The True Crime Story That Inspired HBO's The Staircase

Murder Files Unsealed

HBO's new true-crime drama, The Staircase, follows the events surrounding the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson, who was found at the bottom of her family's staircase. The series examines the investigation into her death, focusing on Michael Peterson, her husband, who became the prime suspect. The Staircase also includes footage from the French documentary Soupçons (Suspicions), which followed the Peterson family and their legal team throughout the trial and appeals. The series explores the complex dynamics within the Peterson family, including Kathleen's sisters' skepticism of Michael, their daughter's doubts about his account of the events, and the exhumation of the body of Elizabeth Ratliff, a friend who also died in a stairwell years earlier. The series concludes with Michael's release from prison in 2017 after entering an Alford plea, where he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that enough evidence existed to suggest his involvement.