Has anyone watched The Staircase on Netflix? I need to talk about it

[SouthWestmom]

Just that really. I don't know what to think.

I have and I was the same as you.
I changed my mind multiple times throughout and still don’t really know what to think. I know that’s not much help!

I was all anti until the end and then I just thought how he has kept this up for all these years?

First wife was weird, right?

The American with the two sons and two step daughters?

Amazing documentary, so gripping. Unfortunately masses is left out. I was so disappointed when I googled further. It’s s conpletely biased film. Which makes sense given how weird the entire thing is and how his daughters’ mother also died in a stairwell...

She died of a haemorrhage... talk about coincidence though.

Something just didn’t sit well with me at all.

Then I read the owl theory, have you read that? Worth a google, seems so ridiculous, but could be true.

Pretty sure he's guilty as sin. It is fascinating though - I watched it years ago and then again when it came to Netflix recently. One of the women involved with the filming ended up having a relationship with him! He's obviously got some mysterious allure...

I watched this last summer and loved it!
I changed my mind episode by episode as I just couldn’t decide if he did it or not. I think by the end I had thought he was innocent and took the Alford plea as he had just had enough.
I like the owl theory but that wasn’t explored in the series.

There's an episode of Forensic Files about the case called 'A Novel Idea' (can also watch on netflix). I saw that a long time ago before watching The Staircase doc and do I felt like I had made up my mind beforehand. Then seeing some of the dodgy forensics they used made me question myself. Either way I feel sorry for what the children got dragged through as it's pretty much taken up all their adolescence and their adulthood so far.

That Deaver was a piece of work. And Deborah Radisch.

This is interesting

wrongfulconvictionsreport.org/2018/06/19/the-staircase-step-by-step-injustice/

Freda Black had a spectacular and very sad fall from grace too.

The bbc have done a podcast I think that I want to track down.

I was interested in the broken bone in her neck and the amount of blood plus the circumstances of the German woman but then I kept thinking he is 73 at the end - how did he get to 55? and then show all that violence? Surely that's not realistic. Plus his lawyer seemed really pro his case.

The owl theory is nuts.

How did he not hear her though? And the dried blood? And Todd's car there but Todd having walked off somewhere. I don't know.

There's a lot of evidence missing from the documentary, including stuff about Michael Petersen's bloody footprints (which had been cleaned up presumably by him or Todd but revealed by luminol) going to sink and room with the washing machine.

Guilty as sin. Unlike the Avery's. Now that is shocking

There's also a book I read that has some interviews from Kathleen's family and they all told of how he exhibited really bizarre and hostile behaviour to Caitlin and Kathleen's sister, etc. after the incident. I forget the name of the book now though.

The podcast is Real Crime Profile where they discuss this case. There is a lot of stuff that didn't get mentioned in the Netflix programme which may make you change your mind.
I thought he was innocent but now not so sure.
It sure was a fascinating case.

He was really hostile to the sisters but maybe because they didn't believe him?

So sad for Martha and Margaret who lost three parents and then he was jailed. I felt like Martha really needed him to be innocent for her own well-being.

Found the book(s), it was actually two: Written in Blood and The Perfect Husband. Now both are pretty biased in the other way from Netflix doc as they're written with the view he is guilty but there's quite a lot of additional evidence in there.

I don't think it was premeditated murder. I think they had a row, he grabbed her as she tried to go up the stairs and she fell back and smashed her head, then he tried to make it look like an accident.

I'd not heard of it and am now intrigued! I googled for information and intend to watch it on Netflix.

Blue it's addictive I've literally watched all 13 episodes back to back while the kids were at school. So interesting to see people age and develop alongside it.

I just don't know. He definitely has some charisma and was so calm all the time in prison and with the lawyers and his family.

The lacerations just don’t seem consistent with blows to the head though. That’s what I don’t understand.
He’s a strange character. I just don’t know what to believe.

He’s guilty, the books on the case go into details which the Netflix series didn’t.

The fact that she used his computer and found the gay porn the night she then ‘fell down the stairs’, and that the other lady had also ‘fallen down the stairs’ are both rather damning.

Why does pp think Avery is innocent?? 😂 obviously he is of the first crime but the 2nd, he is guilty. Yes the police did a lot of framing (and therefore he should be freed) but no doubt he killed the poor lady. Again there are plenty of books on the case

Just ordered the book. Quite tempted by MPs book but I wonder if it's all in the film anyway?

I think the owl theory was the most plausible!
However without that I agree it appears he was guilty however it was never proven BEYOND reasonable doubt and for that he should never have gone to jail.
Brilliant documentary!