The North Carolina home featured in Netflix documentary series The Staircase, in which novelist Michael Peterson is suspected to have murdered his wife Kathleen, has been put up for sale.
When Michael Peterson called 911 in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2001, he insisted his wife Kathleen’s death was an accident. According to Peterson, he had discovered his wife bleeding to death at the bottom of their back staircase after coming in from the backyard. He claimed she had fallen—but evidence suggested otherwise.
The medical examiner found that the victim had injuries to her head that suggested that she had been beaten with a weapon prior to her fall. Authorities immediately suspected Michael Peterson.
Now, the five-bedroom Durham, NC mansion that belonged to him is being sold for $1.9 million.
Despite its grisly history, many have been enticed by the historic mansion located at 1810 Cedar St. In fact, the Redfin listing has already been viewed upwards of 26,860 times. The 9,372-square-foot house was built 80 years ago, but both the building and its 3.4 acre grounds have maintained their grandeur through the decades. The house actually hit screens before the premiere of The Staircase, as it was a shooting location for the 1990 movie The Handmaid’s Tale.
The Peterson family lived in the home from 1992-2003, and it has since had two owners. Jason Balius, former co-owner of Durham’s Mad Hatter Bakeshop, purchased the house for $640k in 2004. After a series of renovations, he placed the house back on the market in 2007. Self-proclaimed psychic medium Biond Fury purchased the house for $1.3 million in 2008, and remains the owner.
Michael Peterson was tried and convicted for the murder of Kathleen Peterson in 2003. He was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. However, in 2011, the conviction was overturned after a witness testimony was proven to have been misleading. Peterson entered an Alford plea in 2017, and his charge of first degree murder was exchanged for one of voluntary manslaughter. Because of the eight years he had already served in prison, Peterson was freed.
The Staircase was originally broadcasted in 2004 as a French television miniseries. A follow-up special arrived in 2013, and, after Netflix acquired the rights to the series, three new episodes were made. All thirteen episodes were made available to stream on Netflix in 2018. It has been exceedingly well-received by true crime fans and documentary lovers alike.
Peterson has returned to live in Durham, albeit not in his sprawling mansion, and has since published a book detailing his life since Kathleen’s death. Though he has never admitted to the crime, it is still widely suspected that he is guilty. In fact, even Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, the creator of The Staircase, says he is unsure of the role Michael Peterson played in Kathleen Peterson’s tragic death.
