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LATEST NEWS:
Michael Peterson loses bid for appeal
The State Court of Appeals refused to overturn the guilty verdict of Michael Peterson, a novelist who was convicted of murdering his wife in 2001.
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Peterson hospitalized after jailhouse scuffle
Michael Peterson, who began serving a life sentence after a jury found him guilty of killing his wife, got off to a rocky start in prison. The convicted killer was hospitalized just weeks after his Oct. 2003 conviction resulting from a dust-up with a fellow inmate inside his cell.
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Guilty, first-degree murder
The jury found Michael Peterson guilty of first-degree murder in October 2003 after five days of deliberations. The decision showed the jury believed Kathleen Peterson was beaten to death by her husband, not the victim of an accidental fall. The defendant was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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See the verdict sheet
Oct. 9, 2003: Letter takes center stage
Oct. 8, 2003: The waiting game and a little solitaire
Jury Box: Play-by-play of deliberations
Quiz: Test your knowledge of the trial
Oct. 7, 2003: Two days, no verdict
Oct. 6, 2003: Jury begins deliberations
Oct. 3, 2003: Prosecution presents closing
Oct. 2, 2003: Defense closing: 10 reasons to acquit
Oct. 1, 2003: Juror spends night in jail
Sept. 30, 2003: Judge schedules jury deliberations
Sept. 29, 2003: The poker conundrum
Sept. 26, 2003: Judge: State witness committed perjury
Sept. 25, 2003: State expert: Fall nearly impossible
Sept. 24, 2003: Prosecution attempts to poke holes
Sept. 23, 2003: Defense presents suprise blow poke
Sept. 22, 2003: Defense expert: Police mishandled scene
Sept. 17, 2003: Animation illustrates defense's theory
Sept. 16, 2003: Henry Lee paints a gray picture
Sept. 15, 2003: Lee: Blood inconsistent with beating
Sept. 11, 2003: Jury takes field trip to Peterson house
Sept. 10, 2003: Defense expert: Death scene 'contaminated'
Sept. 9, 2003: Defense expert defends two-fall theory
Sept. 8, 2003: Defense lays out two-fall scenario
Sept. 6, 2003: As prosecution rests, did it meet its burden?
Sept. 5, 2003: Medical examiner sticks to theory on cross
Sept. 4, 2003: Medical examiner: Death was no accident
Sept. 3, 2003: Sister describes missing fireplace poker
Sept. 2, 2003: Expert: Peterson's wife bled for 'several hours'
Aug. 28, 2003: Witnesses describe Petersons' money concerns
Aug. 27, 2003: Death in 1985 was suspicious, witness says
Aug. 26, 2003: 1985 death continues to dominate trial
Aug. 25, 2003: Judge permits statement from absentee witness
Aug. 22, 2003: Neighbor's eerily similar death ruled admissible
Aug. 21, 2003: Pathologist sees signs of attempted strangulation
Aug. 20, 2003: Cross-examination continues on expert's sixth day
Aug. 19, 2003: Defense attacks blood spatter evidence
Aug. 18, 2003: Death 18 years ago takes center stage
Aug. 14, 2003: Blood analyst: Spatter suggests beating
Aug. 13, 2003: Blood spatter expert testifies
Aug. 11, 2003: Male escort testifies
Aug. 6, 2003: Medical examiner explains about-face
July 30, 2003: Trial delayed for a week
July 30, 2003: Reporter's notebook: Broken elevators to the beach
July 29, 2003: Prosecutors offer shoe clue
July 28, 2003: Defense sets stage to dispute murder theory
July 25, 2003: Empty packet latest mishap
July 24, 2003: Will footprints lead jury to conclude coverup?
July 23, 2003: Grilling of evidence technician continues
July 22, 2003: Defense attacks evidence collection
July 21, 2003: Prosecutors near heart of their case
July 18, 2003: Jurors see death scene video
July 16, 2003: Prosecutors on the defensive
July 15, 2003: A theory: Mr. Peterson, on the stairs, with a poker
July 14, 2003: Police: "Red flags" indicate fall was no accident
July 10, 2003: Police handling of scene at issue
July 9, 2003: Recording of 911 call brings tears to Peterson trial
July 8, 2003: Financial matters still main focus
July 3, 2003: Prosecutors present financial motive
July 2, 2003: Wet or dry? State of blood emerges as key question
July 1, 2003: Openings: Two version of death
June 27, 2003: Openings slated
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When business executive Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of a staircase, investigators figured she fell after a night of drinking. But when pathologists concluded Peterson's injuries looked more like a beating, prosecutors pointed the finger at her husband, novelist Michael Peterson, who now faces life in prison.
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Verdict Sheet
Jurors must fill out this form once they render their decision.
Jury Instructions
The judge read these instructions for the jury to follow just before deliberations began.
Peterson's E-mails
E-mails from Michael Peterson included talk about money problems, a gay friend and his wife's work troubles.
Web Site List
This extensive list of Web sites was viewed on the defendant's computer.
Letters of Support
Some of the dozens of letters urging the judge to grant Peterson bail repeatedly refer to the "perfect couple," and one writer even comments on how unsteady Kathleen would become when drinking.
Peterson's Autopsy
The medical examiner concluded Kathleen Peterson's death was more likely caused by a beating than a fall down the stairs.
Ratliff's Autopsy
Elizabeth Ratliff's death was initially deemed accidental and her cause of death was a brain hemorrhage.
Supplemental Motion
This defense motion provides details about dissimilarities between the two dead women's injuries following Ratliff's exhumation and second autopsy.
Lab Results
The State Bureau of Investigation analyzed the Petersons clothing for finger and shoe prints.
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