The police moved two women who were with Todd into another room and then at one point, Todd tried to signal out the window. They married in 1997, and Kathleen's daughter Caitlin joined the extended family that now consisted of Clayton, Todd, Martha, and Margaret. He was a State Bureau Of Investigations worker and was a key figure in Michael's original trial, after saying that the blood patterns found in the case proved Kathleen had been beaten to death. The interest on the boys' loans were so high they had no money left to live on. Elizabeth had seven scalp lacerations just like Kathleen. The North Carolina medical examiner performed an autopsy and concluded that she died from blunt force injuries and that it was the result of a homicide. of a homeless man she hit with her car and then left to die embedded in the -- Todd Peterson. Like Kathleen, Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. crimes. Hunt Atwater Peterson, "We are horrified to see again how much my sister suffered." In more To defend themselves from a large adversary such as a bear or a human, owls instinctively go for the head or face. and there's blood all over. Henry went on to graduate in 1960 from the Central Police College with a degree in Police Science. There was blood found on the porch and walkway as well. Investigators notice that Kathleen's body is at an awkward angle and her head is resting on the first step of the stair case and next to her body were multiple towels, a roll of paper towels, Kathleen's flip flops that she was supposedly wearing, and Michael's tennis shoes and socks. Prosecutors went to Texas to exhume Elizabeth's Ratliff's body. A Time of War. 911: OK. You just need to relax cause I can't understand what you're was a criminal trial held at the Los Angeles County Superior Court. www.colleenhitchcock.com, At times, prosecutor Jim Hardin speaks so softly, After the interior portion flakes off or is smeared by an object, a dry blood spatter can leave behind a ring similar in appearance to a water ring on a coffee table. It's just "shedding a family can be seen as a way to start over" amazingly the same. Doesn't that However, in 2016, when Spitz's original autopsy was made public, it noted there were maggots present. -- Michael Peterson, Ascension poem used is a behind the scenes look at Michael's case. glanced toward a sofa on which he said that he, his wife and the family dogs To analyze a bloodstain pattern, you have to rely on three main interrelated elements: the size, shape and distribution of bloodstains. Peterson's corpse suggested that she did not die swiftly, saying that some http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/features/042803_FS_ratliffautopsy1.html, "Michael Peterson wouldn't need a lawyer if it was truly an accident. NEULANDER: No, wait a minute. She grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. bill for a rented copy of GREINEDER: Please, please, send a car. inexcusable." even angered by the operator's questions. come! was." He was born on December 12th, 1947 in Waterbury, CT to James and Margaret Borden. Kathleen was a wonderful mother, cook, rising star at her job and a wonderful hostess and member of an art council. 911: Is she conscious? There seem to be After Michael and Patricia divorced in 1987, Clayton and Todd lived with Patricia, and Margaret and Martha stayed with Michael, who then moved to Durham, North Carolina. Your caution, reasoning and memory are impaired, and your judgment and level of self-control are reduced. Peterson, was found dead early Sunday morning (December 9, 2001) at He said that he went out to the pool to turn of the lights while she went up to the bedroom. sees Kathleen and Michael sharing a bottle of wine. Michael Peterson sounds anguished and distraught... Kopechne's parents were seeking to prevent her body from being exhumed and autopsied. no motive, no weapon, no witness. At one point Todd had to pull Michael off of Kathleen. He is now free and living in an apartment. https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/1995/01/peterson-sentenced-49-months-bombing-attempt. He is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Crashworthiness and held positions of National Expert in Injury Biomechanics and Director of Head Injury Research at the US Department of Transportation. They said that the blood in the stairway was far too congealed to be from a fall that just happened. He said that that would explain the blood on the walkway that lead to the front door and the blood that was left on the front door. Clayton Peterson also attempted to send stolen chemicals but the package Kathleen was found with a microscopic owl hair found in her hand. Hold on a second. December 9, 2001 -- This could have explained the injuries on her scalp and. with acute ischemic neuronal necrosis, are present in cerebrum and life." Even so, you may proceed in the desecration of They just loved each other so much." Michael and his defense team hired Dr. Henry Lee and Dr. Werner Spitz. "The court does agree with the state, Mr. Saacks, that evidence of Mrs. & Observer "We saw the relationship between Michael and "We are horrified by your choice of action and utter disregard for ================= There was also a small amount of Valium found in her system along with traces of a muscle relaxer and a over the counter anti-histamine. He began writing a column for the Harold Sun newspaper about local corruption and incompetence. Michael stated that he was injured in the Vietnam War and that is why he walked with a limp. PETERSON: No, she's not conscious. He changed his story on the time frame and the events that took place before Kathleen died. innocent in both cases. Elizabeth McKee Ratliff / Kathleen our family's grief and pain ...?" It doesn't feel right. tone) "Just whisper my name in your heart, Kate Davis- is the executive director of the Raptor of the Rockies. Along with this two sons, Michael spoke publicly for the first time and is adamant about his innocence. It means that the simplest solution is usually correct. happened." Michael was the last person to see Kathleen alive. Thus the brain was deprived of oxygen. He could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Once analysts know these angles, they can begin to run strings from the rear edges of the bloodstains upward at the appropriate angles to find where the area of origin. BACKGROUND Dr. Deborah Raddish is a forensic pathologist and performed the autopsy. Instead he theorized it was possible an owl who attacked Kathleen. It took weeks for all the blood to be cleaned up. She's still breathing! The shape and size of the puddle depends on the amount of liquid, the height of the container, and whether you spill on carpet, wood, linoleum or some other surface. Police call the case suspicious and said that they will not rule it a homicide one another; They're on their way. He was also involved in the early stages of the Caylee Anthony case. Michael's case is the subject of the documentary miniseries The Staircase, which started filming soon after his arrest in 2001 and followed events until his eventual Alford plea in 2017. The lower the angle at which blood strikes a surface, the thinner and more elongated the stain. In 1969, Spitz testified on behalf of Joseph and Gwen Kopechne, the parents of Mary Jo Kopechne, who died following a car accident in the vehicle of Ted Kennedy. In 1985 he was at the University of Chicago for a couple of years, and then joined the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch at Columbus Hospital in Chicago until 1999. He passed away at Georgetown Hospital on Sunday, July 3, 2016. I respect and appreciate comments, questions, information and theories you might have. PAIGE: Yeah, something like that's what I remember. mention of two Purple Heart medals Peterson has said he received. RUBIN: And at that point you all hadn't attempted any CPR, had you? a senior. 911: How many stairs? When called upon, the Silver Starred Vietnam veteran and mayoral candidate, LABCORP to check Margaret Ratliff's DNA. She went A lengthy handwritten ransom note was found in the house, and JonBenét's father John found her body in the basement of their house about eight hours after she had been reported missing. You are welcome :-) Thank you for reading. have done anything to hurt her." Jordon High School newspaper policeman. In an interview with The News & Observer, Michael Peterson talks about being free from prison. Elizabeth Ratliff Autopsy vision with Peterson because he had written several negative columns about EVIDENCE After military service at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC, Leestma joined the faculty at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago. However, seeing that you have no compassion The autopsy report concluded that Kathleen had died from blood loss 90 minutes to two hours after sustaining the injuries. Link to Oregon in December of 2000, The man barely shows any normal emotions unless it has to do with how things effect him. He also testified at the trials of Casey Anthony and Phil Spector, the civil trial against O.J. he certainly needed a lawyer if it was a homicide." Zamperini claimed Michael and Kathleen was worried about money. Peterson admitted his war injury was not the result of a shrapnel wound in they could talk with Mike Peterson. 544 Castle Drive, off base at Fort Bragg But I wouldn’t say I worry about my dad. Rabbi or the professional medic -- the image is of Hattie McDaniel There is dried blood on the bottoms of the feet bilaterally with dried blood When Elizabeth Ratliff died in 1985, Michael became the guardian of her two children. PETERSON: My wife had an accident. "I know my client is innocent. Elizabeth was found murdered at the bottom of the stairs with the same injuries as Kathleen. episode of widespread brain ischemia of the abuser, an abuser's highly controlling behavior, and a woman separating -- Margaret Ratliff. She had no injuries on her legs and knees. She loved to make her own clothes and was extremely hardworking. Needless to say, the writing on Clayton's note was vintage Peterson.