The Staircase - what's your guys verdict?

[FT96]

Hey Everyone!

I've been watching the new series - just wondering what your guys opinion is -- husband guilty or not guilty?

I really don't know. Most of me thinks he did it......but I just don't know. But yeah he probably did.

I watched the Netflix documentary and I thought he didn’t do it, but haven’t seen the new drama yet so that might change my mind!

@Elsiebear90 @Dozycuntlaters definitely a tricky one! I keep going back and forth with whether he's guilty or not.

I haven't watched it, but I have read a book about it. I think guilty.
His first wife died in similar circumstances, I seem to remember.

Guilty for me 🖐🏼

Guilty.

Watch the you tube video with the 4 body language experts,they're laughing at what a load of nonsense he comes out with.

@Amdone123 ooo I never knew that! I will defo have to have a read!

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor I'm going to have a watch of that now! :)

Ugh I think he's an arrogant narcissist and probably did do it but they didn't seem to have any concrete evidence.

It was the owl want it?

• wasn’t it?

I saw the Netflix series and I felt they were trying to portray him as innocent, but come on, what a coincidence for a man to be alone when two women die in similar circumstances. And it’s not even a common way for young(ish) women to die.

Yes it was always so convenient for him to be by the pool whilst she "fell" thus not hearing anything.

I've just started watching the Netflix doc. There is something 'off' about the whole family. My daughters theory is that it was a joint effort between the husband, his son & the adopted daughters. I've only watched the 1st episode but it's an interesting watch for sure

I felt sorry for the adopted daughters. To me they came across as very naïve and trusting. I guess though if they could think of the possibility that their step father did it they’d likely have break downs.

The Netflix doc is very biased, I have read that he had a romantic relationship with one of the journalists or directors whilst it was being done so hardly an objective view.

It seems far too much of a coincidence for 2 women in his life to end up dead in similar circumstances.

I love Colin Firth's portrayal. He's got the voice down to a t.
Deffo guilty though, I watched the Netflix series and my niece and I say guilty. My husband (trusting soul) says not guilty.

So interesting to see many people say he's guilty - I was so in between however I never realised something similar had happened before... definitely raises suspicion. I think what got me was the lack of actual evidence... Looking forward to see where the rest of this new series leads.

I think guilty but if I was in court and had to say beyond a reasonable doubt I'd struggle. I think I'm about 75/25 for the reasons people say here

The first death was his neighbour, a recent widow who they'd all had a friendship with.
I don't think he killed the first, but think it gave him the idea as it was treated as an open and shut case. I think he killed his wife and hoped for a similar outcome.

Guilty.
He is a clever, manipulative storyteller.

I don't believe a fall down the stairs could have caused that amount of trauma to her body.

A fall down the stairs definitely can cause that amount of trauma, a neighbour's relationship fell and died and they were finding bits of skull for ages afterwards during the clean up, she said the amount of blood was astonishing.

Saying that, I don't think that's what happened in the Peterson case.

Watched the Netflix series - guilty

Apparently it was an annuerism but that's as just what he said, there was no evidence in medical reports iirc.

I've read a number of theories about why people think he's guilty, but I've never read one yet that rings true. He was a writer and obviously an intelligent man, so I feel that if he was planning on killing her, then he would have really thought about the details. There are so many much easier ways to kill a person and get away with it.

For example:

He and his sons had money problems, so he decided to kill her like he killed his previous wife by pushing her down the stairs and making it look like an accident. But, this makes no sense to me as it's actually pretty hard to kill someone by pushing them down the stairs, so what would he have done is she had simply got up and run away?

Or, he hit her over the head with something (a blowpoke) and then pushed her down the stairs. But, again, it's actually quite hard to kill someone with a single blow to the head as the skull is so thick, and even 20 years ago, they had some forensics, so surely he would have considered this when he was planning on killing her?

Or she was lying at the bottom of the stairs dying and he held her down with his foot until she died of blood loss. But, what was his plan if she didn't die of blood loss or if someone walked into the house?

Or, maybe they had an argument at the top of the stairs and he spur of the moment pushed her down the stairs. I could see this happening but then all the stuff about his debts and his previous wife become irrelevant, so if he pushed her down the stairs and she hit her head, it's also possible she fell down the stairs.

I don't know, but if someone who thinks he is guilty could explain how he did it. I would be interested in hearing how. For example, the Helen Bailey killing. I can see how he planned it out, how he thought he'd get away with it. It makes sense to me. But, I can't see it with The Staircase killing.