The House From Netflix Documentary 'The Staircase' Is Up For Sale

The house that was the focal point of Netflix true crime docuseries The Staircase is up for sale.

The recently renovated mansion is located on a 3.4-acre plot of land in Durham, North Carolina, and is on the market for $1,900,000 (£1,517,606).

Kathleen Peterson died at the property in 2001 and her husband Michael Peterson was subsequently trialled - and jailed - for murder.

Netflix

Peterson claimed his second wife had fallen down the stairs and died of her injuries, however, authorities alleged that he had bludgeoned Kathleen to death and attempted to cover it up by making it look like an accident.

The novelist was convicted in 2003 but was freed in 2017 after submitting an Alford plea, whereby he acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him without admitting guilt.

The house where Kathleen died - and where much of The Staircase was filmed - has since been used as a location in The Handmaid's Tale.

The listing for the property reads: "Historic 3.5 acre, 9,500 sq ft home in Forest Hills, Durham.

"Home has been recently renovated. Wrought iron gates, Swimming Pool, Brick & Stonewall Walkways. 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 19 total rooms. Grand Staircase, Library, Game room, Kitchen Island, Master bedroom wing and guest family wing.

"Brick Patio with fireplace, Slate Patio, Lower and Upper Gallery. 2 separate gated entrances to the home.

"This home has been featured in Netflix documentary as well as a major feature film."

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The first 10 episodes of The Staircase were originally aired in 2004 and director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade returned to cover retrial developments in the final three episodes, which were released on Netlfix in 2018.

The series offers a gripping and insightful look at the mysterious case and its impact on the family over a 15-year period.

Suspicions that Peterson had killed Kathleen grew after an autopsy report found that she had suffered a fracture of the thyroid neck cartilage and seven lacerations to the top and back of her head, consistent with blows from a light, yet rigid object.

At court, details of the couple's life were laid bare, including the fact that Peterson had been using male escorts, something which he said Kathleen was aware of, with his defence claiming they had an open marriage.

The plot thickened when during the trial it was revealed that while Peterson was living in Germany Elizabeth Ratliff, a female friend of his, died after collapsing and falling down the stairs, suffering similar injuries to Kathleen. Peterson was reported to be the last person to see her alive.

Peterson would go on to adopt Elizabeth's daughters and raise them as his own - both of the daughters, who were adults at the time of Kathleen's death, supported Peterson throughout the trial.

However, Kathleen's sisters were dead-set that their brother-in-law killed her.

You can watch the series on Netflix now and decide for yourself.

Topics: TV and Film, Interesting, US News, Netflix

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey