At Blue Moth Creative we love any form of media that pushes boundaries and instills thought provoking commentary. If you’re one of the many that have recently viewed the Netflix original Making a Murderer and found yourself gripped by the Steven Avery story and apparent miscarriage of justice, then we have another documentary for you to watch.
The Staircase, artfully directed and pieced together by award winning filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade follows the riveting journey of writer Michael Peterson who was convicted of the 1st degree murder of his wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2001. Kathleen was found dead and covered in blood at the bottom of the staircase in their Durham, North Carolina home. The prosecuting state was unable to find a murder weapon or prove a motive.
Throughout the documentary, Peterson’s high-end legal team (lead by David Rudolf) create an in-depth and well planned case to defend him. The micro-detail and preparatory steps they take to create his defense shine light onto the level of legal service that the wealthy can obtain and offer insight into questions of poor vs. wealthy defense, and fairness in the legal system.
Ultimately, the unprecedented access that Jean-Xavier had to Mr. Peterson, including his home, family and defense team as well as the intimate interviews, plot twists and dramatic public and media attention inherent throughout the film make this a must watch. Enjoy and please leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
We have posted both the 2004 original documentary here as well as the 2013 follow up (note – do note read past the first link to avoid spoilers):
The Staircase – 2004, eight episode release which documents the original court case from start to finish (torrent source).
The Staircase 2: Last Chance – 2013 hearing documentary after substantial new information is discovered (video link).
