The Staircase Goes From Real Life to Lifetime

I used to live in Cary (Raleigh suburb) North Carolina and my great friend Jennifer lived in Durham and worked for a newspaper called The Durham Herald Sun. Right after I moved to Boston, the Herald Sun became the center of attention as one of its writers (also a novelist) was accused of murdering his wife. It was a huge media frenzy and it was incredibly fascinating. His name was Michael Peterson and he is one amazingly scary sociopath. Or is he? Peterson claimed that his wife fell down the staircase and died. Forensic experts and even some of his children questioned that theory.

A couple years ago, a documentary was released that chronicled the whole incident and the two years of trial that Michael Peterson underwent. The documentary was aired as an 8 part series on strong SUNDANCE called THE STAIRCASE.

The trial was held and it just got crazier and more scary as the evidence and incidents in his past come to light. I won't spoil any of it but seriously a Hollywood screenwriter couldn't have written a story this good. It's an amazing ride through some really person issues, some gruesome pictures, reenactments, and a thrilling (if not terrifying) portrait of a sociopath.

The Staircase is now available not only on DVD but also on iTunes. It is a must-see. Seriously folks, you will never see a murder trial or a suspect this fascinating for years to come. It's gripping. Please download the show and watch it because guess what?

Lifetime Networks has greenlit a tv movie called The Staircase Murders starring Treat Williams (Everwood we still miss you), Samaire Armstrong (Anna we still miss you), and Kevin Pollak.

I cannot wait!

Click here to download The Staircase