'The Staircase': Who Is Duane Deaver and Where Is He Now? - Newsweek

The finale of The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max and Sky Atlantic now. For those who are not familiar with the case of Michael Peterson, Episode 8 will have you picking your jaw from the floor.

Titled "America's Sweetheart: or Time Over Time" the final episode follows the events that led up to Michael Peterson's official release from prison in 2017.

Duane Deaver, who played a key role in securing Michael Peterson's guilty conviction for murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson on December 9, 2001, ironically ended up being the one to play a key role in securing Peterson's retrial for murder in 2011 and release.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about Duane Deaver and where he is now.

Duane Deaver worked for the North Carolina SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) as a blood-spatter analyst for many years until he was fired in 2011.

During Michael Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen Peterson, Deaver was an important witness for the prosecution. He testified that the blood patterns seen on the walls and stairs of the Petersons' home, where Kathleen Peterson's body was found, were consistent with a person being beaten to death.

At the time, Kathleen Peterson's death had been ruled as a homicide by medical examiner Dr. Deborah Radisch.

In 2003, Peterson was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole.

After years of failed appeals, Peterson was released from prison on $300,000 bail and placed under house arrest with a tracker attached to his ankle in 2011 ahead of a retrial.

Judge Orlando Hudson agreed to a new trial as Deaver was found to have given "materially misleading" and "deliberately false" testimony regarding the bloodstain evidence in Peterson's case.

Hudson also found he had exaggerated his professional experience, particularly regarding his blood spatter expertise.

His degree was in zoology and only completed two courses in bloodstain analysis. He also was never a member of any professional bloodstain analysis organization.

During Peterson's trial, Deaver testified he had been mentored by SBI bloodstain specialist David Spittle, had worked 500 bloodstain cases, written 200 reports and testified in 60 cases. However, in Peterson's retrial hearing, SBI Assistant Director Erik Hooks stated Deaver had only written 47 reports. It was also found Deaver had testified in just four bloodstain cases, Peterson's case being the third.

An investigation of the SBI by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper found Deaver had been involved in a series of flawed criminal cases, including giving false evidence and withholding evidence in instances.

As heard in HBO Max's The Staircase and the Netflix documentary of the same name by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Deaver had failed to report blood test results that would have been helpful to the defense team in the case of Greg Taylor, who was convicted of murder in 1993.

At the time, Deaver testified Taylor's vehicle had "chemical indications for the presence of blood." However, he did not share that additional tests showed there was no blood found in the car.

Ultimately, Taylor served 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He was declared innocent in 2010.

In total, the investigation found the SBI misrepresented evidence in more than 200 instances between 1987 and 2003, leading to the re-opening of Peterson's case and many others. An independent audit found Deaver was responsible for falsely representing evidence in 34 cases.

As a result of his actions in the Taylor trial and findings by Judge Hudson, his testimony in regards to blood spatter evidence was deemed inadmissible and Peterson was granted a retrial. Judge Hudson also ruled Deaver had perjured himself during Peterson's trial.

It also meant if a retrial was to take place, Deaver's evidence could not be used.Deaver was suspended from the SBI and fired in January 2011.

After being fired from the SBI in 2011, Deaver argued he was wrongfully terminated. In August 2014, a judge upheld his firing.

However in November 2014 North Carolina Human Resources Commission (NCHR) ruled Deaver should have been demoted and his pay cut by 10 percent, following the same course of action as other agents facing similar disciplinary issues.

The NCHR also ordered the SBI to pay back Deaver 34 months of wages but agreed it was right Deaver was fired after it was found he committed perjury.

Today, Deaver works in the criminal justice field. According to his LinkedIn, he serves as Director of Operations at ISS Facilities in Texas.

Until 2015, he worked as a Director of Environmental Services for Aramark Healthcare in Philadelphia.

In the end, Peterson did not face a retrial and instead, he submitted an Alford plea to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter.

The Alford Plea meant Peterson was able to admit the evidence against him would likely have resulted in a guilty verdict but he was able to maintain his innocence.

Peterson was sentenced to time already served and remains a free man.

The Staircase is streaming on HBO Max now.

Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on culture and entertainment. She has covered the world of Film and TV extensively from true-crime dramas to reality TV and blockbuster movies. Molli joined Newsweek in 2021 from the Daily Express. She is a graduate of The University of Glasgow. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Molli by emailing [email protected].

Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ...Read more