Kathleen Peterson wurde am 21 Februar 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA geboren. Sie war mit Michael Peterson und Fred Atwater verheiratet. Sie starb am 9 Dezember 2001 in Durham, North Carolina, USA.
On December 9, 2001, she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham mansion. Her husband Michael Peterson had called 9-1-1, stating that she had fallen down the stairs. He was convicted of her murder in 2003 and sentenced to life in prison, but on December 15, 2011, was granted a new trial following the discrediting of a prosecution witness.