"The Staircase" House

Author: Jewls Krueger

In the early hours of December 9, 2001, novelist Michael Peterson called 911 to report that he had found his wife, Kathleen, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a back staircase inside their Durham, North Carolina home. He told dispatchers she had fallen. Investigators who arrived at the scene saw the amount of blood and the wounds to her head and quickly suspected something else. The case became one of the most closely watched murder trials in the country and the subject of a landmark documentary series, "The Staircase."

Kathleen Peterson

Kathleen Hunt Atwater Peterson was 48 years old at the time of her death. She had studied engineering at Duke University and worked as an executive at the telecommunications company Nortel Networks. She and Michael had been married for about five years, a second marriage for both, and the couple lived in a large home in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham. To friends and family she was accomplished and social, known for hosting large dinner parties while balancing a demanding corporate career.

Michael Peterson

Michael Iver Peterson, born in 1943, was a novelist and former newspaper columnist who had once run for mayor of Durham. A Marine Corps veteran, he wrote fiction drawing on his military background. During the investigation into Kathleen's death, prosecutors uncovered emails between Peterson and a male escort, along with images of men on his computer. Peterson has long maintained his innocence in his wife's death, and his children from the marriage and his adopted daughters largely stood by him.

The Night of December 9, 2001

Peterson told investigators that he and Kathleen had spent the evening together, watched a movie, and had wine by their backyard pool. He said Kathleen went inside first and that he remained outside before coming in to find her unresponsive at the base of the back staircase. He said she must have fallen after drinking wine and taking Valium. An autopsy later ruled Kathleen's death a homicide, finding seven deep lacerations to her scalp caused by blunt force trauma. The defense would stress that despite those wounds, Kathleen had no skull fracture, a point they argued was inconsistent with a beating.

The Investigation and Trial

Peterson was indicted for first-degree murder, and his trial opened in Durham in the summer of 2003. Prosecutors led by District Attorney Jim Hardin argued that Peterson had beaten Kathleen with a fireplace tool known as a blow poke, which was never recovered, after she learned of his affairs. A male escort testified about his correspondence with Peterson. State analyst Duane Deaver presented blood spatter evidence that the prosecution said pointed to a beating.

Prosecutors also introduced the 1985 death of Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend and neighbor of the Petersons when the families lived in Germany, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her own home. Ratliff's body was exhumed and reexamined, and the medical examiner concluded she too had suffered multiple scalp lacerations. Peterson was never charged in Ratliff's death, and her daughters, whom he adopted and raised, remained among his most vocal defenders. On October 10, 2003, a jury found Peterson guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The Owl Theory

Years after the conviction, one of the more unusual theories in American true crime emerged. A Durham attorney and neighbor suggested that Kathleen may have been attacked outside by an owl, causing the deep scalp wounds, and then stumbled inside and collapsed on the stairs. Supporters pointed to pine needles and a feather found in her hair, and to the absence of a skull fracture. The theory drew national attention but was never accepted by the courts.

The Appeal and Alford Plea

In December 2011, a judge vacated Peterson's conviction after finding that Deaver had given misleading testimony about the blood evidence, and Peterson was released on bond to await a new trial under house arrest. Rather than face a second trial, in February 2017 Peterson entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. An Alford plea allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict. He was sentenced to time already served and freed, having spent about eight years incarcerated. He has since written about the case and his years in prison.

The House Today

The home sits on Cedar Street in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Durham, a large white colonial style residence built in 1940 on a gated, wooded lot. After the trial, Peterson sold the property, and it passed through several owners. It sold again in August 2020 for about $1.6 million and has since been significantly renovated, with county records valuing it at roughly $3.1 million by late 2025. Michael Peterson did not return to the house after his release.

The property is private and gated. From Cedar Street the entrance and driveway are visible, though dense trees make the home itself hard to see, while the rear of the house can be glimpsed from Kent Avenue. This is a private residence and someone's home, so please keep any visit respectful. Stay on public roads and sidewalks, do not trespass or block traffic, and do not disturb the current residents or neighbors.