Michael Peterson's fate hangs in the balance as the jury delivers the final verdict. Will justice be served?
After much fraught deliberations, a deal has been negotiated for an "Alford plea," wherein Peterson will plead guilty while still asserting his innocence. He attends the hearing, facing his late ...
The testimony of one of the key witnesses in Peterson's trial, forensic investigator Duane Deaver, has come into question. And as a result, in December of 2011, Peterson is released on parole. But he...
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Title: The Staircase (2004–2018)
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Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. "The staircase" is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller. Written by Julie Pouillon
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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.