Kathleen Peterson's Daughter Sued For Millions After Her Mother's Death In 'The Staircase'
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The gripping HBO Max true crime series The Staircase follows the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson. Her husband, novelist Michael Peterson, became the center of the investigation and was eventually convicted of Kathleen's murder in 2003. After being released from prison in 2011, he's now fighting to clear his name.
But if you've binge-watched the Netflix documentary The Staircase, then you know that it isn't so simple. The doc that the HBO Max show is based (and builds upon) is filled with dark twists and turns, plus the confusing ins and outs of Michael's trial.
Michael's children also play a large role. The Peterson family has been outspoken about their father's trial—and there's a lot to learn about each of them.
Ready for the full breakdown? Here's everything you need to know about each member of the Peterson family, including who plays them in the HBO Max series:
Michael and Kathleen Peterson
Michael Peterson is an author and a military veteran who served in the Vietnam War. He met his first wife, Patricia Sue, in West Germany, according to People. The two got married in 1968 and eventually had two sons, Todd and Clayton.
During their marriage, Michael and Patricia became close friends with their neighbors at the time, George and Elizabeth Ratliff. When the Ratliffs both died in the 1980s, Michael adopted their daughters, Margaret and Martha, per Newsweek. Soon after that, Michael and Patricia split up.
Michael then married Kathleen Peterson in 1997. She was an executive at Nortel Networks, a telecommunications company, WRAL.com reported. Kathleen had one daughter named Caitlin from her first marriage to physicist Fred Atwater, per PopSugar. A few years later, in 2001, she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, North Carolina home.
In the series, Michael is played by Colin Firth, while Kathleen is played by Toni Collette.
Patricia Peterson
Patricia, Michael's first wife, lived with Michael for several years in Germany, The News & Observer reported. The two both worked for the Department of Defense—Patricia taught elementary school children there for over three decades.
The pair never got back together after their divorce, but Patricia maintained Michael's innocence in both the deaths of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson up until her own death in 2021, per the Charlotte Observer (more on that in a sec).
Patricia doesn't appear in the HBO Max series.
Clayton Peterson
Clayton is the oldest of Michael and Patricia's children. Clayton and his brother Todd grew up with Patricia after their parents divorced, according to Newsweek. As teenagers, they reunited with Michael in Durham, North Carolina.
When Clayton was 19 years old, he was arrested and charged for planting a homemade pipe bomb in a Duke University office, where he was attending college at the time, per The News & Observer. (The bomb never went off.)
Investigators later found six additional bombs in the Peterson's family home. After he was convicted of possessing a destructive device in 1994, Clayton served four years in a federal penitentiary, the Herald Sun reported.
During Michael Peterson's trial, Clayton maintained his father's innocence. Today, he lives in Maryland with his wife and children, according to The News & Observer.
In The Staircase, Clayton is played by Dane DeHaan from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Todd Peterson
Todd is Michael and Patricia's younger son. He was the first person to see Michael after Kathleen died, and he also supported his father during the trial.
Author Diane Fanning writes in her book Written in Blood that Todd supposedly told police officers he thought Kathleen's death was alcohol-related, per Newsweek. In 2018, Michael's lawyer revealed that Todd now lives in Tennessee, The News & Observer reported.
Todd is played by Midnight Sun actor Patrick Schwarzenegger.
Margaret and Martha Ratliff
Michael and Patricia adopted Margaret and her sister Martha after their parents, George and Elizabeth Ratliff, passed away.
When authorities found Elizabeth dead at the bottom of a staircase in Germany, autopsy results revealed that her cause of death was an intracerebral hemorrhage, per Newsweek. The Petersons had dinner with Elizabeth, Margaret, and Martha the night she died, and Michael was the last person to see her alive. Elizabeth's body was exhumed during Michael's trial, only adding to the layers of evidence that were presented in court.
Like Clayton and Todd, both Margaret and Martha maintained Michael's innocence. Since the trial, Margaret has moved to California, while Martha now lives in Colorado, per Newsweek.
In the HBO Max series, Margaret is played by Sophie Turner and Martha is played by Odessa Young.
Caitlin Atwater
Caitlin Atwater is the daughter of Kathleen Peterson and her first husband, Fred Atwater. When Michael was arrested, Caitlin spoke out in support of her stepfather: "My mother and Mike had an absolutely loving relationship and there is no way that either of them would ever wish any sort of harm on the other one," she said, according to Newsweek.
But as The Staircase shows, Caitlin began to grow suspicious of Michael during the trial, eventually becoming a key witness for the prosecution. In 2008, Caitlin filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Michael, which the two later settled for $25 million, Newsweek reported.
Today, Caitlin goes by her married name, Caitlin Clark. Since the trial, she's had twins and moved to Virginia, per The News & Observer.
In The Staircase, Caitlin is played by Olivia DeJonge from The Society.
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