Kathleen Peterson was found at the bottom of the staircase in her lavish North Carolina home in 2001, but the mystery around her death continues to endure.
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, who directed the documentary series "The Staircase," is unhappy with the way certain elements are portrayed in HBO's new dramatized series starring Colin Firth.
Duane Deaver was an expert witness in the Michael Peterson trial and a key figure in Peterson's appeal, which ultimately led to his release from prison in 2017.
HBO Max's "The Staircase" depicts French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and his documentary film crew, who filmed Michael Peterson to make the classic docuseries on which the new dramatized show is based.
David Rudolf, who is portrayed by actor Michael Stuhlbarg in the HBO Max series "The Staircase," fought tenaciously for novelist Michael Peterson after he was charged with murder for the 2001 death of his wife Kathleen Peterson.
Prosecutor Freda Black, portrayed by Parker Posey in HBO Max's "The Staircase," was found dead on her couch years after she prosecuted novelist Michael Peterson for the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson.
The theory of Kathleen Peterson's 2001 death, featured in the hit docuseries "The Staircase," has been laughed at and mocked by local authorities — but this may be because of confirmation bias, defense attorneys Sonia Pfeiffer and David Rudolf say.