{"id":15165,"date":"2022-05-10T18:19:20","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T16:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1642011"},"modified":"2022-05-10T18:48:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T16:48:50","slug":"the-staircase-owl-theory-explained-did-an-owl-kill-kathleen-peterson","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-staircase-owl-theory-explained-did-an-owl-kill-kathleen-peterson\/","title":{"rendered":"The Staircase owl theory explained: Did an owl kill Kathleen Peterson?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>
Published: Tuesday, 10 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>
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The Staircase is a documentary series \u2013 and now star-studded drama \u2013 which examines the perplexing death of Kathleen Peterson, who was found covered in blood at the bottom of the stairs in her North Carolina home.<\/p>\n
Kathleen\u2019s husband Michael was charged with her murder, but pleaded \u2018not guilty\u2019, and has always insisted that his wife\u2019s death was a tragic accident that he had nothing to do with. The charge was later reduced to manslaughter and he was sentenced to time already served.<\/p>\n
For some time, the only two theories considered were that Kathleen was murdered or that she accidentally stumbled on the stairs, but a third option later came to light that quickly captured the imagination of outsiders following the case.<\/p>\n
The owl theory suggests that a barred owl attacked Kathleen that fateful night in 2001, with its sharp talons causing her grievous injuries and her fall down the staircase. That might sound outlandish to you, but just wait until you hear the evidence.<\/p>\n
Please note:<\/strong> this article contains imagery that some readers may find distressing.<\/p>
The Staircase: Owl theory explained<\/strong><\/h2>\n
While it\u2019s easy to dismiss the owl theory as far-fetched nonsense upon first hearing of it, many have been surprised by just how much evidence supports the idea.<\/p>\n
For starters, the barred owl is a species common in Durham, North Carolina, where Michael and Kathleen Peterson once called home, and there are numerous recorded attacks on humans by the swooping nocturnal birds.<\/p>\n
Larry Pollard, a lawyer and former neighbour of the Petersons, was first to present this idea, noting that the lacerations to Kathleen\u2019s scalp resembled the trident shape of an owl\u2019s talons.<\/p>\n
This is noteworthy as neither the defence nor the prosecution had been able to definitively explain how Kathleen sustained those wounds, as they seemed too deep for a fall down the stairs, but blood-spatter patterns were not consistent with a beating.<\/p>\n
Additionally, a microscopic owl feather was found in Kathleen\u2019s hand during the post-mortem, entangled within strands of her own hair, suggesting she may have struggled to wrestle the animal from her head.<\/p>\n
The Staircase \u2013 Kathleen Peterson\u2019s injuries<\/span><\/figcaption>Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
The owl theory suggests that the bird attack happened as Kathleen was making her way inside on the night of her death.<\/p>\n
It goes on to say she freed herself from its grip and entered the house, heading to the staircase which led up to the couple\u2019s bedroom, but slipped on the blood gushing from her scalp injury, causing her to fall backward and black out.<\/p>\n
Pollard first put forward his owl theory far too late to be included in Peterson\u2019s first trial, thus it was not a possibility relayed to the jury prior to making their verdict.<\/p>\n
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