He was released on bond in 2011 pending a retrial. Upon examination, forensic pathologist Deborah Radisch, who also worked on Kathleen's case, said that Elizabeth's injuries were inconsistent with an accident. Did Michael Peterson Kill Elizabeth Ratliff? Both Peterson and his wife raised his two daughters, Margaret and Martha,as if they were their own. Elizabeth Ratliff, a 43-year-old widow who taught second grade at a U.S. Department of Defense School, was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs on November 25, 1985. It's believed that Michael was the last. Ok so here is my theory for the Michael Peterson case-while I do not think he is a serial killer who always plans to kill women by the same method of throwing them down the stairs, I do think he has the personality of flying into a rage which ended with the deaths of 2 women and here is how I think it happened: 1985-Germany-Michael was carrying on an affair with family friend, Elizabeth Ratliff (he claims they never did but then he did look elsewhere who knows how many times during his marriages for other partners to satisfy his sexual desires, and as we cannot ask Elizabeth, I would say his ability to lie and tell stories, definitely does not add anything to his credibility. Whether the evidence about Elizabeth Ratliff's death had a particularly swaying influence on the jury or not is impossible to know - but Michael Peterson was convicted of murdering Kathleen Peterson in October 2003. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! As it came to light that Kathleen was not the first woman associated with Michael to be found dead at the bottom of the staircase, Elizabeths remains were exhumed for more information. Just like with Peterson's wife Kathleen, she suffered lacerations to the head which were attributed to her fall. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver I do however wished that Michaels lawyer wouldve let him testify because the jurors would've seen his true colors, but as seen in The Staircase on Netflix, even his lawyers knew his personality as they stated it would not be in his best interest to take the stand because his personality would be off-putting to the jury (Im not quoting, but basically they knew the jury would hate him). The Scene of Her Death The 43-year-old died in 1985 in Germany and was found at the bottom of her stairs by her children's nanny, Barbara Malagnino. Since her husband's death, Peterson would come over to visit her every evening after dinner, according to "The Staircase." He hires David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) whose price tag is as big as his reputation. That's number one. Ratliff's two young daughters ended up living with Michael Peterson, and he raised them in North Carolina with his two sons from his first marriage. He was sentenced to time already served and freed from prison. After receiving permission from Elizabeth's mother and sister, authorities went ahead with the exhumation. Thus, all we can positively state is, whatever the case may be, both Elizabeth and Kathleens deaths were simply tragic. Kathleen even has a brief run-in with Freda Black. "There was nothing out of place, except that she was no longer living," she recalled almost two decades later. The author's ex-wife Patty maintains that their relationship was platonic and that her ex-husband is innocent. First, her death was ruled natural After her death, German officials concluded that Ratliff died of a cerebral hemorrhage which led to her falling down the stairs. His children, who all decided not to attend the hearing, see the news break on television but decide to keep their distance to try and maintain normalcy in their own lives. She continued: "Rather, they are indicative of multiple blunt force impacts, either from blows to the head caused by a blunt object or by the head being forcibly struck against a hard surface. It is true that Peterson and Brunet did date, with Peterson confirming to The News and Observer they went their separate ways in 2017. On November 25, 1985, Elizbeth Ratliff was found dead at the bottom of her staircase, in an eerily similar way to the way Michael Peterson's wife, Kathleen Peterson was found on December 1, 2001.