Kathleen Peterson, ne Hunt, and Michael Peterson became acquainted when Kathleen Peterson moved to Durham and became one of Michael's neighbors. In 2010, he was found culpable of withholding crucial evidence from defense attorneys in other cases. The newlyweds were captured gloriously posing for photos on the homes staircase. But perhaps most disconcerting is the fact that the crime scene, complete with blood-splattered walls and floors, was left intact for years while Peterson and his children continued to live in the home! As shown in the HBO Max miniseries, de Lestrade went into fiction after working on The Staircase. It also chronicles the work of French documentarist Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who, from 2003 to 2018, worked on a docuseries about the case also titled The Staircase. Where does The Staircase's Michael Peterson live now? "We originally had been to Harrison Ford," the HBO show's creator Antonio Campos told Entertainment Weekly. Socialites, Addresses Netflix Series Based on Her Crimes, Harrison Ford Is Returning to TV After 26-Year Absence in, 'The Staircase' : The True Story Behind HBO Max's True Crime Series, Revisit PEOPLE's 2002 Conversation with Michael Peterson, Whose Wife's Death Inspired HBO Max's 'The Staircase', The First Trailer for Scripted HBO Max Adaptation of 'The Staircase' Starring Colin Firth Is Here, Man Sentenced to Life for Murdering Wife Who Searched 'What to Do if You're Husband Is Upset You're Pregnant', Patrick Schwarzenegger Was 'Almost Speechless' at Colin Firth's Transformation for 'The Staircase', S.C. Dad Sentenced to Life in Prison After Jury Finds Him Guilty of Murdering His 5-Year-Old Son, Juror Who Helped Convict Scott Peterson Is Accused of Hiding Bias Against Him, Paving Killer's Path to Retrial, N.C. Man Sentenced to Death for 'Atrocious' Murder of Teen Daughter Who Was Tortured for 22 Hours, Before He Murdered Pregnant Wife, Mo. According to CBS News, Peterson now lives in a 1,200 square foot condo, a big change from the mansion he once shared with his late wife, but as he told the news outlet, its a life hes happy to now live. But, theres one thing that pretty much everyone can agree on: The man needs to avoid a home with staircases. Peterson, who shared a fortune with his wife Kathleen Peterson up until the time of her death, referred to himself as "indigent" during the later episodes of "The Staircase," which were filmed following his 2011 release from prison. Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham, the house boasts a patio with an outdoor fireplace, a library, a game room, five bedrooms, and five-and-a-half bathrooms, not to mention the pool. According to him, Michael waited three hours to call 911 while Patty was having a heart attack. Defense Attorney David Rudolf says his famous former clientfeatured on Netflixs The Staircase is keeping it on one level now. He currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where he works as an engineer. HBO Maxs true crime drama The Staircase is no exception to this rule. Sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Kathleen Peterson, Michael was granted a new trial in 2011 when it was brought to light that a key prosecution witness had given misleading information under oath. Todd also claims his father cheated on Patty with Kathleen. But, as Peterson was being investigated for the staircase death of his wife in the early 2000s, Ratliffs body was exhumed in Texas in 2003. Michael and Patty became even closer post-trial. He enjoys a secluded life with the occasional media appearance to again discuss that fateful staircase. Behind the Staircase and Beyond the Staircase were self-published in 2019. Her parents influence on her career, Where is Mary Roach from American Idol now? They also raised Margaret and Martha Ratliff, the daughters of their late friends, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. He published his first memoir, Behind the Staircase, in 2019 and went on to write a follow-up, which was released that same year, titled Beyond the Staircase. Now 79 years old, he lives alone in a ground-floor . He is, however, still connected with his own firm, Rudolf Widenhouse. And that spawned other real-life programs it's just a tragedy that there's this great appetite that people have for sex, murder, and money. After breaking up with Sophie ( Juliette Binoche) and refusing to move to Paris, Michael went to live with his ex-wife Patty ( Trini Alvarado ). Before going AWOL, however, he changed his mind about his dads involvement in Kathleens death. RELATED: 'The Staircase' Ending Explained: What Is the Truth? The TV drama miniseries focuses on the real-life 2003 murder trial that saw Michael accused of . At the center of the story is Kathleen and Michael's sprawling Colonial home, located in Durham's tony Forest Hills neighborhood. Played by Vincent Vermignon, de Lestrade was already an Academy Award winner when he got involved with Michael Petersons case. "He is living in Durham. Following an investigation and an ensuing murder trial, the latter of which became one of the longest of its kind in North Carolina history, Michael Peterson was eventually found guilty. At the time of her mother's death, Caitlin Atwater supported her stepfather and after his arrest told the press of his innocence. I can't live in Paris. According to the News and Observer, Peterson has not owned the home since he sold it to Jason Balius for $640,000 in 2004. Michael had written a number of stories that were really critical of the Durham Police Department or the Mayors Office. No, Michael Peterson does not have a new wife today. The staircase where Kathleen Peterson was found dead on Dec. 8, 2001 is seen above Credit: Netflix. We may earn a commission through links on our site. He was sentenced to time served and is today a free man. She's a journalist, a translator, a linguist, an aspiring author, a lover of trivia games, and a first time cat owner. However, Caitlin's opinion changed after she saw her mother's autopsy photographs that depicted horrific injuries. Kathleen, the familys breadwinner, had deferred much of her income to purchase Nortel Networks stock and though its value once totaled almost $2.5 million, the 2001 crash whittled it down to about $50,000 by the time of her death. Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson in the latest retelling of Kathleen Petersons murder and Michaels attempts to prove his innocence. Who is Viktor Bouts wife? But what happened to him after he took that Alford plea in 2017? The Staircase, starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette as Michael and Kathleen Peterson, explores the life of Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen at their sprawling North Carolina home after she died under suspicious circumstances in December 2001.. Peterson's second son, Todd (who was adamant that his step-mother's death was alcohol-related), currently lives in Tennessee. Caitlins lawyer filed another complaint against him after his release in 2017, in order to discourage him from making money from the case. Game of ThronesactressSophie Turnerwill appear as one of Michael's adopted daughters, Margaret Ratliff. Michael suggested that Kathleen fell down the stairs after drinking too much alcohol and Valium, but no fingerprints were detected on the wine bottle or glasses out in the kitchen. The prosecution suggested that Michael killed his wife after they got in a fight supposedly initiated by Kathleen's discovery of more than 2,000 explicit images of men on Michael's computer in addition to emails in conversation with a young male escort he was planning on reuniting with after meeting a few months prior. Everything about Alla Bout. The film, which examines the ethics of documentary filmmaking, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 1983, George died from a military accident, and in 1985, Elizabeth was found dead at the foot of her staircase with head injuries. They wed in 1968 and had two boys together, Todd and Clayton. He admitted it made him question if there is actually no "fixed core to characters." But severe cracks in their foundation came to light following Michaels arrest and during his subsequent lengthy trial. The listing photos show the changes that have been made since Petersons departure. The most vocal of Kathleens sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) was the one to present the prosecution with the alleged murder weapon, a fireplace poker, or blow poke, that she had given the Petersons for Christmas. His moms cancer battle. Another constant during the lengthy legal ordeal was Michael Peterson's first wife, Patricia "Patty" Peterson. As it turned out, thats what happened. He explained: These are created characters but we all know what the source is. Today, Michael Peterson, 78, is still alive and remains a free man. Speaking to the French publication L'Express, de Lestrade shared: "This is one of the incredible things that happened during those 15 years. He said: "We made plans to live in Paris. He also stated that he had worked on 500 bloodstain cases. Still, in the same year, the North Carolina Human Resources Commission ruled that he should have merely been demoted from his position and that the SBI owed him 34 months of wages. Earlier this year, Margaret co-produced a documentary feature titled Subject, directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. In addition to losing the civil suit his step-daughter, Caitlin Atwater, brought against him, Peterson also lost out on Kathleen's $1.4 million life insurance policy, per WRAL, and the home that they shared was put on the market in 2020, per The Sun. Michael wound up being granted a new trial in 2011 after the State Crime Labs blood-spatter analyst Duane Deaver, who worked on his case, was fired for repeatedly shoddy investigative work. Even after his prison release, Peterson has maintained his innocence and lives in Durham, North Carolina. Where is Michael Peterson now? Brad even testified at Michael Peterson's trial and under cross-examination, stated Michael Peterson spoke about Kathleen Peterson, calling her a "dynamite wife," reported the NZ Herald. 21. Peterson's defense attorney David Rudolf told Oxygen in 2019 that Peterson is currently living in Durham in a ground floor apartmentso no staircase. Can also be found at Delirium Nerd, writing in Portuguese. Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Kathleens death, and spent nearly a decade behind bars. What Happened to Michael Peterson After Prison? As Jones explains in A Perfect Husband, There were two worlds, it seemed, present in that old house, and perhaps the most symbolic reminders of that were the Petersons two staircases. Originally built in 1940 by architect George Watts Carr, Sr. for wealthy Durham businessman John Adams Buchanan, the lavish five-bedroom, six-bathroom property had plenty of room for Kathleen and Michaels large blended family, which included Michaels two sons with his first wife and his two adopted daughters, as well as Kathleens daughter from a previous marriage.