Jean-Xavier de Lestrade didn't just make a documentary. He basically invented the modern obsession with true crime. Before Serial or Making a Murderer hit our screens, there was this sprawling, messy, and deeply unsettling look at a death in Durham, North Carolina. If you’re hunting for The Staircase documentary episodes, you’re probably trying to figure out where the story starts, where it ends, and why there are so many different versions floating around on Netflix and various streaming platforms.
It’s a lot.
The timeline is a wreck because the case lasted fifteen years. You have the original 2004 miniseries, then the 2013 sequels, and finally the 2018 additions. It’s not just one show; it’s a living document of a man's life falling apart—or a killer's slow dance with the justice system, depending on who you ask.
The Evolution of the 13 Episodes
Most people dive into the Netflix version and assume it was always meant to be a thirteen-part binge. It wasn't. The structure of The Staircase documentary episodes is actually a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of filmmaking.
The first eight episodes are the core. They cover the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson, the trial of her husband Michael, and that staggering verdict in 2003. When it first aired, it felt like a finished story. A tragedy. But then, the real world kept moving. The SBI (North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation) blew up in a massive scandal involving blood-spatter analyst Duane Deaver.
Suddenly, the "finished" story was wide open.
Lestrade went back. He filmed two more episodes in 2012 and 2013, focusing on Michael’s release from prison pending a retrial. Then, in 2018, Netflix commissioned three more episodes to wrap up the Alford plea. This weird, staggered release schedule is why the tone of the show shifts so much. You watch the defense team, led by the perpetually exhausted David Rudolf, go from youthful intensity to gray-haired resignation.
What Actually Happens in Each Chapter
If you’re looking for a breakdown of what happens across the The Staircase documentary episodes, you have to look at the narrative arcs.
The Initial Shock (Episodes 1-3): These are the "prosecution" and "defense" setups. You see the crime scene photos. You see Michael Peterson wandering around his massive house, drink in hand, talking about how much he loved Kathleen. This is where the "Blowpoke" theory first rears its head. It's also where we meet the children—a family unit that seems unnervingly loyal.
The Germany Reveal (Episodes 4-5): This is the pivot. The prosecution discovers that another woman, Elizabeth Ratliff, died at the bottom of a staircase in Germany years earlier. Michael was the last one to see her. The documentary captures the moment the defense team realizes they are in a nightmare.
The Trial (Episodes 6-8): This is pure courtroom drama. It’s long. It’s tedious. It’s fascinating. You see the jury’s faces. You see the weirdly personal attacks on Michael’s bisexuality, which the prosecution used as a motive for a "fractured" marriage. Then comes the 2003 verdict. It’s a gut-punch moment of cinema.
The Long Game (Episodes 9-13): These are the "aftermath" episodes. They deal with the corruption of the SBI. If you think the first eight episodes were about Michael, these are about the system. The final episodes cover the Alford plea in 2017, where Michael Peterson technically pleaded guilty to manslaughter while maintaining his innocence.
It’s an unsatisfying ending. But that’s reality.
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The Missing Pieces: What Lestrade Left Out
Honestly, you can't talk about The Staircase documentary episodes without talking about what wasn't in them. This is where the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) of a true crime fan comes into play. You have to look at the bias.
Lestrade was embedded with the defense. He was friends with them. Because of that, the documentary glosses over some of the most damning evidence. For instance, the documentary barely touches on the "Owl Theory." Larry Pollard, a neighbor and lawyer, proposed that Kathleen was attacked by a barred owl outside, ran inside, and collapsed. It sounds insane. But when you look at the microscopic feathers found in her hand and the talon-shaped lacerations on her scalp, it starts to feel a lot more plausible than a man beating his wife with a hollowed-out fireplace tool that left no skull fractures.
Also, the editing. Sophie Brunet, the editor of the documentary, actually had a romantic relationship with Michael Peterson for years while working on the film. Lestrade has always maintained that this didn't affect the edit, but come on. How can it not? When you watch the The Staircase documentary episodes, you are seeing Michael through a very specific, somewhat sympathetic lens.
The Cultural Weight of the Series
Why does this matter in 2026? Because the documentary changed the way we view the law. It showed us that a trial isn't necessarily about the truth; it's about which side tells a better story.
Jim Hardin and Freda Black (the prosecutors) told a story of a secret life and a hidden temper. David Rudolf told a story of an accident and a police department with a vendetta. The documentary itself became a character in the case. Without the footage captured in those early The Staircase documentary episodes, it’s highly unlikely that the legal momentum would have shifted enough to get Michael out of prison a decade later.
Actionable Takeaways for True Crime Fans
If you're planning a rewatch or diving in for the first time, keep these specific points in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the 2022 Scripted Series Afterward: Once you finish the documentary, watch the HBO Max (now Max) dramatization starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette. It specifically critiques the making of the documentary itself, showing the French film crew and their internal conflicts. It adds a meta-layer that is essential for understanding the "truth."
- Research the SBI Scandal: Look up the independent audit of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation conducted by Chris Swecker and Jerry Richardson. It proves that the blood-spatter evidence used to convict Michael was fundamentally flawed.
- Read "Death by Staircase" by Aphrodite Jones: If you want the prosecution's side—the stuff the documentary left out—this book is the counter-balance. It details the forensic evidence that Lestrade chose to minimize.
- Pay Attention to the Children: The most haunting part of the episodes isn't Michael; it's Margaret and Martha Ratliff. Their mother died in Germany, and their adoptive mother died in Durham. Watching their psychological journey across fifteen years of footage is the real heart of the series.
The story of the The Staircase documentary episodes is a reminder that in the legal system, closure is a myth. There are no neat endings. There is only the plea, the paperwork, and the lingering question of what happened in that hallway on Cedarberry Lane.
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Next Steps for Deep Context:
To fully grasp the technical forensic failures mentioned in the later episodes, examine the specific court filings regarding the Duane Deaver hearing. This provides the primary source evidence for why the original conviction was vacated, moving beyond the narrative presented by the filmmakers.