About a decade ago, I caught the eight-part documentary about the North Carolina murder trial of Michael Peterson. In the show, which originally aired on British and U.S. T.V. in 2005, French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade pulls back the curtain on the American criminal justice system.
I purchased the DVDs and made as many people watch them as I could. Not only did I want them to enjoy the series, but I needed to know if they saw it the same way I did with respect to Peterson’s guilt or innocence. There were a lot of disagreements. Now you may judge it for yourself because the series, with extra episodes, is available on Netflix.
After the original series ran, two more episodes were released in 2011, called The Staircase 2: The Last Chance. The new Netflix release includes those and three more episodes that cover judicial proceedings in 2016. So, now you may binge watch all thirteen episodes.
I do not want to give too much away beyond telling you to drop everything to go watch it. But the accusations against Peterson centered on the events of the night of December 9, 2001. On that night, his wife Kathleen went into the house while Peterson was outside. He later claimed that he found her at the bottom of their staircase, bloody and dead.
Eventually, Peterson was accused and tried for killing his wife. The case not only divides viewers, but the family becomes divided too. The filmmakers created the series with extensive access to Peterson and his lawyers, making you feel you get to know many of the people involved.
The case goes through several twists, turns, and surprises. Did he kill his wife? Did she fall? Or did something else happen? I enjoyed The Staircase even more than the similarly very good crime documentary Making a Murderer (2015). Go check out The Staircase for yourself.
Do you think Michael Peterson was railroaded by the system? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
