Written in Blood (31 page)

Authors: Diane Fanning

BOOK: Written in Blood

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Then, at the age of 14, Amy Carlson took her own lifeâfollowing the escape route she believed her beloved teacher had used. Deep inside, Donna harbored an anger at Liz Ratliff for the damage her suicide inflicted on Amy.

Donna settled down to watch the showâher mind filled with memories of her daughter. It had been many years since Amy's death, but the pain was still alive. She hoped glimpses of the distant past would smooth some of the scars she bore.

What she saw, however, jolted her with renewed pain. This show was not just any story set in Grafenhausenâit told the truth behind the death of Amy's teacher. It was not a suicide. Donna wondered who had created that
rumor and if it had been spread by someone wanting to protect Michael Peterson.

Her anger was intense, but no longer directed at Liz Ratliff. Her sorrow now had a new dimension. In her heart, Donna was convinced that there was one more victim of Michael Petersonâher daughter, Amy.

On February 18, David Rudolf appeared in Orange County Superior Court. It was not in his usual capacityâhe had been summoned for jury duty. The case involved a former UNC football player who was charged with raping a student in her dorm room. Rudolf was excused from the panel.

The three most tragic figures in the courtroom, Margaret and Martha Ratliff and Caitlin Atwater, attempted to pick up the pieces of their lives. Margaret returned to Tulane University in New Orleans. Upon her arrival, three letters from Michael Peterson were waiting for her in her mailbox. Martha returned to her studies at the University of San Francisco. Bill Peterson was determined to make sure the sisters were able to complete their educations.

Caitlin was back in Ithaca, New York, at Cornell University. She had not declared a major yet, but her studies focused on sociology and government. She hoped to go to law school when she graduated.

In March 2004, military investigators consulted with authorities in Durham. Like the German police, they were
opening an investigation into the death of Department of Defense employee Liz Ratliff.

Later that month, an attorney representing Michael Peterson was back in Judge Hudson's courtroom. Peterson wanted his Cartier watch, which the police had seized as evidence. The judge denied the request, ruling that the state was within its rights to hold on to all evidence while appeals were pending.

It would be a long time before the people of Durham would relegate this tragedy to the dustbin of old news.

AFTERWORD

“Psychology is based on probability.”

âMichael Nuccitelli, forensic psychologist

I drove to Maplewood Cemetery after court one day. Peace settled around me as I entered the serene landscape spotted with majestic trees. Beneath one towering oak, I found the last resting place of Kathleen Hunt Peterson.

Above, in the branches of the tree, the set of wind chimes hung. As I reached the foot of her grave, a breeze danced through the air and the sweetest sound I ever heard tinkled through the air. It was almost as if the gracious hostess was welcoming me to her new home.

I paused there for a time thinking about the great light lost the day Kathleen died. All the while the chimes graced the air with a pure sound that offered comfort. I placed a small stone on her headstone, turned and walked away. As soon as I passed under the tree on my way to my car, the breeze died and the music of Kathleen faded in the air.

I looked back and waved to the woman I had never known and now never would. She remained a presence in the hearts of her mother, her daughter, her sisters, her brother and in all the many lives she had touched.

And now, she was rooted in my life. In the music of
the chimes, I heard her voice. And I promised to remember.

Before the trial ended, the verdict was a foregone conclusion in my mind. The medical examiner's report made it murder. The spatter inside the shorts made it Mike. All else was window-dressing.

But who knows how the twists and turns tormented the collective mind of the chosen twelve? They pounded through weeks of a prosecution case where, at times, they seemed to be in the jury room more often than in the courtroom as one
voir dire
hearing after another banished them to their sanctum.

The top-dollar defense team did not need to prove Peterson blamelessâthat is not their job. They needed only to etch enough question marks in the air. Still, it seemed odd that they did not present a single tangible witness who connected in a real way with the accused or the victim. Not one concrete witness mounted the stand for the defenseâonly professional experts.

No one took the stand to extol the virtues, the passions or the good works of Michael Peterson. Not a friend from his past. Not any of his neighborhood supporters and not one member of the family. Once the trial was over, it was still difficult to find anyone willing to spend a few minutes sharing a kind word on his behalf.

No one took the stand for the defense to testify about the events of December 9 or 10 or any day in the lives of Michael and Kathleen. Of course, the defendant avoided
the hot seatâhe had too many toxic elements in his life to survive the crucible of cross-examination.

What about the blowpoke that mysteriously reappeared? Neither the public nor the prosecutors nor the panel sitting in judgment knew anything about the provenance of that tool. No one spoke of where it was found. No one spoke of who found it.

Despite public opinion to the contrary, the legal system is no longer designed to find the truthâit is constructed to decide a winner. Although life and death lie on the line, many players in the courtroom see it all as a game where cleverness and ruse win the day. A place where a desperate desire to deceive means truth is to be avoided at all costs.

And what is the truthâthe whole truthâabout Michael Peterson? Perhaps it will never be known. As his good friend, Richard White Adams, said at Michael's wedding to Kathleen, “Michael is a man of mystery.” He seemed to take great pleasure in this image.

More than one mental health professional on Court TV suggested that he could have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. If that diagnosis is true, it does answer a lot of questions in Michael's life.

The
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
defines Narcissism as “A pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession with one's self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of one's gratification, dominance and ambition.” As many as 75 percent of all narcissists are men. It is in the same family as Borderline, Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorders.

The art of deception is a hallmark of Narcissism. A person with NPD projects a false face to the world and manages all social interactions through this fictional self. People often become involved with a narcissist without having any awareness of who he really is.

He expresses surprise that society should hold him responsible and want to punish him for his actions. When faced with the judgment of others, he feels wronged and persecuted. It is rare for him to feel any regret for what he was done or any empathy for his victim.

He is apt to experiment sexually with multiple partners. Sex for him is the ultimate act of objectification of another human being. It proves his superiority and fuels his narcissism.

He often embroiders the tales of his achievements and talents to gain acknowledgment of his superiority. His humor is sharp and biting, and cloaks a deep well of hostility and venom.

He draws to him people who offer positive affirmation. They are the source of his narcissistic supply. He desires to impress and manipulate themâand hold them tight.

But theories about the state of Michael Peterson's mental health pale in importance when compared to the future of three damaged young women. What will become of Caitlin, Margaret and Martha?

Many in the families of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson ache from the severing of their relationships with Margaret and Martha. The two sisters, whether they acknowledge it or not, are bound to suffer from this estrangement, too. Will they ever renew the relationships that were once so important to them? Will the fear of
possible abandonment forever create barriers that separate them from others?

And what about Caitlin? She is a strong young woman with an intense desire to succeed. Time will somewhat soften the pain she feels from the loss of her mother. But, after viewing how her mother was betrayed by the men she lovedâone painfully, the other lethallyâwill she ever be able to develop enough trust to enjoy a close relationship?

Margaret, Martha and Caitlin. The road to recovery for all of them will be a long and winding one. Whisper their names in your hearts. Bless them with a world of healing and a universe of hope.

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the insight and assistance of many people. I express my gratitude to the family members of Elizabeth Ratliff and Kathleen Peterson who shared their stories with me: Caitlin Atwater, Fred Atwater, Margaret Blair, Rosemary Kelloway, Lori Campell, Veronica Hunt and Candace Zamperini. And to the others who felt the pain of these deaths: Randy Durham, Barbara Malagnino, Donna Carlson Lindahl, Pat Finn, and Patty Peterson.

I deeply appreciate the assistance I received from so many Durham County officialsâDistrict Attorney Jim Hardin, Assistant District Attorney Freda Black, Jury Clerk Susan Cowen, Victim-Witness Legal Assistant Leslie Hearn, Deputy Brian Mister, Sergeant Vicky Menser and Dee Johnson of the sheriff's department, Jay Rose and Mickey Tezai of the Durham County Emergency Medical Services. A very special expression of gratitude to the angel of the courthouse, Court Clerk Angie KellyâI would have been lost and bewildered without your help and hospitality.

Thanks, too, to Investigator Art Holland, SBI Agent
Duane Deaver, Dr. Deborah Radisch and to my new friend, Carolyn Hardin.

Thanks to Nancy Perry at the Duke Archives and Elizabeth Dean in the university's Special Collections library.

I appreciate the hard work of all the jurors, but in particular want to thank the three who shared their experience with me: Kelli Colgan, Bettye Blackwell and Richard Sarratt.

I appreciate the help of Tom Ewing at the Educational Testing Services in Princeton, New Jersey, and forensic pathologist John Cooper, Jr., in California. In my home state of Texas, thanks to Andy Krueger of Krueger Legal Services, Beverley Home of the Writers' League of Texas, Susie Adkins at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City and Ron Friesenhahn, my favorite attorney in New Braunfelsâmaybe, the whole state.

I send my gratitude to Peter Eichenberger, David Perlmutt, Defense Attorney Tom Maher, Maureen Berry, Marlo Kinsey and Attorney Jay Trehy, as well. And to those of you who helped me but asked to remain anonymous, you know who you are and I appreciate you.

Finally, a huge thanks to my agent, Jane Dystel, and to St. Martin's executive editor Charles Spicer, and my editor, Emily Drum. You made this book possible.

And a special thank you to my husband, Wayne, for his infinite patience and support and to my daughter, Liz, whose wedding plans I neglected until I finished this book.

DON'T MISS THESE OTHER FASCINATING TRUE CRIME ACCOUNTS BY DIANE FANNING

OUT THERE
UNDER THE KNIFE
BABY BE MINE
GONE FOREVER
THROUGH THE WINDOW
INTO THE WATER
WRITTEN IN BLOOD

AVAILABLE FROM ST. MARTIN'S
TRUE CRIME LIBRARY