Criminal Activity

In December 2001 Kathleen Peterson was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of a staircase in her North Carolina home. Her husband, crime novelist Michael Peterson, claimed she had tragically tripped and fallen after drinking by the pool, but investigators quickly suspected foul play due to the sheer volume of blood and severe lacerations on her scalp.

The ensuing legal battle spanned over a decade, twisting through allegations of hidden secrets, a botched prosecution investigation, and even a bizarre yet compelling theory that she was attacked by a wild barred owl.

To get up to speed before our meetup and form your own theories, you can watch the definitive true-crime docuseries The Staircase on Netflix.