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With The Staircase gearing up for a fourth episode, David Rudolf is an intriguing name to fans who are already loving the true-crime series. David Rudolf is a competent and efficient defense attorney who has been fighting cases for decades now.
But it was only Michael Peterson, the novelist charged with murdering his wife, who made Rudolf a public figure who soon achieved national recognition with his shot into the limelight.
David Rudolf represented Michael Peterson when the novelist was charged with murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson, a claim which he vehemently denied throughout. One fateful evening in 2001, Kathleen's bloody and battered body was found at the bottom of the staircase of their North Carolina home.
Although Peterson always insisted that he found his wife dead, who may have tumbled down the stairs under the influence of alcohol, he was always the prime suspect in the case.
The Charlotte-based criminal defense attorney, David Rudolf, represented Peterson's case throughout his trial. The trial was one of North Carolina's longest and most high-profile murder trials ever, and although they lost the case, both lawyer and client received national recognition.
The case has also been adapted into a docu-series by Netflix. Another adaptation is available now on HBO Max by the name of The Staircase.
All about HBO Max's The Staircase and David Rudolf in the series
The North Carolina lawyer is no stranger to seeing himself on television. From the case itself achieving national attention, the incident has also been turned into a documentary by Netflix where Rudolf himself appeared.
Now, HBO is back with its adaptation of the series, titled The Staircase, starring Collin Firth in the role of Michael Peterson. Three episodes of the series have already landed on the HBO Max streaming platform, and another is on the way.
Unlike the Netflix documentary, the HBO series is a highly dramatized representation of the incident. It follows the accident/murder as it took place and also documents the trial where we see Rudolf fighting for Peterson shortly after his initial arrest.
David Rudolf and his team tried to convince the jury that Peterson was not guilty in the case because he did not hear his wife falling or crying for help as he was by the pool when the incident took place and only came in much later. But all the evidence pointed out otherwise, and it was almost impossible to prove Peterson not guilty.
David Rudolf is portrayed in The Staircase by actor Michael Stuhlbarg. Stuhlbarg has done a commendable job in bringing out Rudolf's dynamic personality and charismatic presence in court, which helped him shine through and even brought him recognition and acclaim.
Catch the HBO series to learn more about the Peterson murder case.
