The Staircase on Netflix

[sirmione16]

Anyone else watched/watching it?? I'm on episode 11.

I can't help but feel he hasn't mentioned his wife throughout all his interviews. He talks a lot of missing his kids, missing out on their milestones etc - but never once talks about the fact he lost a life with his wife or that he misses her or anything..... just odd.... at this point I'm convinced he's innocent but it's just so weird that 1. He had 2 ladies in his life that fell down stairs... 2. He never expresses grief for his wife.

Watched the whole thing I changed my mind a lot

I'm a fan of the owl theory...

I've finished watching it now and my opinion stands that it just all seems a bit suspicious to be completely innocent - but also that the trial was inadequate from all sides

@PhaedrasChocolate owl theory?

Yes, it's mentioned a couple of times near the end, you will have to Google it, I'm too scared of giving spoilers!

I found out about the Peterson case by listening to a podcast on the owl theory & was so disappointed that they don't cover it all!

Placemarking. About 2/3 of the way through so will come back when I'm finished!

I will say though that on the first episode I had quite a visceral reaction to Peterson and was sure he'd done it. I realised last night that I don't think that anymore.

Really fascinating programme.

I don't remember watching anything on the owl theory but I feel it's rather clutching at straws

I think his first wife gave him an alibi for the first stair death. She also there was no blood but the other witnesses described the blood graphically. If he wasn't home with her, he could have killed the first woman as rigor mortis would have not have set in wth a later death. I think he was guilty.

@Jayfee agreed. Plus, even if he didn't do the first one, perhaps it gave him the idea for the second... just seems so fishy. I mean, how many people in your life have fallen down stairs and died in such bloody horrendous fashion recently? I bet less than 2 lol

Im certain he did do it!

@Whisky2014 why? :)

I was fascinated by it, and binge watched it. At the start, I was convinced he’d done it, partly because if their relationship was so perfect, why would he be seeking relationships with other men. I personally wouldn’t be ok with that and I find it hard to believe that his wife did too.
He was a very strange man. But by the end of the documentary, a large part of me felt that he hadn’t done it.
His sons and adopted daughters had since unbending faith that he was innocent - and with the uncertain evidence presented I couldn’t have said he was guilty.

@Samb79 agreed that if I were in the jury after watching it, i think there's reasonable doubt. But mainly because the trial was so messed up with false evidence, bogus theories and a disturbed forensic scene

Just finished it this evening!

So on a 1-1 level I think he's innocent. His eyes changed so dramatically after prison and he seemed so much more in touch with emotions, and I don't know whether it was the lack of that beforehand that made him seem so guilty?

BUT on the other hand the evidence - the genuine stuff - autopsy, crime scene pics etc - just seem so clearly indicative of murder. I just don't see how all of those put together can be a fall.

So basically I want to believe he's innocent but I don't think the hard (non contaminated) facts massively go in his favour.

Shocking prejudice by the prosecution throughout though. The stuff of nightmares.

Read up on the owl theory - it's on the Staircase wiki page. I believe that now!

Its not the owl theory...come on!

Reasons why I think he did it:
Firstly his call to 911. It just sounded so fake...the way he talks is just so unlike what you would be like on the phone. And you wouldn't hang up on them!
Apparently the forensic evidence stated she was dead for hours before he called 911.
Secondly, look up the crime scene picture and really Look at it. There Is no way the way she is laying with that amount of blood was a fall down some stairs. If you look into the autopsy report she also had broken neck cartilage, bruises on her arms and legs consistent with a struggle.
They were in huge amounts if debt
He was shagging men and her sister said that Cathleen first marriage ended because her husband had an affair and there's no way she would have accepted mike having extra marital affairs.
The son had been making bombs in his room and been taking them to school (i think) you can hear/read about this on a bbc blog i will try to find it. Think he also went to jail but cant remember. The two boys had so much credit card debt that they couldn't even afford to pay off the interest. I think its was over 100k of debt thay they had racked up. I'm certain this will have caused arguments between Mike and Cathleen.
Also, mike showed no emotion at all, the way he spoke with anhigh pitched tone whe he was lying. There is one clear example of this when his lawyer says a guy is willing to testify they were going to hook up (or had sex) And Mike says "really? When?!) Yet we know later on..he had!
He lied about his medal and his injury.
He was at another scene of a crime in very similar circumstances.

The owl theory is nonsense. There were 1 or 2 microscopic feathers found. 1 in her hand and 1 in her hair. If there had been an attack there would have been feathers everywhere not 2 microscopic ones

That's all I can think of right now. I'll try to find the blog but basically, the staircase left out a lot of info.

This is really interesting @Whisky2014 ! I also concluded he did it, but didn't know all that additional info. I do feel sorry for the daughters, supporting him all those years when he most likely is guilty.

I have watched it all so do not want to spoil it for others. I started off thinking he was guilty but changed my mind. All those years of stress and loss does not bear thinking about if you are innocent as I believe he was.

I’m still undecided I think on whether he did it, but based on the evidence at the trial he shouldn’t have been convicted. There was enough reasonable doubt there and the blood spatter guy’s credibility was shot to pieces.

I think the seeking men for sex thing is a bit of a red herring tbh, I've been in a relationship with a bi guy and while he didn't seek men for sex during our relationship I would have been ok with it, but would have been NOT ok with him seeking women for sex.
I started thinking he was guilty but changed my mind and think it was an accident

I agree that it should have been found "not proven/not guilty" due to the absolute shambles of a trial but in the end i do think he did it. And if he didnt then i think one of the sons did.

He never ACTUALLY denies anything. He always skirts around the question.

There is definitely a family resemblance between him and one of the girls...

There is SO much that they leave out of the narrative, due to one of the producers being in a relationship with him.

Read the actual facts surrounding what was happening in their marriage, how she felt about fidelity, their finances, and you'll see there's only one conclusion; of course he did it.

That's really interesting whisky. I agree re the crime scene etc, and the amount of time she was left. Also I didn't realise she'd been strangled until the very last hearing - did I miss this or was it omitted from the film until then? I mean, how can that be explained away?

Can't believe he was in a relationship with the producer of the film! Surely that should have been disclosed? I mean obviously there's no legal rule to do so, but seems extremely underhand given the subject of the doc.

I also had thoughts about the sons and their involvement. Given what a 'close family' they are, it seems strange that everyone was out, for hours, that night. But wtf about bombs?! I need to do some reading!

I kept coming back to how intense his daughters were around him, too, and how detached they seemed with the 'birth mum' stuff. It made me uncomfortable. But I guess they were desperate not to lose their 4th parent.