Many users searched for photographs of the crime scene of Kathleen Peterson after the release of the renowned Netflix documentary, “The Staircase Documentary.”
The airing of The Staircase Documentary on Netflix took place on July 22, 2004. This documentary was centered around the death of Kathleen Peterson.
Other than the documentary, the crime scene photographs of Kathleen Peterson were unsettling due to the blood spread in the pool where Kathleen’s deceased body was discovered in October 2003.
In December 2001, Peterson’s deceased body was found in the same pool at the base of the staircase at their residence in Durham, North Carolina.
When Kathleen was found dead, her husband, Michael Peterson, claimed that she had slipped off the stairs while under the influence of alcohol and Valium. However, her autopsy report contradicted his statement.
Photographs of the crime scene of Kathleen Peterson became widely circulated on the internet. However, some sites removed them because they were disturbing.
Subsequently, the crime scene images were shared on Reddit, where they attracted the attention of many users. According to the Reddit post, her deceased body was discovered on the staircase on December 9, 2001.
The images were disturbing as the entire pool was covered with her blood.
How Was Kathleen Peterson’s Death Caused?
Kathleen Peterson’s husband, Michael, dialed 911 at 2:40 a.m and reported that his wife was deceased and her body was found at the base of their residence’s staircase on December 8.
Michael informed the police that he and Kathleen had spent the evening together and stated that later that night, he found his wife’s body at the base of the staircase.
During the investigation, the detective suspected something peculiar in her death case because the quantity of blood at the crime scene was substantial.
The detective’s initial suspect was her husband, who had spent the entire evening with his wife and later claimed that he found her deceased at the staircase.
A forensic report was released, which concluded that seven deep cuts alongside bruises were discovered on her face.
Michael Peterson Arrested For His Wife, Kathleen Peterson’s Death
Following her death, the case went to court as the forensic report, and her husband’s account didn’t match up at all.
During the court’s proceedings, the prosecutor informed the Jury that Kathleen was struck at the back of her head. This caused her demise, and it was Michael who did it.
As the Jury deliberated in the case, Michael’s lawyer stated that his wife, Kathleen, had consumed wine and Valium, which made her feel lightheaded and fall off the stairs. While investigating the perpetrator, another theory was proposed by Michael’s neighbors.
His neighbors claimed that Kathleen’s demise was due to an owl attack. They suggested that an owl may have attacked her at night while she was near the staircase.
The prosecutor stated Michael’s wife had caught him with another man. Michael was bisexual, and his wife discovered 2,000 private photos of men and a male escort on Michael’s email while she was searching his computer.
The prosecutor alleged that his wife had learned about his bis*xuality, and Michael killed her for knowing about it.
Who Committed the Murder of Kathleen Peterson?
In the end, all the evidence presented in the case concluded that Michael Peterson had murdered his wife, Kathleen Peterson. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2003.
In 2011, he was granted a new trial, but he entered an Alford plea. This helped him avoid going through the court process, and he was released on “time served.”
