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HBO Max's The Staircase, based on the true story of Kathleen Peterson's murder in Durham, North Carolina, in 2001 and her husband's subsequent trial and conviction, has sparked fresh interest in the case locally and beyond.
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade's documentary series of the same name, which can be seen on Netflix, is the basis for HBO Max's Colin Firth-starrer, The Staircase.
Myke Holmes portrays Duane Deaver, a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent, in the new docuseries.
Who is Duane Deaver in The Staircase?
When Michael Peterson went on trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen, Duane Deaver worked as a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agent. Not only did the agent testify as an expert witness in the trial, he also provided a blood spatter study of the crime scene to the prosecution.
The Wrap reported that the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation fired blood spatter analyst Duane Deaver in 2011 after an official inquiry by the SBI crime lab contested the analyst's handling of hundreds of cases containing bloodstain evidence.
About 200 instances were found to be inappropriately handled as a result of the study. According to investigators, Deaver was responsible for some of the most heinous infractions. In two of the instances, Deaver's final report on blood analysis stated that his tests "confirmed the presence of blood," despite his notes showing that follow-up tests had come back negative.
As a result of issues with Deaver's work and evidence, a new trial was ordered for Durham-based novelist Michael Peterson, who was convicted of the 2001 murder of his wife in 2003. Additionally, Deaver confessed that he hid the blood evidence during the prosecution of Greg Taylor, who was convicted of the murder of a Raleigh woman and sentenced to 17 years in jail before being acquitted of the charges.
More about HBO Max's The Staircase
HBO Max's The Staircase narrates the fascinating real tale of Michael Peterson, an author who was convicted of killing his second wife Kathleen Peterson in December 2001.
Peterson was given a new trial in 2017 when an appellate court judge found the testimony of one of the prosecutor's witnesses to be untrue. This resulted in the accused submitting an Alford plea, admitting he was a victim of a crime, but did not confess culpability and maintained his innocence. Peterson later changed Alford's plea to voluntary manslaughter, a lesser offense.
As a television series, The Staircase recounts Michael Peterson's trial and role in his wife Kathleen's death in 2001, making it a docuseries rather than a documentary.
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner walked the red carpet with her husband and Disney star Joe Jonas at the HBO Max show's New York premiere earlier this week.
While conversing with Elle UK, Sophie spoke about the HBO Max series:
"I was completely obsessed with the [2018 Netflix] documentary and binged it Because it’s a real woman’s family, there is that intrigue and excitement, but it’s also quite harrowing to be a part of. You’re living those characters."
She added:
"Michael Peterson has very specific mannerisms. Watching Colin transform into him was amazing. It’s very different from the suave Colin we know and love."
The Staircase is now available to watch exclusively on HBO Max.
