True Crime Doc, ‘The Staircase,’ Offers A Look at a Flawed Justice System

Few true crime documentaries are as gripping and complex as Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s 13 episode series, The Staircase. The makers of the series decided to make a documentary about a case from beginning to end, including all aspects of the family life, court planning, and trial details. This is truly the granddaddy of such films as the wildly successful The Jinx and Making a Murderer. The Staircase is a showcases not only the death of a woman, but also the legal system in general, and how easily justice can slip away.

It is the story of the death of Kathleen Peterson, who died at the foot of a staircase in her home on December 9, 2001, in a large pool of blood. Her husband, a novelist named Michael Peterson, finds her, calls the police, and claims that she must have fallen down the stairs. The police seem to think otherwise. and he soon finds himself charged with first degree murder.

In many ways, Michael Peterson is luckier than many defendants because he had enough money to hire his own defense team. Not a flashy team, but certainly a competent one.

The evidence against him seems circumstantial enough. His family is made up of Todd and Clayton, his own two sons from a previous marriage, and Margaret and Martha Ratliff, two daughters that he adopted from a family friend who died. All four children support their father’s claim of innocence, and it is clear that his defense attorney, David Rudolf, also believes that Peterson is innocent.

For the bulk of the film, we believe that he will be found innocent, mostly because all his lawyers really had to prove in court was that there was reasonable doubt. And to us, it appears to be there. But the defense seems determined to dig up dirt from Michael Peterson’s past and hold it against him.

The truth is that we become so intimate with Peterson and his family that it’s genuinely shocking when he’s found guilty. That seems like the end of the story, but it’s only where things really get interesting. The majority of the series is devoted to the preparation and trial itself, but there are several episodes that have been added that were shot years after the verdict, with many shocking revelations.

This is a series that is meant to serve as a warning to anyone who believes that the legal system automatically favors the rich. It also refutes the idea that that legal experts are supposed to be impartial. In reality, the truth is much more complicated, and the long, slow arc of the legal system doesn’t always reach toward justice at all. The Staircase is absolutely essential viewing for true crime documentary lovers.