Once You Know the Owl Theory From 'The Staircase,' You'll Never Stop Thinking About It
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HBO's The Staircase is a gripping drama reenacting the grisly death of Kathleen Peterson, and the subsequent trial and conviction of her husband, Michael Peterson, in her murder. Starring Colin Firth and Toni Colette, the series reexamines the real-life incident, including the famous documentary crew who filmed the trial proceedings.
The true crime story has persisted for all these year in part because people still have doubt about the facts of the case. Did Michael Peterson really kill his wife? Were they really a happy family before all of this, or was it actually an household filled with drama? And that's not even all of the ongoing discourse over the whole case.
After the documentary aired and Michael Peterson's 2003 trial had ended, his former neighbor, Larry Pollard posited in 2008 that it wasn't even a human that killed Kathleen Peterson, but an owl.
That theory may sound a little absurd, but it's not unfounded. In fact, it's become a sort of 'what if?' scenario for true crime obsessives, eager to know what would have happened if the defense raised the unexpected idea in court, and actually brought in experts to investigate the idea back when it still could have proved Michael Peterson's innocence (if he was innocent).
So for anyone watching the HBO series for the first time and curious about how the Owl theory came to be, plus if there's any truth to it, we've got the answers to your questions down below.
What Is the Owl Theory in The Staircase?
In 2008, Larry Pollard posted videos on YouTube about his theory that a barred owl actually killed Kathleen Peterson, and not her husband Michael. The bird is common in North Carolina, and they have a history of dive-bombing on people's heads. Audubon even did a look into the idea, confirming the theory's possibility.
Pollard suggests Kathleen walked into the house while Michael was out in the backyard. On her way inside, a barred owl attacked her, causing a head injury. Or the owl somehow got into the house and in a panic, attacked her. Whatever injuries she sustained caused her to fall down the stairs, rather than a person pushing her. Michael was out of earshot, and didn't hear the commotion, hence his delay in finding her and calling the cops.
According to Vulture, a feather was actually found among the evidence, and Pollard broached the theory with experts, who agreed it was entirely possible. The injuries Kathleen had could be owl scratches.
In an interview with Vulture, Michael Peterson's defense attorney said he didn't bring up the theory in court because he didn't really think about the owl theory until closing arguments, and by then it would be far too late to introduce the idea in court. And in that same interview, director Jean-Xavier Lestrade said he didn't include the owl theory in his documentary for because it wasn't in the trial.
Regardless of what the truth is, the owl theory will never see its day in court. Michael Peterson accepted an Alford Plea in 2017, protesting his innocence while granting the court had enough evidence to prove his guilt. The case is as good as closed. Still, the entirely probable theory lives on as a legendary true crime theorem.
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