They discovered troubling through-lines in all of his four marriages. An American Murder Mystery: Drew Peterson II
The scene was never processed like a crime scene. ibid.
‘We took him on now and he lost.’ ibid. prosecutor
This is the story of a small-town cop who became a national celebrity whilst being investigated for the murder of one of his wives and the disappearance of another. Sunday, October 28th 2007 in the small US town of Bolingbrook, just outside Chicago, 23-year-old Stacy Peterson is reported missing by her sister, Cassandra. Cops Gone Bad With Will Mellor: Drew Peterson, CI 2024
His behaviour only arouses suspicion from the police. ibid.
‘Very narcissistic – that behaviour kept coming out of him.’ ibid. comment
Stacy became Drew Peterson’s fourth wife in October in October 2003 – 4 years before she went missing. ibid.
Peterson’s previous wife, Kathleen, died in mysterious circumstances 3 years previously … It had not been a happy marriage. ibid.
Why Peterson would play up to the media like this … He seems to be enjoying the press attention. ibid.
Detectives home in on her [Stacy] phone records. ibid.
An order is obtained to exhume Kathleen’s body. ibid.
PETERSON, MICHAEL: True Crime with Aphrodite Jones TV - News Observer online - Storyville: Death on the Staircase aka The Staircase TV - The Staircase 2013-2018 - WRAL online - Dateline: Michael Peterson TV - An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase TV - 60 Minutes Australia TV -
The wife of a novelist is found dead in the couple’s North Carolina mansion. A seemingly idyllic life is cut short at the bottom of a staircase. Is it an accident or murder? True Crime with Aphrodite Jones s1e3: Staircase Killer, ID 2010
Raleigh – State prosecutors weighed on Tuesday whether to seek further review of an NC Court of Appeals ruling upholding a judge’s 2011 decision to grant a new trial in the Mike Peterson case.
Peterson, a Durham novelist accused of killing his wife, Kathleen, has been suspended between a state of freedom and captivity for nearly 18 months.
In December 2011, Orlando Hudson, Durham’s chief resident superior court judge, vacated the 2003 murder conviction that put Peterson behind bars for eight years.
The NC Court of Appeals issued a 16-page ruling on Tuesday that upheld Hudson’s decision to grant Peterson a new trial. News Observer online article 16th July 2013
Durham police are this morning investigating the death of a prominent city resident. The officers were called early this morning to the home of Nortel executive Kathleen Peterson, who was dead in her Forest Hill mansion after apparently falling down the stairs. Storyville: Death on the Staircase aka The Staircase I II III IV V VI VII VIII, news, BBC 2005
What caused the lacerations of her head? ibid. defence
Every aspect of Mike Peterson’s life is a lie. ibid. Jim Hardin
The murder case against Michael Peterson doesn’t just involve his wife any more, it involves a friend who died eighteen years ago. Just like Kathleen Peterson, [Elizabeth] Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. ibid. television news
The rest of the evidence I think is pretty minimal. ibid. defense
This has become a show and it has got its own momentum. ibid. defendant
‘On the head there was seven areas of lacerations.’ ibid. expert on stand
Guilty of first-degree murder. ibid.
‘I didn’t do anything. I am innocent. I was wrongly convicted.’ The Staircase e9: Last Chance: Reopening the Case, Canal+ 2013
Duance Deaver and the Greg Taylor Case: Judge Calin E Murphy rules Gregory F Taylor has proved by clear and convincing evidence that Gregory F Taylor is innocent of the charge of first-degree murder of Jacquetta Thomas on September 26 1991. ibid. court announcement
Deaver admits to have misrepresented blood test in the [Taylor] case. ibid. news
It’s pretty devastating to see what can pass for science and justice in a courtroom. The Staircase e10: Last Chance: Final Appeal, critic
Is a new trial required for newly discovered evidence, due process violations and perjured testimony? The answer to those questions is yes. ibid. appeal judge
After Michael Peterson’s release from prison, nothing happened in the case for two and a half years. In July 2014 he’s still under house arrest. July 10th 2014: He’s finally set free for real. The Staircase e11: Looking for Closure
He’s become a very old man in a decade. ibid. attorney
I’ve spoken to a lawyer by the name of Mike Klinkosum … I just can’t commit to doing another one of these trials. Because the last one was crushing as you know not just for you and your family but for me … I just thought we’d be able to settle it and we’re not. ibid.
Two weeks before he’s set to argue the motion to dismiss, Mike Klinkosum suffers a stroke. ibid.
November 14th 2016: Hearing on motion to dismiss charges for due process violations. ibid.
The defendant’s motion is going to be dismissed. The Staircase e12: Between Anger & Despair, judge
Two months later the DA makes a move … ‘They would agree to the Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. ibid. caption & defense dude
They lied, they cheated, they used perjury, junk science, false experiments, unconstitutional searches, they brought in these people from Germany who just flat lied … Would they do it again? Yeah, they might. ibid. Michael
While it’s a bad deal, I can live with it. ibid.
That culture of doing anything possible to convict someone is still there. The Staircase s13: Flawed Justice, Michael
Durham NC — Mike Peterson walked out of a Durham County courtroom Friday a convicted felon but a free man after pleading guilty to killing his wife more than 15 years ago.
The 73-year-old novelist and one-time Durham mayoral candidate wrote what is likely the final chapter in one of the most notorious and longest-running criminal cases in the Triangle by continuing to maintain his innocence in the Dec. 9, 2001, death of Kathleen Peterson, who was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's Durham mansion.
Mike Peterson entered an Alford plea to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Under an Alford plea, a defendant can maintain his or her innocence while acknowledging prosecutors have enough evidence for a conviction.
‘The bottom line here is that Mr Peterson is not guilty. He never was guilty,’ defense attorney David Rudolf said.
Courts treat such pleas as guilty pleas, however, and Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson sentenced Peterson to 64 to 86 months in prison and gave him credit for the 89 months he has already spent behind bars. WRAL online article 24 February 2017 ‘Mike Peterson walks free as 15-year murder case ends with plea deal’