The Staircase

Reading all these reviews after I finished watching the show what I realized is that most people don't realize what the criminal justice system should be all about. It's not about deciding if Peterson is innocent or not. It is also not about what your common sense tells you about what happened. Any person who is charged with something is "not guilty" unless proven "guilty" beyond reasonable doubts. And in this particular case it was prosecutors burden to prove that. The only thing which is begging us to give attention in this series is the broken criminal justice system and the fact that the DA will go any length to put someone behind the bars. This guy had some money so he could fight against it whether he killed his wife or not. But think about this possibility: you're poor and your wife died by an accident and they think you murdered her. So they will do whatever is there to do to put you away for good. And you cannot do anything about it because you are poor. The justice system is biased and rigged against the poor. Whether we think OJ or Peterson killed their wives doesn't mean anything. The prosecutors have to prove beyond reasonable doubts that they are guilty without masterminding the evidence and/or bringing prejudicial matters as evidence. The judge was not wise enough to stop that in Petersons case which he should have stopped. It's not like we can execute some innocent people for the sake of executing a lot of guilty people. If you are not proven guilty then you are not guilty and that's the bottom line. Just because something goes along smoothly according to our common sense doesn't make them right. You have to produce evidence what matters. I agree what David said in one episode, "the absence of evidence is not same as evidence of absence". No one knows if he killed his wife except himself until you can prove otherwise by the evidence of presence. If the prosecutors went for the DNA in her clothing straight forward maybe they would have better case against him rather than fabricating with the evidence. True they could have brought some more perspectives from the prosecutors side. It would have been really interesting to see their reaction after the Deaver things came out. But overall it's an average crime documentary with not very high quality. I'll put a 8 star and encourage you to watch it if you have some time to spare.

What happened the night of December 9, 2001 will never be known. Did Michael Peterson, an established author and mayor, kill his wife Kathleen Peterson or have the past twenty years of his life been an endless tragedy? At the conclusion of this docuseries, I still do not know if he killed his wife or not.

This series is shot over many years with most of the episodes filmed in 2002-2003. For some strange reason, it seems that there is a vendetta to charge Michael Peterson with first degree manslaughter. The prosecution is convinced that he has killed his wife, but there is not really any proof that he did so.

I will not share the evidence that the prosecution has, but all of it is very slim and circumstantial. I was left with the feeling that everyone involved with the prosecution were complete morons and did not seem to listen to any form of logic.

It's their ineptitude that causes a hearing later on to address Michael Peterson's trial. Several pieces of information are brought to light that demonstrate the police's desire to blame Michael Peterson for the death of his wife (none of which I will disclose).

I do want to add that I thought Michael Peterson was a very odd individual. His tone of voice was strange and he always seemed to be pretending to be someone he is not. His choice of attorney, David Rudolf, was not the best selection as well. He allowed those on the witness stand to try to persuade the jury of Michael Peterson's guilt rather than the standard yes or no questions that a defense attorney typically employs. After the trial concludes, it feels like a different series.

This series was interesting as it morphed with the later episodes. It stopped focusing on the trial and instead became a story about Michael Peterson's family. It humanized the story and, as a viewer, I sought closure for Michael Peterson and his family. However, the episodes that were about his family felt too slow and it bothered me.

The Staircase is a daunting thirteen episodes and it is just too long. The pacing is a little uneven, but it is still fascinating. I just think that it can easily be ten episodes and the pacing would probably be better as well.

It is still an amazing docuseries and I highly recommend it. Just be aware of how long it is and that it can be somewhat boring at times. Thank you for reading this review.

I knew nothing about the Peterson case before watching this film obsessively over a weekend. Even with Lestrade's clearly biased presentation, I came to the same conclusion the jury did - testament to the strength of the autopsy evidence. Res ipsa loquitur - she simply could not have died from a fall down the stairs given the lacerations and the blood. And nothing to suggest that an intruder caused her death. Sure, I winced when Freda Black went on and on about the porn, as if its existence on Peterson's computer in and of itself indicates anything. But all in all it was an interesting lesson into how the skilled storyteller can skew anything towards his chosen bias. And the score was absolutely exquisite.

Why wasn't it ever put into question, the paternity of the adopted girls ? The one looks exactly like Peterson ! And all the talk about Kathleen " falling " in the stairway ... she certainly could have " fallen" after being beaten ..... it was a good presentation ... he's guilty as hell.

If you want to watch a police documentary don't watch this one because the mystery is still here (even though there are certain theories going around on the internet, I'll let you look by yourself).

This documentary is about a broken justice system that doesn't allow the defendant the fair ability to defend themselves. The State is the prosecution so why would they handle themselves all the evidence? It needs an unbiased third party to handle such evidence. Politics come into play in all aspect of society and it's just sad that it also colors the justice system, which should be politic-free and unbiased, always.