Inside the Strange True Story of ‘The Staircase’

The true story of Kathleen Peterson’s tragic death is still a mystery.

The Staircase, which premiered on HBO Max in 2022 and is now streaming on Netflix, stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, a novelist who was convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, played by Toni Collette.

The real-life tragedy occurred in December 2001 in Durham, N.C., and has garnered media attention in recent years due to the strange nature of the case. It unraveled when Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in the couple’s home, and authorities looked toward Michael as the prime suspect.

Before HBO Max’s show, the story was developed into a French limited docuseries through BBC’s Storyville, spanning several spinoffs as Michael Peterson’s case continued to evolve. The 10-episode series was eventually picked up by Netflix in 2018, further increasing interest in the trial and the Peterson family.

So, how true is the HBO Max show The Staircase? Here’s everything to know about Kathleen and Michael Peterson’s lives and how he ended up behind bars for her death.

Is The Staircase based on a true story?

Yes, The Staircase is based on a true story.

The 2022 HBO Max series was inspired by the French docuseries of the same name; both are about the real-life death of Kathleen and the trial of Michael.

“It just felt like one of the best true crime stories that I had watched, in part because I recognized that there were so many things in it that were unknowable,” The Staircase creator Antonio Campos told Variety about the original docuseries.

He continued, “Michael Peterson as a central figure was really strong. He was this impenetrable character that was impossible to read, and I immediately leaned in.”

Who was Kathleen Peterson?

Kathleen was born in Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 21, 1953. According to her obituary, she was raised in Lancaster, Pa., and later attended Duke University, where she was the first female student admitted into the school of engineering.

While at Duke, Kathleen met her first husband, Fred Atwater. The couple would have one child, a daughter, Caitlin Atwater. Kathleen and Fred later divorced, and Kathleen married Michael in 1997.

At the time of her death, she was an executive at telecommunications company Nortel Networks, per WRAL.

According to her obituary, she was a member of the Board of the Durham Arts Council, and was involved with the Carolina Ballet and American Dance Festival.

Who is Michael Peterson?

Michael is a novelist and military veteran who was born in 1943 in Nashville.

After college, he worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, and while in West Germany, he met his first wife, Patricia Sue. They wed in 1968 and had two sons together, Clayton and Todd.

He served in the Vietnam War, and after his honorable discharge in 1971, Michael became a novelist, writing books based on his experiences in the war. According to WFMY, Michael ran for mayor of Durham in 1999.

How did Michael and Kathleen Peterson meet?

While living in West Germany, Michael and Patricia met and befriended another couple, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, and their two children, Margaret and Martha. Following the deaths of both George and Elizabeth, Michael became the guardian of their kids.

The family moved to Durham, and eventually, Michael and Patricia divorced. Afterward, Margaret and Martha lived with Michael, while Clayton and Todd stayed with Patricia; however, they later moved in with their father.

Michael and Kathleen later met and married in 1997.

How did Kathleen Peterson die?

On Dec. 9, 2001, Michael called 911 after finding Kathleen unconscious at the foot of a stairway in their home, slumped in a pool of blood.

The night before, they had been celebrating with drinks by the pool after learning that Michael’s latest book, a WWII-era tale based on a true story, was being optioned by a Hollywood studio.

Kathleen eventually went to bed just before 2 a.m., and Michael found her about 30 minutes later.

“I can’t even remember the last thing I said to her,” he told PEOPLE in August 2002. “I wasn’t thinking, ‘This is the last time I’m going to see her.’ ”

Though authorities initially considered the death accidental, the ​​autopsy report later led investigators to believe that Kathleen died not after a fall but after being attacked.

“This was not an accident,” Jim Hardin, Durham County District Attorney, said at the time. “There is no question.”

The autopsy, conducted by a state medical examiner, indicated that multiple blows to the back of the head killed Kathleen, The News & Observer reported.

Was Michael Peterson arrested for Kathleen Peterson’s death?

Days after Kathleen’s death on Dec. 9, 2001, Michael turned himself in and was charged with murder.

“I’ve whispered her name more than 1,000 times, and I can’t stop crying,” he said to reporters while surrounded by his family, per The News & Observer. “I would have never done anything to hurt her. I am innocent of these charges and can’t wait to prove it in court.”

Michael later went on trial in 2003, where he maintained his innocence. On Oct. 10, 2003, he was found guilty of the murder of Kathleen and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to The News & Observer.

He served eight years before his conviction was overturned in 2011 “because of improprieties at the State Bureau of Investigation,” according to the News & Observer.

Several years later, in February 2017, Michael entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter in his wife’s death. He was released from custody with credit for the seven-plus years he’d already spent behind bars.

Did Michael Peterson have a relationship with editor Sophie Brunet?

In The Staircase, Michael is shown to have a relationship with the editor Sophie Brunet (Juliette Binoche), who worked on the French docuseries about Michael and his trial.

According to Vanity Fair, Sophie worked on the docuseries before getting involved with Michael.

“My relationship with Michael never affected my editing,” she wrote in an email to the outlet in May 2022. “I never ever cut anything out that would be damaging for him. I have too big an opinion of my job to be even remotely tempted to do anything like that.”

Sophie first reached out to him after he received his life sentence in 2003. They wrote letters back and forth, and after a year, they met in person. The two stayed connected through phone calls and several visits each year.

“At first I just wanted to support and then to love Michael,” she added.