The Staircase - How One Story Can Morph Again and Again
The Michael Peterson Murder Trial in all its platforms and a theory
The Staircase – Analysis & Theory – How One Story Can Morph - Part One
I have to admit something – I am a true crime junkie and I have been devouring The Staircase (The Michael Peterson Murder Trial Case) in all its forms: The Netflix documentary, HBO Max limited series, and the book Written in Blood, by Diane Fanning. I feel like a glutton but I can’t learn enough about this crazy and tragic case. I have also listened to the podcast, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. There are many more podcasts that take on the subject of the murder of Kathleen Peterson and the trial of Michael Peterson and even more podcast episodes dedicated to the subject.
Why am I so fascinated with this story in all its iterations?
In fairness to me, I am not the only person interested in the story. Obviously, to have a story come out in so many different platforms and STILL be popular means that the story must be fascinating to the masses. The funny thing is that I already had Diane Fanning’s book, Written in Blood, on my Kindle, waiting to be read months ago. It wasn’t until I saw the Netflix documentary The Staircase that I went back and read Ms Fanning’s book.
The murder of Kathleen Peterson took place in 2001. The book, Written in Blood pubbed in 2005. The Netflix Documentary aired on Netflix in 2018. The HBO Max Series, The Staircase, aired in May 2022. Yes, there are many twists and turns to the story. Yes, each format of story-telling brings something different. Yes, there are many family members, documentarians, and law enforcement personalities involved.
There are two reasons, however, why I am so engrossed in the story. Both reasons are the reasons that I am always engrossed in the true crime stories I have read over the years.
I love the challenge to try to solve the mystery and I am also intrigued and tortured by the story of the victim.
In the Michael Peterson case, the victim, Kathleen Peterson was smart and singularly successful. She was an engineer at the time when women were NOT engineers. She was in the upper management of a communications firm when women were NOT in upper management at huge firms. She was the breadwinner in her family, again… an anomaly back then. By all accounts, she was fully present in the lives of five - count ‘em - five kids… one was her biological daughter from a previous marriage and four more kids whose guardian/ father, Michael Peterson, Kathleen invited wholeheartedly into her life. She worked full time, took on the stress of five young people – college aged and above - hosted elaborate parties and charity events, and cooked dinner for her family often. By Diane Fanning’s account in Written in Blood, Kathleen enjoyed power washing the outside of their 14 room home in North Carolina! A renaissance woman indeed!
Before I get too far in to the story, keep in mind, that Michael Peterson is an author…a best-selling author, lest you think I stray too far from the mission of this book marketing Substack newsletter. From a marketing perspective, the fact that this one case was catapulted to four platforms (so far) is its own study – the results of which could apply to any story gaining traction – but I digress.
Back to Kathleen’s story.
This amazing, unique, and talented woman and mother was found dead at the bottom of her narrow back staircase in a pool of blood with blood up and down the walls of the staircase. The only person alone with her and the last person to see her alive is her husband, Michael Peterson. Peterson would have us believe that he is not guilty of her murder and that Kathleen fell down the steps. I don’t want to give anything away here in case you want to watch, read, or listen to any of the platforms that cover this story so proceed accordingly.
Spoilers ahead
I watched the Netflix Documentary first (word of mouth recommendation) and simply did not learn enough about Kathleen. What was her relationship with Michael? Kathleen’s biological daughter did not side with Michael. Why not? Why had Kathleen ended her first marriage? Was there any chance Kathleen knew about Michael’s bi-sexualty? Was there a history of abuse in their relationship? Finally, I needed more details from the night of the accident.
In my experience from reading and watching true crime – it is always some seemingly mundane fact that points to the truth. Something that we know about the actions of everyday people that point to the truth of what happened.
I’ll give you an example of this. Back in 1970, there was a Mason-type murder reported in NC (just a coincidence). Dr Jeffrey MacDonald reported that his pregnant wife, Colette, and his two daughters were murdered in their Fort Bragg home by “hippies.” Dr Jeff MacDonald was attacked but not killed. You may have heard of one of the famous books written about that case, Fatal Vision, by Joe McGinniss. (Fatal Vision is excellent, btw) The book was made into a TV mini-series back in the day starring Carl Malden and Eva Marie Saint.
If you read the book or watch the miniseries, it is Colette’s step-father Freddie Kasab, who emerges as the hero. He decides after first believing and supporting Jeff that Jeff was the perpetrator of the murders. Why did Freddy change his mind? It was something simple. He read the transcript of the military’s Article 32 session to decide whether to indict MacDonald. Jeff’s testimony recounted that he had finished the dishes and gone to lay down in the family room. Sounds simple enough, right? The problem: Freddy had NEVER seen Jeff wash a dish. It was this simple lie of an everyday event that launched Freddy into an investigation that did not stop until Jeff was put on trial, 10 years after the murders, and he was subsequently convicted. Jeff still maintains his innocence.
The Staircase – Analysis & Theory
In the case of Michael Peterson, if you watch and read all the platforms, not only the documentary, you will learn some of the everyday details that strongly point to Michael as the perpetrator of Kathleen’s murder. Remember: Human Nature.
Spoilers below: Come back and read later if you want to watch / read all the platforms.
Kathleen, as I mentioned, was an executive in a communications firm, Nortel. Things had been tense at Nortel as their stock was precipitously falling, thus, Kathleen was concerned for her livelihood as much of her wealth was in Nortel stock. Kathleen had spent Saturday at her office preparing for an upcoming business meeting in Canada scheduled for Monday morning at 9:00 am, preempted by a Sunday morning conference call. (She must have planned to fly on Sunday to make that 9:00 am meeting in Canada). On Saturday night at 11:00 pm, Kathleen retrieved a voice message from a Canadian colleague regarding the Sunday conference call and Kathleen returned the call, according to Written in Blood by Diane Fanning
Kathleen had left her laptop at the office. Remember, this was in 2001, when our laptops were not yet appendages. The colleague needed to send Kathleen something that she would need for her Sunday conference call. Kathleen gave her Michael’s email address. Surely, she figured out an alternative to driving back to the office to pick up her laptop – she would get the email from Michael’s computer. Human Nature. That phone call with the colleague is the last documented event that we know for sure happened that night. By 2:40 am Sunday, Michael was calling 911. Added to the “accident” that Michael said Kathleen suffered was his contention that they had drunk wine and champagne and that Kathleen had taken a valium. (The Canadian colleague reported no slur, no issue with Kathleen’s voice at 11:00 pm and little alcohol was found in Kathleen’s system after her autopsy)
Common sense and what we know about people (in this case, women) solves the crime … Women who have a conference call the next morning, Sunday morning, for a big in-person meeting Monday morning in Canada who get a call from a colleague with important information for that meeting do not wait to look at that email.
Kathleen was a planner. She must have been a planner to accomplish all that she was able to accomplish in her life. In Written in Blood, Diane Fanning reports that Kathleen would host parties and charity events in their home and would cook the food herself! So, Saturday night, probably dreading a stressful, early Sunday conference call and a later flight to Canada for an early Monday morning meeting, Kathleen goes to Michael’s computer to retrieve the colleague’s email and finds…. Well, we know what she would have found… emails from another man for one. But put a tack in that for a minute. BEFORE we get to Michael’s computer there must have been a conversation. Possibly like the following:
“Hey, I need an email sent from work to your computer for tomorrow’s conference call, what’s your email?” Kathleen
“Why do you need my computer?” Michael.
“What’s the big deal? I need an email sent from work because I forgot my laptop?” Kathleen
“Oh, ok, the email is ________.” Michael.
He is trapped now. Outside of admitting infidelity, he HAS to give her the password. The answer: “Why do you need my computer?” is proof enough. Heck, Kathleen may have found her first husband’s infidelity in the same way so she has a spidey sense about it.
Kathleen makes her way to Michael’s computer.
Maybe Michael says something else to distract her.
“How about you let me print off the email for you, my office is a mess” Michael
Now Kathleen KNOWS something is up. Why would he not want her to see his computer? Her hearts sinks and her stomach drops. She knows he is fairly desperate to hide something.
At this point she plays it cool because she wants to know what he is hiding.
“It’s no problem, I got it.”
She races to Michael’s office to get there before him. She pops open his email and her eyes search the screen. Subject line after subject line scream to her that her husband has been unfaithful just like her first husband.
She confronts him and then heads up the back staircase to pack a bag. She is NOT going to stay with him tonight.
His life shoots before his eyes… his meal ticket is leaving, his kid’s meal ticket is leaving, people will know about his infidelity, and by the way how dare she?
He lashes out in a rage during the ensuing argument.
Possible scenario? You decide. lol after reading, listening and watching all the platforms that cover the case.
Kathleen also had a hero in her story (Like Colette in Fatal Vision) and that is her sister, Candace Zamperini. Candace never wavered in her fight for justice for Kathleen and I am convinced that the pressure she continued to apply made the difference in this case.
Human Nature solves the tragic murder. A woman would simply NOT wait to retrieve that email… NO WAY. I pray for Kathleen Peterson and her family and her kids. I also feel anger toward men who prey on fabulous women like Kathleen and like Colette. It would make sense that the rage that fuels these guys must have been present at other points in their life. What can we do to prevent these murders? What can we do to help women see these potential inclinations and get out?
I finished the last word on the book, Written in Blood, on October 10th while reading that Peterson was first convicted on October 10th. I then attended a designer house in my community for charity and guess what I stumbled upon in the house? You guessed it, a back staircase. Got the chills? Me too. It is close to Halloween after all.
Let me know if you get a chance to see or read the platforms of Michael Peterson Case (The Staircase) that I mention above. What are your thoughts? Are you a true crime fan? Share your favorite book or podcast or show.
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