizabeth Ratliff had died in 1985 from “blunt force trauma to the head” by a “homicidal attack,” rather than of a brain hemorrhage while . So much so, that Elizabeth Ratliff's body was exhumed and a second post mortem carried out by the Durham Medical Examiner. Media reports explained this by suggesting he probably changed his clothes, but investigators determined very early that he had not. In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. An oral argument was heard on September 10, 2007. George Ratliff died in a military operation in 1983, and two years later, Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was found dead by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino, at the bottom of her staircase on November 25, 1985. At its heart was a seemingly perfect marriage. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. A+E Networks EMEA Expands its FAST Footprint with Amagi, A+E NETWORKS EMEA AND BBC STUDIOS TO MAKE PODCAST-INSPIRED TV SERIES EVIL GENIUS WITH AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN AND PODCASTER RUSSELL KANE FOR SKY HISTORY, A+E NETWORKS EMEA ANNOUNCES BRAND REFRESH FOR THE HISTORY CHANNEL ACROSS EMEA, COSMO earns three awards at the Promax Global Excellence Awards. Thus, all we can positively state is, whatever the case may be, both Elizabeth and Kathleens deaths were simply tragic. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. Therefore, when the Captain suddenly lost his life during a secret overseas operation in 1983, his widows connection with them only furthered she even began relying on Michael for some help in daily chores. . Her name was Elizabeth Ratliff (shown above in the blue shirt) and she died at the age of 43. A second autopsy was performed by the same medical examiner who had done Kathleen Peterson's autopsy. [citation needed]. When authorities found Elizabeth dead at the bottom of a staircase. 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. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. During the retrial hearing, SBI Assistant Director Eric Hooks testified that Deaver had written only 47 reports. Those who were there in the aftermath of Elizabeth's death were called as witnesses, and the the state pathologist took to the stand to confirm Elizabeth Ratliff had sustained similar injuries to the ones Kathleen Peterson suffered. 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. 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. 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. [4] The News & Observer said records did not contain any mention of the two Purple Hearts that Peterson said he had received. However, it was carried out by Durham-based state pathologist Dr. Deborah L. Radisch. Freda Black's closing argument October 3, 2003 he spits. Amongst them is the 1985 death of Elizabeth Ratliff, primarily because of the way she was found and how her two orphaned daughters soon ended up being adopted by the Petersons. We believe that once she learned this information that an argument ensued and a homicide occurred. Later in the trial the defense team produced the missing blow poke, which they said had been overlooked in the garage by police investigators. Often, he'd help with the dishes or read to Ratliff's two young daughtersbefore returning home, according to the documentary series. More importantly, both Margaret and Martha Ratliff, whose custody was awarded to the Petersons as per their biological mothers final will, also support their father through and through. 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. We offer a range of benefits such as a generous pension plan, life assurance and holiday allowance, and there are useful local perks in various offices, and summer Fridays across the whole company. The documentary offers an intimate depiction of defense preparations for the trial. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. The similarities between the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson raised eyebrows among the Durham authorities. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy - 4 Autopsy Report -- Elizabeth Ratliff 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. Personalities shine at A+E Networks EMEA. Did Michael Peterson Kill Elizabeth Ratliff? Around that same time, Elizabeth and George grew close to the Petersons, their neighbors, bonding over Michael being a Vietnam War veteran and his then-wife Patricia being her coworker. Patty described what she saw when she entered the house. It's believed that Michael was the last person to see . Amybeth Berner, Ratliff's friend, described the scene at Ratliff's house in 1985 for jurors. In her report, Dr. Deborah L. Radisch concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs.". 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. At the time, the German police ruled her death an accident, and an autopsy concluded that she died of a brain hemorrhage. Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. A new motion was filed in August 2010 by David Rudolf, one of Peterson's original attorneys, who acted pro bono in proceedings challenging the SBI testimony. [28][29][30] Former North Carolina Attorney General Rufus L. Edmisten said that any evidence gathered after Deaver arrived at the scene might be deemed inadmissible in a new trial. "[8], The defense argued that Kathleen accepted Michael's bisexuality and that the marriage was very happy, a position supported by Michael and Kathleen's children and other friends and associates. [27], On December 16, 2011, Peterson was released from the Durham County jail on $300,000 bail and placed under house arrest with a tracking anklet. In 1968, Peterson was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietnam War. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. It is only natural that a mother want custody of her children, but why not the girls as their mother was supposedly her best or very close friend?? 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. 1 week ago, Here's the OTHER Death at the Centre of Netflix's The Staircase, "Saint X" Isn't a True Story, but It Parallels the Tragic Disappearance of Natalee Holloway, Watch Natalie Portman Act Out Her Movie Career in Just 7 Minutes With James Corden, Adele Joins James Corden For His Final "Carpool Karaoke": "I'm Going to Miss You So Much", The Future of Netflix's "Beef" Currently Remains Unclear, Will There Be a "Jury Duty" Season 2? Some may criticize them as to why they cant see he did it. The medical examiner, Deborah Radisch, concluded that Kathleen had died from lacerations of the scalp caused by a homicidal assault. 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. Prosecutors have ridiculed the claim, and Deborah Radisch, who conducted Kathleen's autopsy, says it was unlikely that an owl or any other bird could have made wounds as deep as those on her scalp. The Staircase director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade has opened up about the death of Elizabeth Ratliff, insisting that Michael Peterson had nothing to do with it. Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? They were 2 and 1 years old when Ratliff died. All Rights Reserved. It was one of America's most gripping murder trials of the last two decades. He was granted a new trial in 2011, which was scheduled to begin in May 2017. As it came to light that Kathleen was not the first woman associated with Michael to be found dead at the bottom of the staircase, Elizabeths remains were exhumed for more information. Just four days before her death, she was complaining of severe headaches. What's the deal with Pret's new club subscription? 4 days ago, by Chanel Vargas Ratliff taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School. [26] A bloodstain-analysis team that Deaver had trained was suspended and disbanded. "There was no pool of blood.". "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.". Shortly before Elizabeth passed away, George died of a heart attack during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. 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. [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. What happened to Elizabeth Ratliff? Before Peterson's trial, the Durham court ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's embalmed body, buried in Texas, for a second autopsy in April 2003. The News & Observer, Durham's local news outlet, reported how "Margaret and Martha Ratliff wrapped their arms around each other and mourned" upon hearing their father's guilty verdict. "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.". The autopsy report concluded that the 48-year-old woman sustained a matrix of severe injuries, including a fracture of the superior cornu of the left thyroid cartilage and seven lacerations to the top and back of her head, consistent with blows from a blunt object, and had died from blood loss ninety minutes to two hours after sustaining the injuries. Either of these scenarios give him time, time in which the blood to dry to the point it did when the EMTs got there and noticed it was not wet as it should be, had it just happened. Margaret and Martha would be raised by Michael and his second wife, Kathleen Atwater, whom he met in 1986. I believe that Kathleen excused herself to go get ready for a meeting the next morning. Some speculate that Michael shared an illicit affair with Elizabeth. 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. Todd dialed 911 within minutes of arriving on the scene. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. Peterson's attorneys had determined that the SBI crime lab report listed a microscopic owl feather and a wooden sliver from a tree limb entangled in a clump of hair that had been pulled out by the roots found clutched in Kathleen's left hand. Forensic neuropathologist Jan Leestma testified Kathleen Peterson had likely sustained four blows to the head, not seven as the medical examiner testified. [12] Denial of parole requires premeditation. Elizabeth died in 1985. Join our global team of talent. The owl theory was raised by Durham attorney T. Lawrence Pollard, a neighbor of the Petersons who was not involved in the case but had been following the public details. Blood at Liz Ratliff's death Story goes there was a lot of blood at the scene of Liz's death, according to the three women who testified at the trial (however, not enough to be reported or photographed by German authorities and American military). He pleaded not guilty. Eight 45-minute episodes of the documentary were assembled from more than 600 hours of footage. Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia Peterson, were living in West Germany at the time. In shock of what just transpired, Michael returned home where he would await news of Liz being found dead. On November 9, the Court announced that it affirmed the decision of the appeals. They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. Following the guilty verdict, de Lestrade interviewed the jurors to find out why they reached their verdict. They fought and it turned physical. When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth worked in the same school as Michael's then-wife, Patty. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. 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. Lee had also duplicated blood spatter from coughing for the jury by drinking ketchup and spitting it out. Because Peterson had already served more time than the sentence (98.5 months), he did not face additional prison time. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. The Staircase airs Thursdays on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic. A few people have suspected an affair between Michael and Elizabeth turning sour as his motive for murder, but the novelists former wife Patricia has always vehemently backed him up. She even scheduled a doctor's appointment out of concern, and had an appointment the next week. 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. 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. 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. by Kirbie Johnson 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. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. The SBI cited the bloodstain analysis given in the fourth case as the reason for firing Deaver. Elizabeth's death is a tragedy, but whether it was brought upon by an ill-fated accident or contemptuous murder, we'll never know. The deceased's injuries were "inconsistent with a fall down a set of stairs", state pathologist wrote in her report. "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.". 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. I completely feel for his family, especially the kids. 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. 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. 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". ( 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. And in such an evolving industry, tomorrow is always today. While looking for something in the study or den, Kathleen either stumbled upon the emails exposing Michaels bisexual desires either on the computer or possibly a hard copy of something. In April 2003, a second autopsy was carried out by a Durham medical examiner, who concluded Ratliff's cause of death was "homicide". A global broadcaster since 1995, we reach audiences in over 100 countries, including the UK, Nordics, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, Spain, Italy, Germany, Africa and the Middle East. "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," Radisch concluded. As seen on The Staircase, both girls publicly supported Peterson during his trial and became inconsolable when he was convicted. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. [20][21] On March 2, 2017 (following his Alford plea), Peterson's attorney filed a motion to allow him to pay for a bird expert at the Smithsonian Institution to examine feather fragments found in Kathleen's hair to determine whether or not she had been attacked by an owl. ]]> After seeing much of The Staircase on Netflix and seeing Michaels narcissistic and cocky personality I believe he tried to make her believe she was crazy to think that or try to make up a story, as that was what he did for a living so it would be easy for him to come up with excuses easily. At A+E Networks EMEA, we share stories that matter. Pollard subsequently filed affidavits[23] to support a motion that Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson order the state Medical Examiner's Office to turn over all documentation related to Kathleen's autopsy to Peterson's attorneys. 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. According to the second autopsy, seven deep lacerations on Elizabeth's head - just like those found on Kathleen's - were concluded to have been sustained as a result of blunt force trauma.
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