The Staircase Murder Theories
How Did Kathleen Peterson Die? These Are the 4 Main Theories From The Staircase
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The possibility of an intruder is not completely out of the question. Half a year before Kathleen died, Michael reported a burglary, saying that his phone had been stolen. He clarified the report the next day, saying that his son's phone had been taken and that his son probably knew who took it. At one point during the year of Kathleen's death, Peterson also mentioned five automobile break-ins on his property.
While creating a request for a dismissal, Peterson's attorneys also built their argument by pointing to Michael's past columns, and targets as a mayoral candidate (specifically, drug dealers). The lawyers suggested that people may have felt threatened by Michael and went after his family. Again, even if there was an intruder, no one will know for sure since Kathleen's clothes were never DNA tested.
In The Staircase, David Rudolf (pictured above), Michael's original defence attorney, shared his thoughts. "Can I rule out that it's an intruder? I can't. No one can. You can say there's no evidence of that, but it's well known that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, so we don't know," the lawyer explained.