Elizabeth Ratliff, a family friend of Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patricia, died in 1985, just two years after her husband, George. Both declined to comment directly on Rudolf's statements. He paid that, or his brother paid it and that was it. A widow, Elizabeth raised two daughters and her family grew close with the Petersons. When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth worked in the same school as Michael's then-wife, Patty. However, he maintains adamantly that Kathleens death was an accident. On the prosecution side, Durham County District Attorney Jim Hardin (Cullen Moss) and Assistant District Attorney, Freda Black (Parker Posey) take on the case. Appel-Schumacher will return to the stand for more questions from the defense when the hearing continues Wednesday at 3 p.m. Like Peterson, Ratliff was found at the bottom of her stairs with injuries to her head. 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. At their request, Ratliff's body was exhumed in Texas in April. host = host.toLowerCase(); Elizabeth's updated autopsy report indicated that she died from homicidal assault. He described the scene as "complete fiction" adding that "for anybody who knows anything about the criminal justice system, it totally undermines the credibility of the entire film.". We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. An autopsy on the body of Elizabeth Ann McKee Ratliff, 43, was performed by the state medical examiner's office April 16 at the request of Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin, who contends that. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's The Staircase alludes to the haunting centre of novelist Michael Peterson's infamous murder case. Rudolf calls witnesses including the lead investigator from The Innocence Project and manages to convince the judge that Deaver lied about his qualifications on the stand. //-->. 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. The medical examiner found Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratcliffe suffered similar blows to the head, including seven lacerations which were sustained by blunt force trauma. Patricia Peterson and Elizabeth Ratliff had worked together at an elementary school on a U.S. Air Base and lived close by with their families in the town of Graefenhausen. She filed a . But if he lied about something that big what else did he lie about? In her opinion, the seven lacerations on her head indicated blunt force trauma. Appel-Schumacher recalled that Ratliff had a severe headache four days before she died, severe enough that she made an appointment to see a doctor the following week. So. Wouldnt it make more sense to leave them with a relative.unless Elizabeth wanted Michael to know and raise his daughter along were her sister together. The family is ecstatic but quickly learns that not everybody is thrilled and accepting of his release, with public scrutiny at an all-time high. A quick recap for those who arent familiar with the case: He wasconvicted of first-degree murder in 2003 and spent nearly a decade behind bars. The widow grew even closer with the Peterson family. two adorable daughters into their lives Margaret and Martha Ratliff. Michael Peterson is believed to have been the last person to see her alive. There are theories he had been in an illicit relationship with Elizabeth, although this is something his first wife Patty strenuously denies. On November 25, 1985, she was found dead at the bottom of her staircase surrounded by pools of blood. Ratliff taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School. The defense would go on to use Elizabeth Ratliff's death as part of their case against Michael Peterson, which also led to tensions within his own family, particularly between his adopted daughters, Martha and Margaret Ratliff. Nearly two decades before Michael's wife Kathleen was found lifeless at the bottom of a staircase, there was a woman named Elizabeth Ratliff whose death would become crucial to the prosecution's story. We charge Michael a fee for the trial. German police arrived at the scene and quickly deemed Elizabeth's fall an accident. After Kathleen's death, her two sisters, Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Lori (Maria Dizzia) firmly believe Michael at first, but quickly switch sides, along with Caitlin, and stand with the prosecution. Together, they go to the Durham Herald Christmas Ball. Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Staircase on HBO Max. "So to create the impression that somehow I'm this greedy lawyer, who's forcing my client to sell his furniture in order to write me checks to do his appealI mean that is sort of offensive to me. When he separated from his wife, he brought his sons and the Ratliff children to the United States. "Because I know all aspects of his personality. I can't live in Paris. Later, Jean-Xavier shows Sophie the latest footage of his chat with Michael, where he explains his bisexuality. "And you never saw any kind of indication that she had any kind of romantic relationship with Michael Peterson?" She often ate dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would help her clean up and tuck in her children at bedtime. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 1440 GMT <\/span>'); 1 day ago, by Chanel Vargas They argued as he would not agree to this. believed to have been the last person to see her alive, carried out a second autopsy on Elizabeth Ratliff's body. So Im sure there is some emotion heard in the 911 call, Im sure he did love Kathleen and Elizabeth. Elizabeth Ratliff's daughter, Martha and Margaret Ratliff stood by Michael Peterson and believed him to be innocent. != -1 ) { Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The last person believed to see her alive was Michael Peterson the night before when their families had dinner together in her home. DURHAM, North Carolina (Court TV) -- Author Michael Peterson is charged with killing his wife in their home here 18 months ago, but it was the death of a neighbor in Germany 18 years ago that took center stage at Peterson's first-degree murder trial Monday. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Fear of this realization getting out, Michael possibly grabbed and shook Liz, his anger finally caused him to push her hard and she fell down the stairs to her demise. "For another year, she was gone. "It was a platonic relationship," she told documentary makers. Whether or not Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth Ratliff remains unknown. When the prosecution learned of Elizabeth's death and identified the coincidence that she, too, had died as a result of falling down the stairs, they called for her body to be exhumed from the grave in Texas where she was buried. The series takes great inspiration from de Lestrade's documentary and even includes the director (played by Vincent Vermingon) and his documentary team. "I could not give her what she really needed and deserved, and that would be a full-time partner living with her in Paris. Sophie is skeptical hearing about this theory at first, but soon leans in and pushes for a re-examination of the body. She refuses to binge-watch anything. 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 I couldn't afford to live in Paris and my children, and grandchildren were in America," he said. He did meet with Michael Stuhlbarg who portrayed him in the series and even lent him his real glasses to wear during the film. Radisch's reported concluded that Elizabeth Ratliff's death had actually been as a result of a "homicidal assault", and not an accident as was previously determined. "There was blood splatter all over those walls. Why? After her passing, Michael adopted Elizabeth's two daughters, Martha and Margaret. The prosecution used the evidence to draw parallels in court, but never formally charged Michael with Elizabeth's death. Michael had two biological sons, Todd and Clayton, with his first wife, Patty. When the Petersons resided in Germany, Elizabeth had worked in the same school as Michael's then wife Patty. Its construction of the case emphasized prejudicial aspects, like the judge allowing evidence of Ratliff's death, which a state medical examiner also deemed a homicide, and the prosecution exposing Peterson's sex life so as to use jurors' potentially anti-gay attitudes against him. Why would you do that just to sort of create a negative impression about Michael Peterson?". He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. That's number one. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Netflixs new series The Staircase chronicles the trial of author Michael Peterson, whose wife Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina home in November 2001. The best face wash for every single skin type. by Lindsay Kimble There is also an alternate theory put forth by Petersons neighbor Larry (Joel McKinnon Miller) that Kathleen was viciously attacked by an owl. Three, she never wrote to Michael while she was working on the project, never ever, ever. Who was Elizabeth Ratliff, and how did her 1985 death become part of Michael Peterson's trial? All Rights Reserved. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. In 2011, a retrial hearing is granted after Duane Deaver, the analyst that had given the damning evidence against Michael at the first trial, finds himself under investigation. Newsweek has everything you need to know. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. As seen on The Staircase, both girls publicly supported Peterson during his trial and became inconsolable when he was convicted. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." But two years after George's death, as if the Ratliff family hadn't suffered enough trauma, Elizabeth too was found dead - at the bottom of the staircase at her home in Germany. The details of Elizabeth Ratliff's second autopsy were submitted as prosecuting evidence in Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife, Kathleen. Elizabeth Ratliff, 43, was a close Peterson family friend who died in Germany in 1985. Death: July 29, 2018, Durham, North Carolina, USA (end-stage liver disease from alcoholism) Bio: Assistant District Attorney / Prosecutor Cullen Moss Born: July 8, 1975 Birthplace: Buffalo, New York, USA Jim Hardin Born: February 1957 Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina, USA Bio: District Attorney / Lead Prosecutor Rosemarie DeWitt However, things changed once her embalmed body was exhumed nearly two decades later, in April 2003. After knocking Kathleen out (with what exactly, there are so many possibilities-afterall if all your kids were no longer living at home, would they be able to identify what things were or werent missing? His analysis of the crime scene suggested that most of the blood splatter on the . 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. U.S. Army doctor Dr. Larry A. Barnes carried out an autopsy on Elizabeth and confirmed that a cerebral haemorrhage was her cause of death. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. document.write('Tuesday, August 19, 2003 Posted: 10:40 AM EDT (1440 GMT) <\/span>'); Above, the real David Rudolf (R) and Michael Peterson (L) appear in court. At the time, her death was investigated by the U.S. military police in Germany and an autopsy concluded she had died from an intracerebral hemorrhage. In the documentary, Michael remembers he and his then-wife, Patricia, had dinner at the Ratliff home and he stayed behind to help Elizabeth put Martha and Margaret to. "Her injuries are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts". Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The SBI, the organization that recreated the crime scene, is placed under investigation for unethical practices, which opens up another opportunity for an appeal in Michael's case. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. It wasn't until after Kathleen's death in December 2001 that the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth Ratliff's fall and subsequent death were re-evaluated. Shortly after Michael and Patty married, Michael went to fight in Vietnam while Patty headed to the Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, where she worked as a second-grade teacher. if ( host.indexOf("europe.cnn.com") != -1 ) { I talked to the witnesses, I got the German police report and the DA's file. In the footage, Michael also admits Kathleen never knew about his affairs with men or that he was bisexual. As per reports, Elizabeth often had dinner with the Petersons, and Michael would stay back to clean up or tuck her little girls to bed, which is precisely what they unwittingly did on her last evening alive. 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. Elizabeth Ratliff and her husband, George Ratliff, were close friends of Michael Peterson and his first wife Patricia Peterson when they lived in Germany in the 1980s. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany, found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny Barbara Malagnino. But they need to put themselves in their shoes, think if you already came from a broken home, wouldnt you try to believe in every last possibility that your parent could not do something so horrific, even if similar circumstances also involved that parent many years before? 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. They call him "Dad" and have supported him without wavering since the second woman they called "Mom"--Kathleen Peterson--was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. In HBO Max's The Staircase, Brunet (played by Juliette Binoche) appears throughout the series, at first working to edit the documentary film released in 2004 and later as Peterson's romantic partner. The coroner determined that she fell down the stairs after the brain bleed caused her immediate demise. "The worst of it, at least so far, is in Episode Five, when they paint a picture of Jean-Xavier, the director, and Sophie, conspiring to cut out a certain scene in order to make the documentary more favorable to Michael. Occasionally wiping tears from her eyes, Appel-Schumacher testified about the large amount of blood she and her husband cleaned up after Ratliff's body was moved. Seeing Margaret everyday no doubt caused her much stress and probably was the reason for many arguments that eventually led to the divorce. She continued: "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. So much so, that the court in Durham ordered the exhumation of Ratliff's body from her grave in Texas. To begin with, he said that the scene where he was introduced to Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth) in a diner while eating pastrami did not happen in real life. Elizabeth Ratliff Wasn't Murdered It's been incredibly infuriating that people keep insisting that Michael Peterson killed Elizabeth. They believe their adopted father is innocent of killing both of their moms, according to the documentary. He said: "I went to Germany, I investigated that whole thing. A retrial is granted, and Michael is released from prison and sentenced to house arrest with an ankle bracelet. Sam Smith is going to be in And Just Like That s2! They wanted to reassess her injuries, to make sure her death really was the tragic accident it had been accepted as for 17 years. She also remembered the copious amounts of blood near the staircase at the scene of Elizabeth's death. His only respite is his new relationship with Sophie, the documentary editor, and her letters. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. Viewers new to The Staircase story may have been surprised to learn Peterson dated Sophie Brunet, the editor of Lestrade's first documentary. 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. They were 2 and 1 years old when Ratliff died. , Awesome, Youre All Set!