In 1985, family friend Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase having suffered what was deemed an "intra-cerebral haemorrhage". E-Mail During a 2018 interview with Metro, LeStrade said Peterson was willing to open the entire case to the filmmakers, even if it made him look guilty, because he was so sure it would prove his innocence. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Both victims in mid 40's He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. On October 10, 2003, after one of the longest trials in North Carolina history, a Durham County jury found Peterson guilty of the murder of Kathleen,[11] and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Defense attorneys said they do not want Ratliff's autopsy results to be admissible in the upcoming trial. 5 1900 KS Osage Burlingame census. He graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in political science. Her body, buried in Texas, was exhumed in 2003 for a further autopsy in light of Kathleen's death, and the similar injuries Elizabeth sustained meant her cause of death was changed to homicide following that second autopsy. Read Loan Orginators readbag com. Both victims are female Shed reportedly died from an intracerebral hemorrhage, secondary to a blood clot disorder. 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 that case, its thought that Ratliff succumbed to her blood clotting disorder via an intra-cerebral hemorrhage and then fell down the stairs after she was already deceased. Let others know about your loved one's death. All of Petersons children initially stood by him and proclaimed his innocence. You know it began with Margaret Blair and Rosemary Calloway. There were no eye witnesses to either death Peterson defense dissects Deaver's methods, Former NC AG says it will be harder for the State to convict Peterson in retrial, "Mike Peterson gets new attorney for second murder trial", "Judge rules Michael Peterson will stand trial in murder case", "Mike Peterson walks free as 15-year murder case ends with plea deal", "COURTTV.COM - TRIALS - Medical examiner explains about-face on cause of death", North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Forensics Scandal Grows With New Evidence of Fraud, "Coming soon by Tiddy Smith DEATH BY TALONS: Did an Owl 'Murder' Kathleen Peterson? Absent a reconsideration of the ruling or the raising of a federal issue, Peterson had exhausted his appeals of the verdict. She was born on March 30, 1951 in Morehead, Kentucky to parents Leonard Westcott & Lela Lykins. The Georgia Bureau of investigation is treating the case as a homicide but are no closer to isolating a suspect However, Michael's defence submitted that Kathleen knew about his sexuality, but had agreed to keep it private from their family and friends in order to maintain their otherwise satisfying marriage. [36] By and large, the jurors were swayed by the amount of blood Kathleen lost and the number of lacerations, which indicated to them it could not have been an accident. The defendant was in charge of their effects afterwards Ratliff, a Department of Defense Dependents Schools second-grade teacher at Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, was found dead Nov. 27, 1985. But more than 20 years later, the case of Kathleen Peterson and her bloody death at the bottom of the family staircase confounds armchair detectives, true crime viewers, and even the US courts alike. With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. Michael Iver Peterson (born October 23, 1943) is an American novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, on December9, 2001. Kathleen had gone to bed earlier than him, and when hed eventually come inside, hed found her. 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 climbing the stairs of her home in Gräfenhausen. WebOn Jan. 3, 2013, he was found dead in his office of a single bullet wound to the head, with no signs of a struggle in the office. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. During the retrial hearing, SBI Assistant Director Eric Hooks testified that Deaver had written only 47 reports. While his clothes were bloody from cradling his wife, Peterson had insufficient blood spattering on his clothes to support an attack. Pollard notes that microscopic owl feathers were found in Kathleen's hair, and that an owl's talons could have caused the lacerations that were found on her scalp. Burial will follow in the Garden of Sanctuary Birds in the Evergreen Cemetery & Garden Mausoleums. Investigation analyst Duane Deaver, who worked on the case, was fired from his position at the North Carolina Stage Bureau of Investigation in 2011, after an independent review against him determined he had misreported test results, withheld results or overstated the strength of blood evidence on more than 30 cases. The prosecution argues that Peterson murdered Kathleen using a blow poke in the family home. Prosecutors in Darmstadt, Germany, confirmed that they were working with US authorities on a linked investigation. 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. The SBI cited the bloodstain analysis given in the fourth case as the reason for firing Deaver. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, ONE VOICE Peterson said she must have fallen down the stairs after consuming alcohol and CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. They eventually settled out of court for $25million in 2007. Elizabeth was a teacher at an Air Force base in Germany where she met Marine veteran Michael Petersons wife, also a teacher. The Petersons were close friends with Elizabeth Ratliff, who had two young daughters, Martha and Margaret. And that was before they even knew all the rest of the details. The report says because of the character and number of scalp lacerations, the trauma inflicted on Ratliff is clearly from what is called a "homicidal assault. Toxicology results showed that Kathleen's blood alcohol content was 0.07 percent (70mg/100mL), her alcohol in urine was 0.11 and she had taken between 5 and 15mg of Valium. In 1985, a close friend of the couple's named Elizabeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her home. He was sentenced to time already served and freed. Following Ratliffs death, Michael and Patricia became the legal guardians of her daughters Martha and Margaret. George Ratliff died under mysterious and unknown circumstances in 1983. That woman was Elizabeth Ratliff, who died in Germany in 1985. Another witness testified to spending much of the day cleaning blood stains off the wall. Elizabeth Ratliff was found deceased at the bottom of the stairs in her home in Germany on November 25, 1985 in an apparent accident. At the time, Ratliffs death was believed to be from natural causes. Since his release, Michael Peterson has released two books on his experience with the case. All five of the couple's children, as well as family and friends, contested to the Petersons having a happy and calm suburban marriage. She was known for her decorating especially during the holidays but all year long. The streaming platform also ordered three subsequent episodes, which launched in 2018. In Graefenhausen, Germany, Liz and Mike Peterson's first wife, Patricia, became close friends and taught elementary school at Rhein-Main Air Force Base. Peterson's case is the subject of the French documentary miniseries The Staircase, which started filming soon after his arrest in 2001 and followed events until his eventual Alford plea in 2017. Durham novelist Peterson walks out of jail; awaits new murder trial. In 2006, Nifong was put into the spotlight after it emerged he had withheld DNA test evidence in the 'Duke lacrosse case', where three white members of the university team were charged with rape, sexual assault and kidnapping of a Black woman they had hired to work as a stripper at a party. It was directed by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and released by Maha Productions in October 2004. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. Two weeks later, Caitlin filed an objection to the bankruptcy. We believe that once she learned this information that an argument ensued and a homicide occurred. 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. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Ratliff’s sister, Rosemary Kelloway of West Warwick, R.I., said in a phone interview Thursday night that her family is overjoyed to hear the case has been reopened. German investigators ruled Ratliff had died due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Renee Elizabeth Ratliff to show support. Due to the sheer amount of blood at the crime scene, and the fact it appeared the blood had already begun to dry by the time the ambulance and police had arrived, Michael was arrested for the murder of Kathleen. Her body was exhumed and re-examined in April in connection with a recent murder charge against Mike Peterson, Ratliff’s neighbor at the time of her death. Peterson's appeal was filed by his defense counsel, with Thomas Maher now serving as his court-appointed attorney, and was argued before the North Carolina Court of Appeals on April 18, 2006. Before Kathleen's death, Michael spent a period of time in the running for Mayor of Durham, and was openly critical of the police department, in particular Durham County District Attorney James Hardin Jr. Hardin would later be the person prosecuting him in this case alongside his soon-to-be DA successor, Mike Nifong. During a postmortem examination, the coroner concluded that Kathleen had died from injuries that were consistent with blunt force trauma, not an accidental fall. Mother Chella Elizabeth Tidmore. The Alford plea often results in a sentence being reduced to time served, and allows the state to consider the case closed. Elizabeth Ratliff, 70, of Louisville, Kentucky departed this life on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at the University of Louisville Hospital in Louisville after a brief illness. The coroner ruled that the hemorrhage had caused Ratliff to collapse, fall down the stairs and hit her head, which explained the amount of blood found at the scene. Funeral services were held Tuesday, December 26, in Houston with Rev. However, Radisch's opinion was challenged by other experts in three separate affidavits filed in 2010. Margaret Ratliff. 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. "Patrick Henry made his ""Give me Liberty or Give me Death"" speech in Richmond Virginia." At 2.40 a.m., Peterson called 911 and told the dispatcher that hed just come into his house to find Kathleen unconscious at the bottom of a staircase. Investigators believed he had staged the crime to make it look like an accident. [14][15] Because the ruling was not unanimous, under North Carolina law, Peterson had the right to appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court, which accepted the case. There are no events at this time. WebResearch genealogy for Thomas S Ratliff of Morgan, Kentucky, United States, as well as other members of the Ratliff family, on Ancestry. He received money and goods after each death Media reports explained this by suggesting he probably changed his clothes, but investigators determined very early that he had not. WildBlue Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Peterson_trial&oldid=1141354546, 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 24 February 2023, at 17:05. She was Katie to her family and Kat to her friends and co-workers. "[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. Because Peterson had already served more time than the sentence (98.5 months), he did not face additional prison time. In 1971, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of captain after a car accident left him with a permanent disability. StrangerThan Fiction:Trial Commentary (LogOut/ She was found in the early hours of the morning by her nanny, lying at the bottom of a staircase which was splattered with blood. [17][24][25], Deaver was fired from the SBI in January 2011, after an independent audit of the agency found he had falsely represented evidence in 34 cases, including withholding negative results in the case of Greg Taylor, a North Carolina man who spent seventeen years in prison on a murder conviction based on Deaver's testimony. 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