I agree that he's extremely suspicious and probably did it. Hell, I think he probably did it because his wife found out about his affairs. But the way the prosecution painted him as especially evil because "ew gay" is just vile. It's bad to cheat on your partner with a man because ITS BAD TO CHEAT ON YOUR PARTNER.
Not sure if I'm interpreting this correctly, but maybe he wasn't cheating? Rachel did only say Kathleen was okay with Micheal's *bisexuality* and not *being in a relationship with a person other than her* but ethical non-monogamy does exist and he could have had an arrangement with his wife. And I'm not sure he had another partner during the relationship, the quote is his "gay life" and not his "gay extramarital affair" so it could be that he'd had same sex relations in the past and there was no cheating involved.
I miss when Authors Behaving Badly was just people being racist/homophobic or arguing with reviewers on Goodreads. How are there THIS MANY authors who have commited full on murder???
“May an owl attack YOU” is how I’ll be signing off on every passive aggressive letter/email henceforth. Who needs “Sincerely”? I’ll show you “Best regards”… REGARD THE OWL!! 🦉🦉
As a bird person, one thing I've always wondered regarding the owl theory is if Kathleen was wearing her hair in a pony tail. Many (not all of course) owl attacks happen to people who have their hair up in a pony tail - the movement can confuse an owl, especially a young inexperienced one, into thinking that it is some sort of prey animal & they will swoop down & hit the person's head. Not saying I buy the theory either way, but it would be interesting to know.
FWIW, my son was jogging in North Vancouver (the Canadian one) at night and an owl swooped down and knocked his beanie off - which probably saved him from some talons across his scalp. He figured that the trail must go through the owl’s territory, so he changed his route, and didn’t go back for the hat.
Interestingly enough, I was a target of an owl who mistook my hair (I sport a faux hawk) for what I can only presume to be a field mouse. I was camping on New Castle Island which is just off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. And dang there's tons of field mice that run amok at night. One of those nights, I got up to head on over to the outhouse and saw an owl up in a tree watching g me. However, this isn't unusual here, and so I kept on walking . Then swoosh, it flew over top of me onto a different branch....then it did it again, but was closer overhead. Third time I literally felt the wind rush by the top of my head which freaked me the f*ckd out and ran to that outhouse. That's when it dawned on me that my hair could easily be mistaken for its dinner 😅. Thankfully I was wearing a hoodie, so I flipped the hood to cover my head for the trek back to my campsite. I didn't see the owl on my way back but if it was there, there wasn't anymore interest in me and my head. Thinking back a few days later, is when I realized I could've been gouged real good and was extremely lucky considering it was in the middle of the night on a small island without anything around, other than a few other tent-campers. No roads, no electricity, no boat to leave the island until morning, no medics lol. So, it may be a shot in the dark, a 1 to a million chance, but it's possible, even if it isn't probable. 🤷🏻♀️
If I was on the jury, and I heard the owl evidence, I would find not guilty. I think it's important to remember a few things about criminal trials: 1. The prosecution has to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant committed the crime. 2. The defendant does NOT have to prove that they did not commit the crime. 3. The defendant can present alternative culprits to show a reasonable doubt, but they do not have to prove that someone else did it. 4. The jury does not decide guilty or innocent. They decide guilty or not guilty. Or in other words, they decide if the prosecution proved their case. All that to say, in this case, the prosecution has to prove that Peterson did it. Peterson does not have to prove that an owl did it or even that he didn't do it. He just has to cast doubt on the prosecution's case. In this instance, without a murder weapon and with the unexplained owl feathers, I think there is a reasonable doubt. Also, there's an episode of the Criminal podcast about the owl defense and it's fascinating.
Tbh I've always found the owl theory compelling I remember listening to a podcast about this and learned that owls have a grip force of 500lbs!!! That's INSANE and DEFINITELY DEADLY! Birds can be scary yall Especially big birds Geese and owls...keep an eye out
My cousin was attacked by an owl once and had pretty bad scalp lacerations, so while it does seem far fetched, it's not out of the realm of possibility
I am a 100% self-proclaimed true crime nut but there are far to many inconsistency on both the prosecution side and defence side to really say rather he did it or not.
I heard the 'owl theory' and was immediately reminded of the sitcom trial & error. The first season has a man accused of murder of his wife, ex wife exhumed in the process, he goes to prison for it but is ultimately acquitted because they figure out a bird did it. You cannot convince me the writers didn't crib from this guys notes
And the accused man was having an affair with a man and it was proposed that was a motive!! I have not seen the show in a while so do not remember every detail but theres far too many that line up it absolutely must be a parody or something
This was all I could think of! I kept waiting to hear about Peterson being an avid roller skater or how his former partner also died falling down stairs.
I'm really on the fence with this one but I'm leaning towards "he had something to do with it". Her injuries were telling but to exhume a body of that poor woman whose death mirrored Kathleen's? It's hard to believe it's a coincidence. Thank you, great work as always
The conviction was clearly attained through homophobia. There are too many holes in the evidence that was presented at the original trial, not to mention the withheld owl evidence.
I went back and forth so many times watching the documentary series. I was shocked by the verdict. He's definitely a bit creepy, but the prosecution absolutely did not make their case. No way that poker would have caused those injuries in the way they described. Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't, maybe it was the owl, but that verdict was not based on the "evidence".
Okay, I understand that the owl theory doesn’t make sense when you take it as “an owl killed her” but hear me out. My family works with birds of prey and I know from experience that Barred Owls are incredibly dangerous and they are common to the area she died. She also was seen going out the front door briefly to get the mail by a neighbor so her husband wouldnt have seen the attack. Attacks by these owls are not insanely common but they are incredibly well documented and if you already had alcohol and Valium (a Brand of Diazepam which causes impaired memory and motor functions on its own but especially with alcohol) in your system then you would already be disoriented. It says on the bottle and all the warnings that you’re not supposed to mix the two. Barred owls usually attack because they are terrified of humans and are very territorial. The ligature marks on the back of her head actually look exactly like what an owl attack would look like. The feathers they found aren’t just regular owl feathers, they are micro feathers that are only really found around the claws and beaks of the bird which cause the feathers to be commonly found in animals that have been attacked by owls because of their proximity. The fact that she had hair in her hand with the feathers indicated her having possibly ripped it out while fighting the bird. Heads wounds are incredibly copious bleeders and she could have been disoriented after the attack and slipped on her own blood or just slipped and fell. The owl didn’t kill her in the theory, as that is mostly ridiculous. It’s not impossible, but that’s not at all what the person putting the theory forward wanted anyone to think. They are saying an owl attack, which is more common in their area could have cause the circumstances that caused her death. They would have first hand knowledge about the owl situation and probability since they do live nearby. I love your videos, I really do, I just think you kind of missed the point of the theory. I get it, it can sound ridiculous at face but when you look into the statistics and pictures of wounds on humans from owl attacks and put yourself in the scenario that an owl attacks you while you’re Inebriated and disoriented, completely out of the blue, and from said attack you’re bleeding profusely and with higher blood pressure your already toxic mix of Valium and alcohol becomes more intense - maybe you could be more open to the idea that that could cause you to further hurt yourself or even accidentally get yourself killed. I don’t know if I fully believe this, but it’s a damn interesting and plausible theory. Sorry if this came across as harsh I don’t mean it too, I just think this theory needs a fair, full explanation and you may have missed some of said information. If I hadn’t read so much about it and listened to two experts and also had real time experiences with birds of prey I would probably write it off too. Love the videos, hope you’re well, sorry again for the ramble. Below are a few articles with pictures of attacks, statistics and explanations as to why this type of attack can and does happen. craigmedred.news/2020/02/05/when-owls-attack/amp/ www.allaboutbirds.org/news/bird-cams-faq-barred-owl-nest/ www.11alive.com/amp/article/news/local/brookwood-hills-buckhead-atlanta-owl-attacks/85-90170303-b386-4db3-be16-9a03903c7072 PS: I completely agree that it must have been so horrible to think that the person that took you in and raised you could’ve killed your mother in a horrible way and gotten away with it for so long. Honestly I don’t know how I deal with the stress and confusion and anger that they must’ve felt plus the sadness and just horrible horrible feeling of not knowing somebody that you thought you knew. I hope that they’re getting therapy and everything. To the daughter that decided him being Bi (stop bi erasure. Just because you marry or partner with on sex doesn’t stop you being bi) was a good enough thing to turn against the person that raised them, solely because of their own homophobia is disgusting and I hope karma kicks her ass. I could understand doubting him, I doubt him. He seems real suspicious even with the owl theory being a probability in my mind. The bigger probability is that he probably had something to do with it because, man, it is a really big coincidence that he had two women who died in similar ways if he did not. He is literally so unlucky if he had nothing to do with either. I also wish people would stop bringing sex workers into things as comparisons for shitty behavior. Sex work isn’t shitty behavior, it’s just a job. Why can’t people just, oh I don’t know, compare bad things that people do to actual bad things other people do instead of targeting people who are just trying to make a living and deserve way more respect and understanding and empathy but also protection then they get in a day-to-day basis here. I get that he feels like it was somebody solely looking out for themselves for money, but he could’ve compared them to a sooner from the land rush or a common thief instead of dragging sex workers into it as if they do anything different than anyone else at a job. Hell, if they weren’t doing it for money then they’re just people who enjoy sex and there’s nothing wrong with that either. If you’re not looking to get paid with your job then you’re not doing it right. All right, sorry for the longer rant ha ha have a good day. (Edited to fix spelling mistakes and to break up the wall of text)
About it being a coincidence, dying from falling down the stairs is honestly incredibly common in terms of accidental deaths, so it's really not as big of a coincidence as it might seem. Still weird that the injuries are similar, but not enough to assume murder. Edit: Nevermind, the injuries aren't similar at all. Kathleen's injuries are mostly external but the opposite is true for Elizabeth, if there was any murder her it was only of Kathleen.The only sus thing I can find is that the lacerations on Kathleen's head were noted to be by a blunt object and talons very much aren't blunt, which I have no explanation for.
can i just say your make up is lovely? the colours compliment your colouring, the eyeshadow hits the unicorn zone of being strong enough to be obvious, but not enough to be party wear. it's amazing.
Yikes, I miss the good old days when "Authors behaving badly" meant arguing with reviewers on Goodreads XD Anyway, have you heard of Frost Kay? Published a whole series and apparently they plagiarised from another indie writer, word for word... I can't seem to find anything about it among the book community, though.
Yes she’s on my list! The problem is there’s not much to the story, she’s a dick and she copy/pasted, and beyond that there’s not much else I can find on her so it would only be like a five minute video at this point.
@@ReadswithRachel Maybe you could save that story for a special, like, montage episode - like, a few authors behaving badly but they're all too short to be a full episode type thing? Just a thought. I'm sure there's, sadly, probably others out there that would fit the same bill- worth discussing but just... Not a full video's worth of material.
If I died from falling down a flight of stairs everyone who knows me would not even consider drugs or alcohol, they'd just know my clumsiness finally did me in. 😢
So I've read his earlier books after I learned about this case and what I WILL say was he was an alright author at first, but slowly descended into chaos. Like the pandemic cruise.
There is a great 2004 documentary called “Death On The Staircase” which does an in-depth examination of the case (including an addendum looking at the famous owl theory which was made after the original series aired). It’s quite good and follows the case as it unfolded. I recommend this as it was made before the case blew up and shows how Mr Peterson and his family deal with the allegations and discoveries as they happen. As to the owl theory, it strikes me as a bit of a reach.
I know animals can be deadly and vicious but still can’t fathom that an owl was actually responsible and he was released. I’ve known about this case for years but am still baffled 👍✌️🙏❤️✨
Thank you Rachel for getting me through my last few weeks of school! I have been listening to your videos as I do work and I really enjoy your content! Congrats on 9k!
I just discovered you a few days ago and I'm binging all of your videos while playing video games, I hope you don't mind being forever associated with Jedi: Fallen Order for the rest of my life
I feel like I could believe the owl theory of it was just one woman but they both died in a similar manner?? Sooo yeah the owl is a stretch and I feel like he’s definitely guilty
I know how many stairs are in my house. Well, each staircase is 13 steps. I tripped going down them one night (lights off). Now I know so I don't misstep ever again! So, nope, you're not weird ... or maybe just as weird as I am!
Yay!! Perfect timing as I just got back from model rehearsals for a fashion show. Now I have something to watch as I devour some sushi before I take a nap 😂 Edit: I’m leaning towards he did it. Makes more sense than the owl. Pretty scary he’s out free and writing about Santa cruises 😮💨
I heard about Michael pettersen since I was a teenager I truly believe that he is guilty of murder I was shocked to learn that he was released from prison
I can't remember why he got out-I believe it was on a different appeal This is one of those cases that I don't think he should be prison. Not cuz I think 100% he's guilty (tho tbh I am a fan of the owl theory-those birds are crazy strong and I've heard of weirder things killing ppl lol). No I think he shouldn't be in prison because unless we can prove 100% that he did it, we don't get to just strip this man of his liberty. It's why while I totally believe Casey Anthony killed her daughter, and OJ killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, I think the juries were unfortunately right to not convict them with the info available at the time
Not necessarily asking you to make a video on it, but if you haven't read the Bad Art Friend drama, I highly recommend you do. Such choice trad pub tea. Authors behaving badly all around.
I think when you’re a mom you know how many stairs are in your house. Idk 🤷🏻♀️ They found blood spatter on the underside of Michael’s pants. They as in forensics.
Honestly I'm almost inclined to believe the owl theory because its main devotee is himself a lawyer. Like, that's a WILD thing to decide to stake your professional reputation on. How are you going to get new clients when they google you and you come up as "the owl guy"? The audacity actually makes it seem more plausible to me than any of the actual evidence 🤣
I think what makes this case feel so different is that instead of it being a home break-in gone wrong, the defense staked their claims on....an owl. An owl that knew how to fly in through the window, attacked her head, and all the while Michael was completely unaware whilst sitting outside.
@@erinhammo9291 look owls are smart AND not unknown to attack humans Although I always thought this was a partially outdoor staircase? Owls definitely can kill people, so I've heard of weirder things happening.
on the fence w this one but i will see i think its. notable. that he had a history of criticizing local police and then got convicted on extremely shoddy forensics. like hmmm hmm
The Owl theory makes no sense to me personally. He said the last time he saw her she went inside and was fine, right? So the Owl would have had to attack her inside. If it got in a window or smth and attacked her at the top of the stairs there would have been a ton of feathers, imo, cause they come out fairly easy when their wings are hitting things, which would happen in close quarters during a swoop, especially if she freaked out. Not just one tiny feather and piece of tree. I think he did it.
In the scripted series, they go more in depth on the owl theory (with the documentary it was literally a six minute bonus clip because it wasn't presented to them until after the filming was done). The expanded theory is that she had gone through the house to the front yard to put out some last minute Christmas decorations and was attacked there. The scripted series also claimed there was a smudge of her blood on the handle of the front door 🤷🏻♀️ IF ANY OF THAT'S TRUE I do think it makes the owl theory more plausible.
@@raven_moonshine39 Oh I see 🤔 shouldn't there also be blood leading from the front door to the stairs then? Considering how heavily she was bleeding in the stairwell. Unless it was lost when he was walking all over the place barefoot between phone calls or smth.. idr the exact crime scene layout.
I saw Netflix documentary. It’s very interesting. I thought it was crazy that the prosecutor spent $$$$ on going to Germany where the other lady died . Germany didn’t even consider him a suspect. This prosecutor used homophobia to get this man in jail. That’s disgusting. No one will ever know if he did it or not. His sister-in-law homophobia is on tape for all to see. Who didn’t check the witnesses background. How in the work did he even get that job. Too many holes in the prosecutors case. Which unfortunately means no one will know what happened to his wife. Documentary left more questions then answers.
He probably killed his wife, but I don’t agree with the people that think he should be locked up. Personally, I believe in prison abolition, but besides that the way that the police/prosecution mishandled his case and treated him means that he should go free. Not even murderers deserve to have their evidence fucked with or be attacked for their sexuality. If someone did something like this and is dangerous, you should be able to prove it w/o sketchy behavior. Two crimes don’t make justice.
I'm leaning towards him being guilty of at least one death, if not both. Two women around him dying and being found in similar places could technically be a coincidence, but I consider the likelihood of that rather small.
I've watched and read too much about this case and in my opinion (it's just an opinion so no one sue me) it feels extremely, EXTREMELY obvious that he got away with undeading a woman TWICE. No one can convince me otherwise.
claiming to have awards from war is so disgusting. The more medals a person has from the military, the more (absolutely terrible) things they've seen/been through. I feel it's very disrespectful to pretend to have been granted a medal and it takes away from the real experiences those military personnel have been through.
I think he did it, he's just a liar all around. He lied to everyone about his life. He wasn't working or bringing in any money and his wife was the one who had all the money. I don't think the bisexual thing was necessarily the best way for the prosecutor to portray his infidelity, which is that part I could see his wife being upset by (seemed like they emphasized that to prejudice the jury). Based on his age, and how carefully he crafted his fake life/reputation, I could see him being concerned about that part of his life being exposed though. I think he basically got away with two murders, and the fact that he got away with the first one made him think he could do it again. When they were exactly the same, and he was alone with both women, and benefited in some way from their deaths. I feel for his family and the family of those he took loved ones from.
Given the police system in America...I really don't think he did all that! I hate the bi-erasure for sure, also, the villainization of bisexuality!! 🤔😠🤔
I thought and even told someone that the owl theory is the dumbest shit I have ever heard. Then, Patrick Schwarzenegger was attacked by one his first hours on set. This dumb sounding their has merit
I used to love the show 1000 ways to die. An owl causing an accidental death isn’t even the weirdest. I’m not saying he’s innocent but we as humans have managed to die is some absolutely crazy and unimaginable ways. Sometimes the out there theory can be the truth. (Again not saying it is in this case, I don’t know it well enough to even want to hazard an opinion, but sometimes the truth is bizarre and unbelievable)
I can excuse murder, but I draw the LINE at bisexuality 🤣😭 wtf pure chaos
Lmao I’m dead
I agree that he's extremely suspicious and probably did it. Hell, I think he probably did it because his wife found out about his affairs. But the way the prosecution painted him as especially evil because "ew gay" is just vile. It's bad to cheat on your partner with a man because ITS BAD TO CHEAT ON YOUR PARTNER.
Not sure if I'm interpreting this correctly, but maybe he wasn't cheating? Rachel did only say Kathleen was okay with Micheal's *bisexuality* and not *being in a relationship with a person other than her* but ethical non-monogamy does exist and he could have had an arrangement with his wife. And I'm not sure he had another partner during the relationship, the quote is his "gay life" and not his "gay extramarital affair" so it could be that he'd had same sex relations in the past and there was no cheating involved.
I miss when Authors Behaving Badly was just people being racist/homophobic or arguing with reviewers on Goodreads. How are there THIS MANY authors who have commited full on murder???
A QUESTION I WOULD LIKE ANSWERED
@@ReadswithRachel have you uh, heard of Nancy Brophy? This one's kind of special I think. Dreading made one hell of a video on it.
what i need is this two different counts to see which team has more murderers, stalkers, or just racist or homophobic
“May an owl attack YOU” is how I’ll be signing off on every passive aggressive letter/email henceforth.
Who needs “Sincerely”? I’ll show you “Best regards”… REGARD THE OWL!! 🦉🦉
As a bird person, one thing I've always wondered regarding the owl theory is if Kathleen was wearing her hair in a pony tail. Many (not all of course) owl attacks happen to people who have their hair up in a pony tail - the movement can confuse an owl, especially a young inexperienced one, into thinking that it is some sort of prey animal & they will swoop down & hit the person's head. Not saying I buy the theory either way, but it would be interesting to know.
If I remember right, her hair was short (like chin length) when it happened.
FWIW, my son was jogging in North Vancouver (the Canadian one) at night and an owl swooped down and knocked his beanie off - which probably saved him from some talons across his scalp. He figured that the trail must go through the owl’s territory, so he changed his route, and didn’t go back for the hat.
"Your hair could be confused for a small prey animal" seems like a perfectly niche type of shade to throw😂
Interestingly enough, I was a target of an owl who mistook my hair (I sport a faux hawk) for what I can only presume to be a field mouse. I was camping on New Castle Island which is just off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. And dang there's tons of field mice that run amok at night. One of those nights, I got up to head on over to the outhouse and saw an owl up in a tree watching g me. However, this isn't unusual here, and so I kept on walking . Then swoosh, it flew over top of me onto a different branch....then it did it again, but was closer overhead. Third time I literally felt the wind rush by the top of my head which freaked me the f*ckd out and ran to that outhouse. That's when it dawned on me that my hair could easily be mistaken for its dinner 😅. Thankfully I was wearing a hoodie, so I flipped the hood to cover my head for the trek back to my campsite. I didn't see the owl on my way back but if it was there, there wasn't anymore interest in me and my head. Thinking back a few days later, is when I realized I could've been gouged real good and was extremely lucky considering it was in the middle of the night on a small island without anything around, other than a few other tent-campers. No roads, no electricity, no boat to leave the island until morning, no medics lol.
So, it may be a shot in the dark, a 1 to a million chance, but it's possible, even if it isn't probable. 🤷🏻♀️
If I was on the jury, and I heard the owl evidence, I would find not guilty.
I think it's important to remember a few things about criminal trials:
1. The prosecution has to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant committed the crime.
2. The defendant does NOT have to prove that they did not commit the crime.
3. The defendant can present alternative culprits to show a reasonable doubt, but they do not have to prove that someone else did it.
4. The jury does not decide guilty or innocent. They decide guilty or not guilty. Or in other words, they decide if the prosecution proved their case.
All that to say, in this case, the prosecution has to prove that Peterson did it. Peterson does not have to prove that an owl did it or even that he didn't do it. He just has to cast doubt on the prosecution's case.
In this instance, without a murder weapon and with the unexplained owl feathers, I think there is a reasonable doubt.
Also, there's an episode of the Criminal podcast about the owl defense and it's fascinating.
Seriously, if you're ever called for jury duty, show them this. The lawyers will find it very interesting.
Tbh I've always found the owl theory compelling
I remember listening to a podcast about this and learned that owls have a grip force of 500lbs!!! That's INSANE and DEFINITELY DEADLY!
Birds can be scary yall
Especially big birds
Geese and owls...keep an eye out
"May an owl attack you!" Im using that as an insult from now on 😆
My cousin was attacked by an owl once and had pretty bad scalp lacerations, so while it does seem far fetched, it's not out of the realm of possibility
Okay I didn't not realize not one but two women in his life passed under similar circumstances
I am a 100% self-proclaimed true crime nut but there are far to many inconsistency on both the prosecution side and defence side to really say rather he did it or not.
I heard the 'owl theory' and was immediately reminded of the sitcom trial & error. The first season has a man accused of murder of his wife, ex wife exhumed in the process, he goes to prison for it but is ultimately acquitted because they figure out a bird did it. You cannot convince me the writers didn't crib from this guys notes
And the accused man was having an affair with a man and it was proposed that was a motive!! I have not seen the show in a while so do not remember every detail but theres far too many that line up it absolutely must be a parody or something
This was all I could think of! I kept waiting to hear about Peterson being an avid roller skater or how his former partner also died falling down stairs.
I'm really on the fence with this one but I'm leaning towards "he had something to do with it". Her injuries were telling but to exhume a body of that poor woman whose death mirrored Kathleen's? It's hard to believe it's a coincidence. Thank you, great work as always
The conviction was clearly attained through homophobia. There are too many holes in the evidence that was presented at the original trial, not to mention the withheld owl evidence.
I went back and forth so many times watching the documentary series. I was shocked by the verdict. He's definitely a bit creepy, but the prosecution absolutely did not make their case. No way that poker would have caused those injuries in the way they described.
Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't, maybe it was the owl, but that verdict was not based on the "evidence".
Okay, I understand that the owl theory doesn’t make sense when you take it as “an owl killed her” but hear me out. My family works with birds of prey and I know from experience that Barred Owls are incredibly dangerous and they are common to the area she died. She also was seen going out the front door briefly to get the mail by a neighbor so her husband wouldnt have seen the attack.
Attacks by these owls are not insanely common but they are incredibly well documented and if you already had alcohol and Valium (a Brand of Diazepam which causes impaired memory and motor functions on its own but especially with alcohol) in your system then you would already be disoriented. It says on the bottle and all the warnings that you’re not supposed to mix the two. Barred owls usually attack because they are terrified of humans and are very territorial. The ligature marks on the back of her head actually look exactly like what an owl attack would look like. The feathers they found aren’t just regular owl feathers, they are micro feathers that are only really found around the claws and beaks of the bird which cause the feathers to be commonly found in animals that have been attacked by owls because of their proximity. The fact that she had hair in her hand with the feathers indicated her having possibly ripped it out while fighting the bird. Heads wounds are incredibly copious bleeders and she could have been disoriented after the attack and slipped on her own blood or just slipped and fell.
The owl didn’t kill her in the theory, as that is mostly ridiculous. It’s not impossible, but that’s not at all what the person putting the theory forward wanted anyone to think. They are saying an owl attack, which is more common in their area could have cause the circumstances that caused her death. They would have first hand knowledge about the owl situation and probability since they do live nearby.
I love your videos, I really do, I just think you kind of missed the point of the theory. I get it, it can sound ridiculous at face but when you look into the statistics and pictures of wounds on humans from owl attacks and put yourself in the scenario that an owl attacks you while you’re Inebriated and disoriented, completely out of the blue, and from said attack you’re bleeding profusely and with higher blood pressure your already toxic mix of Valium and alcohol becomes more intense - maybe you could be more open to the idea that that could cause you to further hurt yourself or even accidentally get yourself killed. I don’t know if I fully believe this, but it’s a damn interesting and plausible theory. Sorry if this came across as harsh I don’t mean it too, I just think this theory needs a fair, full explanation and you may have missed some of said information. If I hadn’t read so much about it and listened to two experts and also had real time experiences with birds of prey I would probably write it off too. Love the videos, hope you’re well, sorry again for the ramble. Below are a few articles with pictures of attacks, statistics and explanations as to why this type of attack can and does happen.
craigmedred.news/2020/02/05/when-owls-attack/amp/
www.allaboutbirds.org/news/bird-cams-faq-barred-owl-nest/
www.11alive.com/amp/article/news/local/brookwood-hills-buckhead-atlanta-owl-attacks/85-90170303-b386-4db3-be16-9a03903c7072
PS: I completely agree that it must have been so horrible to think that the person that took you in and raised you could’ve killed your mother in a horrible way and gotten away with it for so long. Honestly I don’t know how I deal with the stress and confusion and anger that they must’ve felt plus the sadness and just horrible horrible feeling of not knowing somebody that you thought you knew. I hope that they’re getting therapy and everything.
To the daughter that decided him being Bi (stop bi erasure. Just because you marry or partner with on sex doesn’t stop you being bi) was a good enough thing to turn against the person that raised them, solely because of their own homophobia is disgusting and I hope karma kicks her ass. I could understand doubting him, I doubt him. He seems real suspicious even with the owl theory being a probability in my mind. The bigger probability is that he probably had something to do with it because, man, it is a really big coincidence that he had two women who died in similar ways if he did not. He is literally so unlucky if he had nothing to do with either.
I also wish people would stop bringing sex workers into things as comparisons for shitty behavior. Sex work isn’t shitty behavior, it’s just a job. Why can’t people just, oh I don’t know, compare bad things that people do to actual bad things other people do instead of targeting people who are just trying to make a living and deserve way more respect and understanding and empathy but also protection then they get in a day-to-day basis here. I get that he feels like it was somebody solely looking out for themselves for money, but he could’ve compared them to a sooner from the land rush or a common thief instead of dragging sex workers into it as if they do anything different than anyone else at a job. Hell, if they weren’t doing it for money then they’re just people who enjoy sex and there’s nothing wrong with that either. If you’re not looking to get paid with your job then you’re not doing it right. All right, sorry for the longer rant ha ha have a good day.
(Edited to fix spelling mistakes and to break up the wall of text)
About it being a coincidence, dying from falling down the stairs is honestly incredibly common in terms of accidental deaths, so it's really not as big of a coincidence as it might seem. Still weird that the injuries are similar, but not enough to assume murder.
Edit: Nevermind, the injuries aren't similar at all. Kathleen's injuries are mostly external but the opposite is true for Elizabeth, if there was any murder her it was only of Kathleen.The only sus thing I can find is that the lacerations on Kathleen's head were noted to be by a blunt object and talons very much aren't blunt, which I have no explanation for.
can i just say your make up is lovely? the colours compliment your colouring, the eyeshadow hits the unicorn zone of being strong enough to be obvious, but not enough to be party wear. it's amazing.
Thank you so much for saying this 🥹💕
Yikes, I miss the good old days when "Authors behaving badly" meant arguing with reviewers on Goodreads XD
Anyway, have you heard of Frost Kay? Published a whole series and apparently they plagiarised from another indie writer, word for word... I can't seem to find anything about it among the book community, though.
Yes she’s on my list! The problem is there’s not much to the story, she’s a dick and she copy/pasted, and beyond that there’s not much else I can find on her so it would only be like a five minute video at this point.
@@ReadswithRachel Maybe you could save that story for a special, like, montage episode - like, a few authors behaving badly but they're all too short to be a full episode type thing? Just a thought. I'm sure there's, sadly, probably others out there that would fit the same bill- worth discussing but just... Not a full video's worth of material.
Great idea!
Not gonna lie, barred owls are legit intimidating
RIGHT?!
If I died from falling down a flight of stairs everyone who knows me would not even consider drugs or alcohol, they'd just know my clumsiness finally did me in. 😢
That sex worker analogy came out of nowhere. Wtf lol
“The owl theory what a hoot” 🤣🤣🤣
I’m a menace for that
Okay, this whole story is wild but I was NOT PREPARED for "Santa's Pandemic Cruise"
So I've read his earlier books after I learned about this case and what I WILL say was he was an alright author at first, but slowly descended into chaos. Like the pandemic cruise.
It was the owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial.
Thing could bite through that candy after only three licks. F-ing monster… 😭💔
LMAO
I remember seeing this case on Investigation Discovery or Forensic Files or something! The reasoning and the evidence showing otherwise was insane!
There is a great 2004 documentary called “Death On The Staircase” which does an in-depth examination of the case (including an addendum looking at the famous owl theory which was made after the original series aired). It’s quite good and follows the case as it unfolded. I recommend this as it was made before the case blew up and shows how Mr Peterson and his family deal with the allegations and discoveries as they happen. As to the owl theory, it strikes me as a bit of a reach.
I know animals can be deadly and vicious but still can’t fathom that an owl was actually responsible and he was released. I’ve known about this case for years but am still baffled 👍✌️🙏❤️✨
i remember studying this in my forensics class and the inconsistency in the blood splatter,,,
No way!!!
I love this series! Your channel is getting me through some long work days
I’m so glad!!!
7:24 Maybe. Or maybe you just want to be like Sherlock Holmes. I remember reading about how he did that.
The way this is written sounds like Sherlock is a real person and this was a celebrity tidbit/in an interview or something lol
another great instalment of the ABB series. I really appriciate your videos, always learning something new. Keep up the great work.
❤💛💚💙💜
Thank you so much!
Thank you Rachel for getting me through my last few weeks of school! I have been listening to your videos as I do work and I really enjoy your content! Congrats on 9k!
Thank you so much! Hope school is going well ♥️♥️♥️
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
edit: I knew you would love this deep dive, thanks so much for doing it!
Thank YOU! ♥️
I watched this while doing my workplace hazards slips, trips, and falls online training
Owl talons are going to leave a very different mark than a poker.
I guess it remains a hoo-dunnit. 🦉
Going to prison for trying to get to Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach...
I just discovered you a few days ago and I'm binging all of your videos while playing video games, I hope you don't mind being forever associated with Jedi: Fallen Order for the rest of my life
That’s one of my husbands favorite games so OF COURSE I DONT MIND
I feel like I could believe the owl theory of it was just one woman but they both died in a similar manner?? Sooo yeah the owl is a stretch and I feel like he’s definitely guilty
Oooh, I heard of this case before thanks to Trial & Error, but I never knew all of the details! This was an interesting video. =)
Oh wow… love that you used the pictures from Forensic Files, I’ve seen this episode!
I just used whatever came up on Google first and was the least pixelated
@@ReadswithRachel Totally makes sense!
Its ok Rachel, even if you dont finish the song i do every time so know in spirit the song will always be finished
I know how many stairs are in my house. Well, each staircase is 13 steps. I tripped going down them one night (lights off). Now I know so I don't misstep ever again! So, nope, you're not weird ... or maybe just as weird as I am!
Why is these so much murder in this playlist?
Omg this is crazy 👀
OMG is your bookshelf colour coded??? I'm sobbing 😭
It is!
Yay!! Perfect timing as I just got back from model rehearsals for a fashion show. Now I have something to watch as I devour some sushi before I take a nap 😂
Edit: I’m leaning towards he did it. Makes more sense than the owl. Pretty scary he’s out free and writing about Santa cruises 😮💨
There was actually a comedy series a few years ago based on this, called Trial & Error
I count the stairs all the time!
I mean it’s practical to know when you’re carrying something and can’t see😅
never read his books and I never will
I heard about Michael pettersen since I was a teenager I truly believe that he is guilty of murder I was shocked to learn that he was released from prison
You should do a video on AJ finn he wrote the girl in the window
Definitely -- that's a really wild story, and totally tied up with the world of publishing.
Oh I’d be for this too. Not sure if she has
I’ll put it on my list!
@@ReadswithRachel thanks 😊
"Have you read his book on Santa and COVID?" That's almost intriguing enough to make me consider it, but... Nah.
I’m suddenly ashamed of being from NC
I mean I’m from Florida so I’ve got no room to talk
Congrats on 9k!!!!! 🎉🎉
Thank u ily 🥹
I can't remember why he got out-I believe it was on a different appeal
This is one of those cases that I don't think he should be prison. Not cuz I think 100% he's guilty (tho tbh I am a fan of the owl theory-those birds are crazy strong and I've heard of weirder things killing ppl lol). No I think he shouldn't be in prison because unless we can prove 100% that he did it, we don't get to just strip this man of his liberty.
It's why while I totally believe Casey Anthony killed her daughter, and OJ killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, I think the juries were unfortunately right to not convict them with the info available at the time
Not necessarily asking you to make a video on it, but if you haven't read the Bad Art Friend drama, I highly recommend you do. Such choice trad pub tea. Authors behaving badly all around.
I specifically want to know what brand and palette eyeshadow you use. I love the lavender purple
I think when you’re a mom you know how many stairs are in your house. Idk 🤷🏻♀️
They found blood spatter on the underside of Michael’s pants. They as in forensics.
Ofc he went to Duke
❤❤❤❤❤
There is so much sus about this guy. I'm also very uncomfortable with how his adopted daughters come off as almost worshipping him.
No wonder he killed his wife for insurance money his books suck and couldn't make a dime with them.
I have 17 stairs in my house I know exactly how many too 😂
what did that poor owl do to you michael? you know you did it.
Honestly I'm almost inclined to believe the owl theory because its main devotee is himself a lawyer. Like, that's a WILD thing to decide to stake your professional reputation on. How are you going to get new clients when they google you and you come up as "the owl guy"? The audacity actually makes it seem more plausible to me than any of the actual evidence 🤣
I think what makes this case feel so different is that instead of it being a home break-in gone wrong, the defense staked their claims on....an owl. An owl that knew how to fly in through the window, attacked her head, and all the while Michael was completely unaware whilst sitting outside.
@@erinhammo9291 look owls are smart AND not unknown to attack humans
Although I always thought this was a partially outdoor staircase?
Owls definitely can kill people, so I've heard of weirder things happening.
@@FIRING_BLIND iirc from the photos it is an indoor staircase.
on the fence w this one but i will see i think its. notable. that he had a history of criticizing local police and then got convicted on extremely shoddy forensics. like hmmm hmm
Honestly, I'm somewhat doubtful that he did it.
The owl theory is what happens when you fall for a red herring in a mystery
The Owl theory makes no sense to me personally. He said the last time he saw her she went inside and was fine, right? So the Owl would have had to attack her inside. If it got in a window or smth and attacked her at the top of the stairs there would have been a ton of feathers, imo, cause they come out fairly easy when their wings are hitting things, which would happen in close quarters during a swoop, especially if she freaked out. Not just one tiny feather and piece of tree. I think he did it.
In the scripted series, they go more in depth on the owl theory (with the documentary it was literally a six minute bonus clip because it wasn't presented to them until after the filming was done). The expanded theory is that she had gone through the house to the front yard to put out some last minute Christmas decorations and was attacked there. The scripted series also claimed there was a smudge of her blood on the handle of the front door 🤷🏻♀️ IF ANY OF THAT'S TRUE I do think it makes the owl theory more plausible.
@@raven_moonshine39 Oh I see 🤔 shouldn't there also be blood leading from the front door to the stairs then? Considering how heavily she was bleeding in the stairwell. Unless it was lost when he was walking all over the place barefoot between phone calls or smth.. idr the exact crime scene layout.
yes exactly, it scares me how easily people believe this theory😐
I saw Netflix documentary. It’s very interesting. I thought it was crazy that the prosecutor spent $$$$ on going to Germany where the other lady died . Germany didn’t even consider him a suspect. This prosecutor used homophobia to get this man in jail. That’s disgusting. No one will ever know if he did it or not. His sister-in-law homophobia is on tape for all to see. Who didn’t check the witnesses background. How in the work did he even get that job. Too many holes in the prosecutors case. Which unfortunately means no one will know what happened to his wife. Documentary left more questions then answers.
He probably killed his wife, but I don’t agree with the people that think he should be locked up. Personally, I believe in prison abolition, but besides that the way that the police/prosecution mishandled his case and treated him means that he should go free. Not even murderers deserve to have their evidence fucked with or be attacked for their sexuality. If someone did something like this and is dangerous, you should be able to prove it w/o sketchy behavior. Two crimes don’t make justice.
I honestly fully agree with you
I'm surprised the dude didn't write a book later where some other oddly innocuous animal was the culprit all along. Like...THE MONGOOSE DID IT!!!
👍✌️🙏❤️✨
You can’t just say that about his son and move on so fast wtf lmao
I'm leaning towards him being guilty of at least one death, if not both. Two women around him dying and being found in similar places could technically be a coincidence, but I consider the likelihood of that rather small.
There's a Netflix documentary about him and the whole ordeal, it's called The Staircase. Highly recommended
He definitely killed Kathleen. I'm not sure it was planned, but he is responsible. I think Ratliff's death being so similar is a bizarre coincidence.
I've watched and read too much about this case and in my opinion (it's just an opinion so no one sue me) it feels extremely, EXTREMELY obvious that he got away with undeading a woman TWICE. No one can convince me otherwise.
I’ve heard of “unaliving” but what is “undeading” 😂
@@snicketylemony hahahah I didn't notice I wrote the wrong one!That is hilarious.
claiming to have awards from war is so disgusting. The more medals a person has from the military, the more (absolutely terrible) things they've seen/been through. I feel it's very disrespectful to pretend to have been granted a medal and it takes away from the real experiences those military personnel have been through.
I think he did it, he's just a liar all around. He lied to everyone about his life. He wasn't working or bringing in any money and his wife was the one who had all the money. I don't think the bisexual thing was necessarily the best way for the prosecutor to portray his infidelity, which is that part I could see his wife being upset by (seemed like they emphasized that to prejudice the jury). Based on his age, and how carefully he crafted his fake life/reputation, I could see him being concerned about that part of his life being exposed though. I think he basically got away with two murders, and the fact that he got away with the first one made him think he could do it again. When they were exactly the same, and he was alone with both women, and benefited in some way from their deaths. I feel for his family and the family of those he took loved ones from.
Given the police system in America...I really don't think he did all that! I hate the bi-erasure for sure, also, the villainization of bisexuality!! 🤔😠🤔
the owl theory is so fucking farfetched it might as well be pokemon
I thought and even told someone that the owl theory is the dumbest shit I have ever heard. Then, Patrick Schwarzenegger was attacked by one his first hours on set. This dumb sounding their has merit
I used to love the show 1000 ways to die. An owl causing an accidental death isn’t even the weirdest.
I’m not saying he’s innocent but we as humans have managed to die is some absolutely crazy and unimaginable ways. Sometimes the out there theory can be the truth. (Again not saying it is in this case, I don’t know it well enough to even want to hazard an opinion, but sometimes the truth is bizarre and unbelievable)
"For which I was not compensated." You're an effing criminal, Peterson.
oops i accidentally disliked i just liked afterwards so pls ignore
I say that one partner stair death is misfortune, twice seems like carelessness...
I always believe, and still believe he did it, both of them. But as usual because of money and privilege he didn’t get the sentence he deserved.
So... both of his wives were found dead at the bottom of the stairs after he was the last one to see them? what a stupid and terrible man