Michael Peterson is an American author and former politician known for his involvement in a high-profile murder case. He gained national attention after the death of his wife, Kathleen, in 2001, which he claimed was an accident. Peterson was convicted of her murder in 2003, but his case has been the subject of much debate and media coverage, including a popular documentary series titled The Staircase. In 2011, Peterson was granted a new trial, and in 2017, he entered an Alford plea, which allowed him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. His story has raised questions about the legal system and the reliability of forensic evidence, making it a significant case in American criminal justice history.