‘The Staircase’ updates: Whatever happened to key people and Peterson’s Durham house?
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Prime Time for True Crime
We love to play detective, which might explain why Durham’s most notorious murder trial — did author Michael Peterson kill his wife Kathleen? — is the setting for another true-crime TV miniseries, this time on HBO Max. What really happened to the people and places involved? How much of what we’ll see on “The Staircase” will mirror reality? And why does society obsess over crime stories?
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The Peterson murder case gets another series. Why are we so obsessed with true crime?
A ‘Staircase’ timeline from Kathleen Peterson’s death to her husband’s trial and plea
‘The Staircase’ updates: Whatever happened to key people and Peterson’s Durham house?
HBO Max’s ‘Staircase’ series: What to expect vs. the Netflix version, and how to watch
Photo gallery: Comparing HBO’s ‘The Staircase’ cast to those they portray
The May 5 premiere of the HBO Max limited series “The Staircase,” a dramatization based on the Netflix documentary series of the same name, has sparked new interest in what is considered to be Durham’s most notorious crime story.
After Kathleen Peterson bled to death at the bottom of a back staircase in her Durham home in December 2001, her husband, Michael, went on trial for her murder and was found guilty — only to be granted a new trial and released from prison in 2011.
It’s been more than 20 years since Kathleen’s death, more than 10 years since Michael’s release from prison, and five years since the popular Netflix series, directed by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.
What has happened with the players in the case since then? Here’s a look.
Where is Michael Peterson now?
After Peterson was convicted in 2003, during one of North Carolina’s longest trials, he spent eight years in prison before his conviction was overturned because of improprieties at the State Bureau of Investigation. Peterson entered an Alford plea in February 2017 while awaiting a new trial, allowing him to plead guilty to manslaughter while maintaining his innocence. With time served, Peterson was a free man.
He continues to live in Durham, and in the years since the release of the Netflix series, he has written two self-published memoirs about his relationship with Kathleen and his time in prison (available on Amazon). Peterson has said that the writers of the HBO “Staircase” series used his memoirs as source material.
He has also told The News & Observer that he has no plans to watch the series when it’s released.
Where is ‘Staircase’ lawyer David Rudolf now?
Rudolf, the lead attorney on the Peterson case, is still a practicing attorney with his own firm in Charlotte, but splits his time between Charlotte and Toronto.
Rudolf embraced the attention from the Netflix series, writing an episode-by-episode “insider’s view” of the series, and authoring a book: “American Justice: Inside Stories from the Underbelly of the Criminal Justice System.” He also embarked on a worldwide speaking tour to talk about the case.
Rudolf watched episodes of “The Staircase” with a Charlotte Observer reporter and gave his thoughts (not very accurate, he says).
Rudolf married former ABC11 reporter Sonya Pfeiffer, who covered the Peterson trial, and the two co-own an art gallery in Charlotte, The Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art.
Where is Tom Maher now?
Maher, a member of the Peterson defense team, is currently listed as a Senior Lecturing Fellow on the Duke University Law School website. His bio says that he still practices criminal law with Law Offices of Amos Tyndall, and that for 11 years he was the executive director of North Carolina’s Indigent Defense Services, the state agency that oversees the provision of indigent representation in North Carolina.
Where is ‘Staircase’ DA Jim Hardin now?
The district attorney who led the prosecution of Peterson was Durham’s top prosecutor from 1994 until 2005, when Mike Easley, the governor at the time, appointed him a Superior Court judge. He spent nine months as a special Superior Court judge before taking a leave to serve with the U.S. Army Central Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Hardin served as staff judge advocate for the 81st Regional Readiness Command of the U.S. Army Reserve, then returned to Durham. In summer 2007, Hardin was appointed by Easley to take over temporarily as the Durham district attorney after Mike Nifong, his successor, was disbarred after the Duke lacrosse scandal and forced to resign. Hardin conducted a review of the office, at Easley’s direction, then returned to the bench.
Hardin served as Durham County Superior Court judge until he retired from the bench in May 2021.
What happened to Freda Black from ‘The Staircase’?
As an assistant district attorney on the case, Black is perhaps best remembered for her closing arguments in which she memorably described the pornography found in Peterson’s home as “pure-T filth.” After the trial, Black ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Durham district attorney (2006 and 2008).
In 2010, she ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Durham district court bench. She also faced driving while impaired charges in Durham and Orange County (her 2012 arrest warrant showed she was working at a Durham dry cleaners).
In July 2018, Black was found dead in her home after a relative reported that they could not reach her. An autopsy report released in March 2019 said that Black, 57, died of liver disease.
What happened to ‘Staircase’ investigator Ron Guerette?
The former Charlotte police detective who worked as an investigator for defense attorney David Rudolf died on June 19, 2018. He was 73.
Where is the judge in ‘The Staircase’ trial?
Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson presided over Peterson’s 2003 murder trial and his 2017 Alford hearing. Hudson is the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Durham County, District 14.
Where is Todd Peterson now?
Michael Peterson’s youngest son with his first wife, Patricia, is seen a lot in the early episodes of the Netflix version of “The Staircase” and is a major character in HBO’s retelling.
At the time of the 2017 Alford plea, attorney David Rudolf said Todd was living in Tennessee, but he has since relocated back to the Durham / Chapel Hill area.
On his Instagram page, Todd lists himself as President & Founder of America Industries.
What happened to Clayton Peterson?
Clayton, Michael Peterson’s oldest son with his first wife, Patty, is seen a lot in later episodes of Netflix’s “The Staircase” and is also a significant character in the HBO series. In one episode of the Netflix series, he visits his father in prison with his wife and baby, and later Michael Peterson is shown playing with both of Todd’s young children during visits.
In the new HBO series, several references are made to trouble in Clayton’s past.
Clayton and his family live in Baltimore.
What happened to Patricia ‘Patty’ Peterson?
Patty Peterson, Michael Peterson’s first wife and the mother of Todd and Clayton, lived her final years in Durham and remained close to Michael, always saying she believed in his innocence.
She died July 8, 2021, at Duke University Hospital after suffering a heart attack the night before. She was 78.
Where are Margaret and Martha Ratliff now?
The daughters of George and Elizabeth “Liz” Ratliff were raised by Michael Peterson and his first wife, Patty, after their mother died in Germany in 1985 (George died in 1983). Michael and Patty were the legal guardians of the girls, but they were never formally adopted. Still, they were raised as their daughters.
Following the Alford plea, Martha has worked as a professional psychotherapist in Utah, and Margaret has worked in the film industry in California, as an actress and producer.
Where is Caitlin Atwater now?
Kathleen Peterson’s daughter from her first marriage with Fred Atwater believes that Michael Peterson murdered her mother.
Caitlin won a $25 million wrongful death suit against Michael Peterson in 2008. She married Christopher Clark in 2012. The couple has twins, according to Rudolf in 2017, and live in the Washington, D.C. area.
Where is Candace Zamperini now?
Kathleen Peterson’s sister Candace has been outspoken in her belief that Michael Peterson killed her sister. She testified for the prosecution at Peterson’s 2003 trial and read a heated statement at his 2017 Alford hearing.
She resides in Virginia.
What happened to Brent Wolgamott (‘Brad from Raleigh’)
The former self-described male escort was emailing with Michael Peterson about a potential rendezvous just months before Kathleen Peterson’s death.
At that time (2001), Wolgamott was an active duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg. At the time of the trial, he was a 28-year-old chemistry major at N.C. State and no longer escorting.
The publicity from the trial was difficult. “It changed my life totally,” he told The News & Observer in a 2018 interview. He struggled with addiction but got help from the VA. He’s now living outside Cincinnati and works as a podcaster. He’s active on Twitter at @OneLuckyGay.
What happened to Duane Deaver?
Duane Deaver testified as a blood spatter expert for the State Bureau of Investigation in the Peterson case. In 2011, Deaver was fired from the bureau after a series of messy court cases, including the exoneration of Greg Taylor, who spent 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Deaver failed to report the result of blood tests that would have been helpful to Taylor.
In 2011, Judge Hudson ruled that Deaver misled the jury in the Peterson case, one of the reasons cited for vacating the murder verdict. Deaver’s attorneys challenged the firing, calling him a scapegoat for the SBI, which was under legislative and public scrutiny for the crime lab’s policies and procedures.
In 2014, the state ruled that the SBI was justified in firing Deaver because of the judge’s findings in the Peterson case, but not for the initial reasons put forward by the bureau. The commission ruled that Deaver should get back pay for an 18-month period after Hudson’s ruling in the Peterson case, and the state Appeals Court ruling upheld it.
Where is Deborah Radisch now?
The state pathologist who performed the autopsies on both Kathleen Peterson and Elizabeth Ratliff, who died in Germany, became the chief medical examiner for the state of North Carolina, and retired in 2019.
Where is Peterson’s Durham house?
The front of the house at 1810 Cedar St. in Durham, now on its third post-Peterson owner, is visible from the street, but the entire 3.4-acre property is gated.
It still has the swimming pool where Michael Peterson said he was sitting alone the night Kathleen died.
Jason Balius, the owner right after Peterson, put barbed wire on top of the back gate, along with “No Trespassing” signs. The house was then purchased by clairvoyant and medium Biond Fury, who paid $1.3 million for it in 2008.
In 2020, the 9,372-square-foot house was again listed for sale at $1.9 million, which is in line with the tax value of the home, listed by the Durham County Tax Administration at $1,937,733. The home sold in August 2020 for $1.6 million and the new owner is listed as AZAD III LLC. The company official for AZAD III LLC listed with the NC Secretary of State Office is Ramsey Shehadeh.
What about the blow poke?
Durham DA Jim Hardin argued that a “missing blow poke” was the weapon used to kill Kathleen Peterson.
A blow poke was later found by Clayton Peterson in the garage of the Peterson home — during Peterson’s murder trial in fact — but Candace Zamperini, who gave a blow poke to Kathleen as a Christmas gift, said it wasn’t the same one. Peterson’s family said it was.
At Peterson’s 2017 Alford hearing (depicted in the final episode of Netflix’s “The Staircase”), Rudolf said he had learned that the blow poke was never missing at all — that Durham police found it in June 2002 and even took photos with it before returning it to the garage. Again, Zamperini said it wasn’t the same one.
Current location is not known.
More on HBO’s ‘The Staircase’
For full coverage of HBO Max’s “The Staircase” and other background on the death of Kathleen Peterson and the murder trial of Michael Peterson, visit: newsobserver.com/topics/staircase
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
