The Staircase follows the compelling story of Michael Peterson, a crime novelist accused of killing wife Kathleen after she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in their home, and the 16 year judicial battle that followed.
In 2018 Netflix added three brand new episodes alongside the original 2004 series; all 13 launched globally on Netflix on June 8.
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade was granted unusual access to the case immediately following Kathleen’s death in 2001 in Durham, North Carolina. Her husband, Michael, a local public figure and successful novelist, quickly becomes the prime suspect. De Lestrade’s cameras were on hand to capture every moment of this extraordinary story from arrest to verdict, following in intimate detail Peterson’s home, the family and his defense team as it considered its strategic options.
The Staircase is a gripping real-life courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside-look at a high-profile murder trial and is an engrossing examination of contemporary American justice.
production details
France / Netflix / 49 minutes / 2005
Producer and Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
cast
Michael Peterson as Himself
David Rudolf as Himself
Ron Guerette as Himself
Tom Maher as Himself
Bill Peterson as Himself
