The Staircase (2022) s01e01 Episode Script

Oh fuck.
We want products made by our own workers in our factories, stamped with those four magnificent words made in the USA.
Are the kids here? The kids? No, Michael.
Let's go! Alright, you fucker.
Durham 911, what's your emergency? 1810 Cedar street.
- Please.
- What's wrong? My wife, she had an accident.
She's still breathing.
- What kind of accident? - She fell down the stairs.
She's still breathing.
Please come.
- Is she conscious? - What? - Is she conscious? - No, she's not conscious.
How many stairs did she fall down? - What? - How many stairs? 15, 20, I don't know.
Please get somebody here right away.
Please.
Dispatching the ambulance while I ask you questions.
Durham 911, what is your emergency? Where are they? This is 1810 Cedar Street.
She's not breathing.
Please.
Please, will you hurry up.
Sir, calm down, they're on the way.
Can you tell me for sure she's not breathing.
Sir.
Sir? That party was lame.
I hope no one saw us walk out together.
Are your parents gonna be up? Yeah.
But they won't even see us come in.
Okay.
Todd? Todd, wake up! What the fuck? The fuck! Hey, what's going on here? Do you live here? No, my, my parents do.
What's going on? - Have you been drinking? - What? No.
I mean, yeah, we just came from a Christmas party down the street.
- Todd? Todd? - She family, too? - No, no, I'm - No, she's one of my friends.
Can you please just let me in.
Alright, but just you.
Thank you.
Dad! Kathleen! Hey.
Hey, what's going on? Hey, what's going on? Is this your home, sir? Yeah, what happened? Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad, what happened? What happened Are you okay? What happened to Kathleen? Kathleen, - Something's wrong.
- Dad, what happened? Something's wrong, god! Oh my god.
- Is she dead? - I'm afraid so, son.
What, what happened? Your dad called 911, said his wife fell down the stairs.
She fell? This is Is there a way to bring her back? No.
She's gone.
Dad.
Kathleen's dead, Dad.
- No.
- Dad! Dad! - Dad.
- No! No! Sir! Get him off her, now! No! Sir, you're gonna have to sir! Okay, sir, you need to let go.
Son, he's gonna have to let go.
Sir, now! Dad.
Dad, you have to let go.
Please, Dad.
You have to let go.
Sit him down! I got you, I got you.
I've got you, I've got you.
Officer! Yeah, I need some help in here.
Can I get some assistance, please? Is that your mother? It's my stepmother, yeah.
Sarge, what's your ETA? Copy, I'm with the husband and stepson in the kitchen standing by.
- Coroner's en route.
- What happens now? We've got some more guys coming.
You and your dad should just stay there.
When is the last time you saw your mom? I saw her tonight.
I'm really worried about him.
Jesus Christ! Can someone quiet those dogs down? Were they arguing? No, they weren't arguing, they were, they were drinking, they were laughing.
Do you guys have, like, a grief counselor or something? We can make a request.
If you don't think he can control himself, - you can go outside - Can't control himself? and get some air.
Here.
Let's, let's get you cleaned up.
Come on.
I got you.
I got you.
I got you.
What happened, Dad? We were outside we were and then she came in and then I came in and I found her.
Come on, Dad, let's get you cleaned up.
Here.
Alright, Sarge, in here.
That's him by the sink, sir.
I'm Sergeant Borden.
I need you to stop doing that right now.
Turn off the water, please.
Okay, fine, but I've asked for a grief counselor.
Is there a grief counselor coming or not? Mr.
Peterson, the house has now been declared a crime scene.
We'll need to keep you all here until further notice.
Okay, come on.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Okay.
Just a little for you.
Thank you! A little more for me.
Just a little, yeah.
You sure? Okay.
Now speech.
- Speech, speech, speech.
- No.
Well, thank you, Mom.
For everything and for that, like, amazing note.
I'm expecting you and Dad to visit me in San Francisco.
Yes, of course.
- Of course.
- I love you.
Wait, you're, you're starting without me? There you are.
Yes! And we're about to eat too.
You'd think he'd get home from the gym on time at least once.
Dad, you still smell.
Go have a shower.
- I'll save you a glass.
- Hey, Dad? Okay, Margaret, go get your mother's China and grab the good linen napkins from upstairs, because this is a special occasion.
Her baby girl is going to college.
- I love you! - I want some! Alright.
Go upstairs already.
You're gonna make me cry.
And get your brother.
Todd! Todd! Don't give me that look.
And get the salad bowl.
You know, you never wrote me a special note when I went away.
Yeah.
Well, it's different, you know that.
Plus, I don't overshare with them the way I do with you.
They don't know my pain.
Todd! Todd! What? I'm on the phone! Dinner's almost ready.
No, Nate, what I'm saying is that we could be making so much more on this back-to-school stuff.
We should just bully them into buying stuff.
Right.
Right, exactly.
I mean, it could be funny, even like, a bag with wheels is for losers.
And then these are the best backpacks to buy and then links where to buy them.
- Hey.
- Right.
Hey.
Hey, one sec, Nate.
What's up? Dinner's ready.
Alright, I'm just finishing a call.
I'll be in my office.
Nate, we got this dinner for Martha.
Let me call you back later.
- Todd, get the cup.
- Okay.
- How was that? - That was You got to, you know.
Alright.
So to continue the tradition started by Uncle Bill and my dear old papa, what the Brits call "passin' the loving cup", but with a Peterson twist.
- Kathleen.
- Yes.
- You first.
- Oh god, okay.
Pass her down.
Okay.
I'd like to make a toast to our beautiful daughter Martha.
No matter what color your hair is How about blue? - Blue, green.
Whatever.
- Good idea.
You are beautiful.
And you're my daughter.
Every day is going to be an adventure.
So always stop and think and appreciate when you're having a really good day.
You need to think to yourself, "This is one of the happiest days of my life," so you can retrieve it and bring it to the front of your mind.
And treasure it.
Lean on it when you're having a bad time.
Because there are so many better days ahead.
- To Martha.
- To Martha.
- Okay, here.
- Yep.
To Mom.
I know we'll be gone, but we're always here for you the way that you've been for us.
Thank you.
- I love you.
- I love you.
- To Mom.
- To Mom.
Kathleen! I'll go.
- Got it? - Yeah.
To Dad.
Thank you for always being there for me.
May you succeed in politics the way you succeeded in writing.
- To Dad.
- Dad.
- To Michael.
- Thank you.
To my brother Clayton.
I know the last few years haven't been the easiest for you Todd, we don't talk about spring break, right? Alright.
I'm so proud of you.
Back to school and everything.
To Clayton.
- And to Becky.
To Becky.
- And Becky.
- Clayton.
- Becky.
- Caitlin.
- Thank you.
To a wonderful school year for Martha.
That toast sucked.
Okay.
'Cause your speech was amazing.
I hope somebody recorded it for posterity.
Martha, I love you.
I hope you have the best next year.
You'll be dancing on a big stage someday.
- Love you, Caitlin.
- Love you.
- To Martha again.
- To Martha again.
Mike's turn.
Michael, what's going on? Are you speechless? No.
No.
Never.
- Yeah, never.
- Okay.
This toast is to all of us.
Now, I think there are not many families Well, I know there are not many families out there like us.
We're not perfect, god knows, but we stick together.
And we love each other.
And so, to us.
- To us.
- To the Petersons.
The Petersons.
- To the Ratliffs.
- And the Atwater.
Hello? Uncle Bill.
Kathleen's dead.
Bill? Bill, are you there? What happened? Dad was outside and when he, when he came in, he found her at the bottom of the stairs.
I think she was pretty shitfaced and fell.
Oh god.
And they've sequestered us in Dad's office.
I mean, they won't even let my friend go pee by herself.
They're, they're calling this whole thing a crime scene.
Is this normal? It's absolutely not normal.
Kathleen had a meeting this morning.
We should let them know.
Dad's in there talking to himself.
Tell Mike not to say anything.
Anybody wants to talk to either of you guys, tell 'em your attorney is on the way.
Okay.
Don't say a word.
Don't say a word.
Is there somewhere you guys can go? I mean, we could probably go to Larry's next door.
If they let us.
I'm going to get on the first flight I can.
I'll get you guys out of there.
Love you.
Okay.
I love you too.
Who else is here? Michael, the son, and his friend.
Did anyone make a statement? Nothing official, but the son's friend said she was here earlier.
I asked if she witnessed any fighting or anything like that.
She said everything seemed fine.
She didn't actually see her, though.
Said she heard the wife laughing in the other room, but that's it.
Alright.
Mr.
Peterson, I'm Lieutenant Investigator Art Holland.
This is a warrant granting the Durham Police Department and all related agencies the right to search your home and your premises for any evidence related to the death of Mrs.
Kathleen Peterson.
Do you understand? Please instruct everyone they're allowed to re-enter the home and commence the search.
We will need your car keys for your vehicles, and we'll need to collect your clothing for evidence now.
Alright, we're good to go.
All teams move in.
Hello.
Morning, Jim, I'm sorry to call you so early.
That's okay.
What's up? Around 2:40, a husband calls 911, saying his wife fall down the stairs but was still breathing, hurry up.
Husband calls back five minutes later checking in on an ETA, says she's not breathing anymore.
Paramedics arrive a few minutes after that.
They check her out.
Report she's six millimeters dilated.
EMT says she ain't had no life in her heart at all for a while.
Well, I don't feel any fractures, but there are considerable wounds.
If this was a beating, I'd say you're looking for something long and hollow.
Sergeant Borden calls me, wakes me up, tells me I should get down to the scene because there's a lot of blood.
No sign of forced entry and, and it don't look like an accident.
How much blood? Like the woman's head exploded.
Where is this? Forest Hills.
I imagine you're gonna be getting calls about this when you walk through the door.
The husband is Michael Peterson and the deceased is his wife Kathleen.
Michael Peterson, Michael Peterson? Oh yeah.
That's why I wanted to give you the heads up.
And you say there is no sign of a break-in? Big house, but don't look like it.
Sounds like no one was here except for him and his wife.
Thanks for the heads up, Art.
Alright, Jim.
Bye now.
Officer, can I take my car now, the Subaru? Yup, you're all clear.
You sure you don't want to make a statement? I told you, no.
- Hello.
- Candace? Hello? Is Mark there? No, he just left for work.
I need his car phone then.
Is everything okay? I just need to speak with Mark.
Alright.
It's 804-554-3212.
I'll call you back.
Okay? Is that okay? Is everything okay? This feels strange.
Please, I really can't talk.
I'll call you back.
Fuck! - Hello.
- Mark, it's Mike.
Hey, Mike.
How are you doing this morning? I couldn't tell Candace.
Kathleen's dead.
She fell down the stairs.
She's dead.
Jesus, Mike.
What I need you to tell Candace and Lori.
Of course.
Yeah.
- I'm so sorry.
- Okay, thanks, Mark.
You let me know if you need anything.
Thanks, Larry.
Dad, have some.
- What? - Have some.
No.
Give me those numbers.
I'm going to call the girls for you.
Yeah.
But don't just call them.
Like, I want someone there to tell them, you know.
Yeah, I'll call the sorority house for Caitlin.
I'll try the dorms for Margaret.
Shit, Margaret.
Is today the ninth? It's Margaret's birthday tomorrow.
Oh god, I hate this, I hate this.
You have no idea, Carol, how much I hate this.
I mean, I come into the office, and I don't know if I'm going to find an envelope on my desk.
And when I see it, my heart just sinks.
Because inside is this damn list.
And it's just names, there's no reason.
I know.
I know.
I just don't understand.
Did I make a mistake? Was my work not good? No.
God, no, it's not that.
It's just the merger hasn't played out as planned.
And Nortel can't afford the redundancy.
It's that simple.
The severance package is okay.
I mean, it'll give you time to look.
Is Eric still at Glassco? For now.
Look, it's going to be okay.
I promise.
And if anything changes here Fuck it.
- I'm sorry.
- No, it's okay.
Well, I'm running very simply because I'm sick of seeing what these bozos in City Hall are doing to this town.
So does this mean we can't expect any more books from you? Oh no, I'll always be a writer.
I just finished my latest column today, as a matter of fact about the Bozo DA Jim Hardin going after bingo halls instead of real criminals.
Prior to writing his weekly column for "The Sun," Michael Peterson was best known as a novelist, - finding success writing war novels.
- And still is.
So I have to ask, because it's going to come up.
You ran for mayor in '99.
- Oh god, here we go.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
Motherfucker.
- You were in the lead and then a story came out that you had lied about receiving a Purple Heart in Vietnam.
It arguably cost you the mayorship, and you hadn't in fact injured your leg in combat, as you claim.
No, I had been injured in a car accident while on duty.
But your injury was not sustained in combat.
No, it wasn't.
Look, I have faith that the voters will see past that hiccup in my character.
My opponent, Howard Clement, is not going to bring about change in Durham.
- I will.
- You putz! There will be several debates in the coming months Papa needs practice.
before hitting the polls November sixth.
Hello.
Hey.
I'm good.
You? So are we set for the fifth? Well, you're coming from where again? Yeah, well, either the hotel by the airport there or at my place.
Yeah.
Well, you ready to get that ass pounded? Well, alright, then.
Hey, Mike? Can you give me a hand with dinner? I kept an eye on the stock market today.
Nortel was holding steady.
That's a good sign.
It's positive.
Yeah.
As long as the company keeps its head above water.
I mean, you'd think with all I've built there, I'd be secure, but who knows.
We're fine, Kathleen.
We're fine.
Maybe we should let Essy go for a while and save some money.
Shouldn't be too hard to keep the house clean without the kids around.
We've got blood embedded under the nails.
There were no defensive wounds on the husband.
It could be her own.
We've got something between the fingers.
Can I get the tweezers? Here you go.
Looks like a pine needle.
Pine needle? Bag it for evidence.
Okay.
Looks like this is her own hair.
Let's bag it and test it.
Feel this.
Feel this gently.
Gently.
This is the superior cornu of the left thyroid.
Until I get in there I can't say for sure but I'm guessing she didn't die right away.
She struggled.
Gentle.
Uncle Bill's here, Dad.
Clayton is pulling up now.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Okay.
Mike.
I'm gonna.
ask you this question and no matter what the answer is, it stays in this room.
Jesus Christ.
- No.
- I'm sorry.
I mean, I don't know why I even From what you've told me, it sounds like they think you did, so we need to get you a lawyer.
Can't you represent him? No, I do estates.
I don't do criminal law.
I certainly can't do criminal law in Durham.
How about Larry? I don't think Larry's tough enough.
What about the guy the one you considered before Clay went away for spring break.
- David Rudolf? - Yeah.
Fuck, Bill.
He's the kind of guy you get when you're guilty.
Well, he's smart.
He's really smart.
He's not one of those, you know, good ol' boys, like so many of the guys down here.
Have you told the girls? Todd called the school.
There's someone there.
The cake.
I need you to go get a cake for Margaret.
What do you mean? It's the funeral home.
Thank you.
Hello? I need you to get a cake for Margaret.
I'm going to stay here with Dad.
No, seriously.
Not right now.
You're my kid brother, don't tell me what to do.
I'm not telling you what to do, Clay.
I'm asking for some help here.
Please.
Yeah.
Alright.
Don't fucking snap at me like that.
I was the one that was there and saw Kathleen all fucking dead and fucking covered in blood and shit.
Alright, alright! I've kept my shit together.
Alright, I get it.
I'm sorry, man.
The funeral home said that the autopsy was more thorough than expected.
Jesus Christ.
Just as soon as they started working on her, the police came back.
Apparently, the cops found an open condom in your bedroom.
And they decided to perform a rape test.
A rape test? What condom? We didn't use condoms.
It's a witch hunt.
Kathleen said it.
She said, "Mike, "stop going after City Hall, the DA, and the cops.
It's gonna bite you in the ass.
" Revenge, Bill, that's what this is.
There were 35 total cuts, wounds, and contusions on her body.
Seven lacerations alone on the posterior scalp.
The rape test came back negative.
No bruising or contusions around the vagina or anus.
What do you think about the broken superior cornu of the left thyroid? Could indicate strangulation, but it's not conclusive.
Now, what I can't explain is why there are no skull fractures.
That's what you would normally see in a beating.
You didn't put in the cause of death? I did.
She bled out.
Without skull fracture, blunt force trauma Someone holding something caused the impact to make these wounds.
That's not for me to conclude in here.
You think the murder weapon just flew through the air held by no one? I mean, you can leave as is or make any changes you see fit based on what I just said.
Hardin wants to get this to SBI sooner than later.
Have you given a statement? No.
Nothing official.
Just, you know, I told them I came in and, I found her there.
You didn't hear or see anything? I have to take this.
It's Todd.
Hey, Todd.
- So - I just found her there.
She was breathing.
And then she wasn't.
How long between when she left you - to when you found her? - I don't know.
It couldn't be more than half an hour.
You didn't hear her scream, call your name or? I didn't hear a goddamn thing.
Alright.
You know Rae Carruth? - The football player.
- Yeah, of course, I do.
I represented him last October.
Yeah, I know.
Case had a lot of moving parts, multiple charges.
He shot his pregnant girlfriend.
All I'm saying is, we helped him quite a bit.
Got him a vastly reduced sentence.
Though God willing, you won't need any help.
But sometimes good people get dragged into situations that turn out bad.
Okay.
So, how much is it going to cost? A case like this, you're going to need jury consultants, blood analysts.
Between four and five hundred K.
Half a million bucks.
I've got five kids to worry about, you know.
Three still in college.
Good defense isn't cheap.
I shouldn't need a defense.
I shouldn't even be here.
Does Kathleen have life insurance? - Savings? - Yes.
So When it comes to staying out of prison, anything's up for grabs.
Sorry about that.
Martha and Caitlin are here.
Candace and Lori too.
So we're going to meet at Larry's.
Okay.
Then maybe I shouldn't keep you.
- Did you two - Yeah, yeah, we're Well, regardless of whether or not you end up hiring me, one piece of advice: keep your family close.
You'll need them on your side.
- Thank you.
- Of course, - Nice to meet you.
- You too.
- That was fast.
- Yeah.
What do you think? I don't know.
My guy over at the Durham station says the crime scene photos are a goddamn nightmare.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
But autopsy isn't back yet, so - We'll see.
- 911 call? Sounds like he's in shock.
It doesn't feel like an act to me.
Pastrami any good here? They're all in here.
- Margaret.
- I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
My flight got canceled 'cause of some terror scare.
Are you okay? Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to get to you guys.
Ask him.
Mike, what's goin' on? Lori and I are feeling a little in the dark over here.
About what? What happened? Well, she fell.
Yeah, but it was our sister's last night.
Can we talk about this later? We would really like to do this now.
- Could you just say more - I just sold a book to a producer in Hollywood.
With everything going on at Nortel, it was good to have some good news.
I went to Blockbuster, got a movie.
"America's Sweethearts.
" It was so dumb.
Kathleen was cracking up.
And, it was a nice day.
And then Todd came by.
Yeah, around 10:00.
I was meeting a friend there at the house, and we were going to this Christmas party.
Mom was pretty tipsy already.
When they left, Kathleen got a call about a work email.
She was annoyed that she'd have to, you know, wake up early.
But it was a Saturday, and we were having a nice night.
So we went out to the pool, and we just smoked and talked, you know, about the kids, about Christmas.
And then she said, "I have to go up.
I have that call in the morning.
" And that was it.
I went in later, and I found her laying there.
But what are the police looking for? I have no idea.
You know, the cops around here, they hated me ever since I started writing in the local paper.
You know, I tried to expose what's going on in this town, and that they and now they're torturing us.
They've been awful.
I've never seen anything like it in my 30 years of law.
Will you pass the mashed potatoes, please.
Candace, are you sure you don't need a place to stay? No, thank you.
We're good.
I booked us a room at the inn there in Chapel Hill, so Let us know if you change your mind.
Thank you, Larry.
Should we Mike, have you thought about the wake? We're, we're all set at the Howerton Bryan? - It's a nice place.
- Okay.
How about music? We could play The Mills Brothers.
That's nice.
- What song? - "You Always" Any really.
She loved, she loved them all.
Great idea.
What is going on? Kathleen would have wanted you to have some cake.
Even with everything going on.
Let's just get the photos and go.
Should we get out of here? It's kind of nice in here with all of her stuff.
What is that? It's a song I was going to suggest to play.
I almost blurted it out.
"You Always Hurt the One You Love.
" - Lori.
- What? It's a good song.
- Kathleen loved it.
- I know.
Why didn't he tell us himself? Why call our husbands? Imagine him having to say that to us.
I mean, he's a mess.
We're just all going to be a mess for a while.
It's a great idea, you know.
We've got all this time.
We can do what we want.
I told you that having an empty nest was fun.
Come on.
We would party like this with the kids upstairs too.
That must be where they get it from.
- You want a sip? - I do.
I think.
Yes.
Thank you.
You're so polite.
Thank you.
Okay.
Come on.
Amazing, and good culture, too.
You know, we were at this Italian restaurant in Miami, and it was in, What was the name of that neighborhood? It was Miami.
Yes, dear, yes.
It, it was Miami.
- She's - What? Shut up.
Fuck it, doesn't matter.
So anyway, we, I was waiting for my Pino, and she was waiting for the Mexican Coke.
Which is just a Coke with real sugar and not that corn syrup.
- Yeah, it's better.
- Okay, so anyhow.
And then, then the boss comes over.
And he's holding a bottle of Coke, and I swear to God he presents it like it was a bottle of wine.
And he says, no, very seriously, "We did not have the Coke from Mexico.
This Coke is from Atlanta.
" Hey, who wants to go swimming? What are you talking about? Don't be ridiculous.
Kathleen Peterson, everyone! Mike, something's wrong.
What's going on? What happened? Two planes just crashed into the World Trade Center.
This was after the first airplane made impact.
We'll be hearing from the president in a little while.
This is really bad.
The White House knows about this, which appears to be deliberate.
Do you know whether or not officials there at the White House have been made aware? - Everybody's waiting.
- I can't see her like that.
Here.
You can't be seen absent.
You know, Rudolf's smart, but I don't want to go down that road.
The last thing I want to do now is bankrupt the family.
No.
I'm just saying if there's a grand jury You know, this would be a lot easier if you stood up.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Okay.
Well, I will look for an alternative tomorrow.
You know, if it comes to it, we'll have somebody who's ready, somebody who's not going to cost NFL player money.
Hey.
There's cops downstairs.
Haven't you already searched? Yes, sir.
This is just a follow-up search.
All very standard practice in this kind of case.
Mr.
Peterson.
- Mr.
Peterson, - Do you mind?! I'm getting dressed to go see my dead wife in a coffin! Calm down.
Take a breath.
Ronnie.
Mike.
I'm going to grab a drink.
Can you grab the bags? I shouldn't hang out here long.
Bill! Come here! What? What's going on? Just Bill.
- What's going on? - Shut the door.
Jesus Christ.
Look at this mess.
- What are these guys looking for? - They took the computer.
They must have printed this out before they left.
Was there a lot of this stuff on there? I saved images from an article.
Michael.
This is a message.
"We got you.
" I'm cooked.
No.
I'm home cooking.
The phone! It's for you! - No one calls me this late.
- Charlene! Get the phone! Hello? Yes.
Yes, just a moment, please.
It's for you.
Really? Thanks.
Fuck.
Shit.
Dave Rudolf.
David, it's Michael Peterson.
I need your help.
Alright, lock and load.
Are we ready, boys? Fred.
You want to join us for the grand jury.
Freda, if the grand jury goes our way, I don't just want you on the team.
You'll be my right hand.
We need a strong, fierce feminine presence on this case.
And that's you.
Is that Kathleen's autopsy? I've seen it.
You show it to the family? No, I haven't made that call yet.
But this isn't the autopsy.
No, this is something else.
See that guy over there? David Rudolf.
High-priced lawyer from Chapel Hill by way of New York.
What a fuckin' prick.
Good morning.
I'm Jim Hardin, District Attorney for Durham County.
And I'm here to present the case of the people against Michael Iver Peterson.
And when I'm done, I'm going to ask all of you to vote on one count of murder in the first degree.
Hello.
Hey, Mike.
It's David.
I'm sorry, Mike, they're going to indict.
You'll have to turn yourself in to the police this evening.
Alright, David.
Alright, Mike.
No.
Ask him if there's a chance they can get you out on bail.
Tell Bill we're going to do what we can, but it's the holidays.
It could take a little while.
I've alerted the media.
We need to be one step ahead of the DA now.
You and your family need to make a statement In order of importance, it's Kathleen's actual biological family that they need to hear from.
We really need Caitlin to speak.
Okay, David.
Okay? Alright.
And Mike? Bring some money, like 50 bucks for the commissary and bring a Bible.
- Bible? - If you've got one.
I'd rather bring a fucking Quran.
Well, it's optics at this point.
It's important.
Okay.
Okay, whatever you say, - Alright.
Alright.
- Okay, I'll see you there.
Alright.
See you here.
Well, that's it.
Over here, everybody.
Kathleen was my life.
I've whispered her name in my heart a thousand times.
She is there, but I can't stop crying.
I would never have done anything to hurt her.
I am innocent of these charges, and we will prove it in court.
We do not want you to say anything against your family.
That's not our intent.
We just would like the opportunity to present to you what we have learned so that you, as Kathleen's family, aren't out of the loop, so to speak.
We have some photos we'd like to share.
They're pretty shocking.
You can say, "No, "we don't need to see that, Freda.
Thank you very much.
" But we just feel y'all deserve the right to make that choice.
We'd like to see 'em.
My mother and Mike had an absolutely loving relationship, and there is, there's no way that either of them would ever wish any sort of harm on the other one.
My mother would be absolutely appalled.
Thank you.
That's all.
There were 35 cuts and bruises.
And seven of these deep lacerations to the scalp.
How? I don't Our autopsy shows the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
A homicide.
And we believe Mr.
Peterson bludgeoned Kathleen to death and may have strangled her.
Why would he do that? It doesn't make sense.
Our officers found countless images, like these, on his computer and in his desk.
And we believe your sister found these on his computer that night.
And she confronted your brother-in-law about it, and a fight ensued.
What? Oh my god.
It doesn't make sense.
I knew it.
I knew it.
I knew he was hiding something when he didn't have the nerve to call us himself.
I knew it.
Hey.
We couldn't sleep.
We've heard so many wonderful stories about our sister this past week.
I just can't imagine she would have accepted this in her home.
In her marriage.
Let me do it.
I'm hopeless without you.
No, you're still young.
And you're starting your life again today.