Kathleen Peterson was an American woman known for her mysterious death in December 2001. She was found at the bottom of a staircase in her home in Durham, North Carolina. Her death was initially ruled an accident, but it later became the subject of a high-profile murder trial involving her husband, Michael Peterson, a novelist and former Marine. The case gained significant media attention and was the focus of the documentary series The Staircase. The trial raised questions about forensic evidence and the circumstances surrounding Kathleen's death, leading to debates about justice and the legal system.