Maintained that Kathleen fell down the stairs, perhaps after consuming alcohol and Valium. Key Episode Highlights

is a three-part true-crime miniseries that provides a concise, evidence-driven look into the infamous Michael Peterson case. While often confused with the longer, acclaimed French docuseries The Staircase (2004–2018) or the 2022 HBO Max dramatization, this particular special focuses heavily on the prosecution's perspective and the evidence left out of other retellings.

### On December 9, 2001, novelist Michael Peterson called emergency services to report finding his wife, Kathleen, unresponsive at the bottom of a back staircase in their Durham, North Carolina, home.

The series is structured to build mystery through specific, shocking revelations: The "Owl Theory" - David S. Rudolf

Argued that Michael beat Kathleen to death with a blunt instrument, possibly a "blowpoke".

Investigators found an extraordinary amount of blood, which they believed was inconsistent with a simple accidental fall.