

The Staircase
2004-10-07 · 49 min / episode · ★ 7.6
Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.
Trailers are previews, not full movies.
No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.
Production details
- Creators
- Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
- Production companies
- Maha Productions
- Countries
- France
- Status
- Ended
Top Cast
Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.
Where to watch
Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.
Seasons & episodes
Recommendations

What happened to Mica Miller? This documentary series retraces her promising life, toxic marriage and the mysterious circumstances of her death.

Dateline NBC, or simply Dateline, is a weekly American television newsmagazine series. It was previously the network's flagship newsmagazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other topics.

Robert Durst, scion of NY's billionaire real-estate family, has been accused of three murders but has evaded justice for over 30 years. Durst speaks in this true crime series, revealing secrets of a case that has baffled authorities.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to his gruesome crimes in unguarded interviews, offering an unsettling view into a disturbed mind.

A non-fiction investigative series of murder cases told through the personal experience of retired detective, Lieutenant Joe Kenda. Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Kenda's successes with his 400 homicide case history and 92 percent solution rate.

A shocking murder in rural Ireland sets off an increasingly convoluted quest for justice that spans decades and cuts across national borders.

Detectives and prosecutors revisit their most challenging homicide cases in this chilling true-crime docuseries.

Through bodycam footage, texts and interviews with loved ones, this documentary investigates the horrifying murder of four University of Idaho students.

Interviews with friends, family and Sally McNeil herself chart a bodybuilding couple’s rocky marriage — and its shocking end in a Valentine's Day murder.

In this true-crime documentary, a cult expert and filmmaker infiltrate a polygamist sect to expose a self-proclaimed prophet and bring him to justice.

From Executive Producer Dick Wolf, this true crime investigative series follows veteran prosecutor Kelly Siegler, and her rotating team of seasoned detectives, as they travel to small towns across the country and help local law-enforcement agencies dig into unsolved homicide cases that have lingered for years without answers or justice for the victims due to lack of funding and proper forensic technology.

A four-part documentary series revolving around the case of single mother Barbara Hamburg, who was brutally murdered in 2010 near her home in the upper-middle class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. The series presents first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg’s complicated journey as a young man determined to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves, while looking for answers within his fractured family and community.

In a story that gained national attention with John Grisham’s best-selling non-fiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, the six-part documentary series The Innocent Man focuses on two murders that shook the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, in the 1980s — and the controversial chain of events that followed.

The real-life stories behind unique homicide cases with in-depth interviews, authentic archival material and cinematic recreations all packaged together into a fresh spin in the genre.

The investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.

In 1991, four teenage girls were brutally murdered at a frozen yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. What happened that night forever shook the Austin community and continues to mystify the police and haunt the families left in the wake of unthinkable loss.

Death row inmates convicted of capital murder give a firsthand account of their crimes in this documentary series.

Archive footage, chilling reenactments and exclusive interviews shed new light on a tragedy — and two brothers — that suspended a city in terror.

An overgrown field and a stretch of highway connect a series of grisly murders spanning several decades as grieving families search for answers.

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America, and only about 1% are ever solved. With recent advancements in technology and the methods used to solve these cases, as well as the unwavering dedication of victims’ families, law enforcement and the public, “Cold Case Files” explores the cases that defied the odds. Each episode of the Emmy-nominated series examines the twists and turns of one murder case that remained unsolved for years, and the critical element that heated it up, leading to the evidence that finally solved it. Featuring interviews with family members, friends, detectives, and others close to the cases, the refreshed classic series examines all facets of the crime and shines a light on a range of voices and victims.
Similar titles

Combines four to five segments of dramatic re-enactments, interviews and updates of real human and paranormal mysteries. An audience interactive call-to-action request allowed viewers to call in with tips to help solve the cases.

A young British couple's dream trip through remote Central America, turns into a chilling nightmare when they are brutally murdered and the trail for their killer goes cold. Four decades later, failed by law enforcement, their family take up the manhunt and make a shocking discovery.

Follow the case of experienced hiker Meredith Emerson, who along with her dog, vanished without a trace on Blood Mountain in Georgia, leading authorities to begin a massive search-and-rescue operation. When two murdered hikers in other national forests across the southeast are discovered, the question is posed: Is Emerson just another lost hiker — or is something more sinister behind her disappearance?

When Lori Vallow's kids vanished, the search for them unearthed a trail of suspicious deaths, a new husband who shared her doomsday views — and murder.

The stories of ordinary folks who confront the evil that was always right in front of them. Through the lens of home archive, we journey with our insiders into shocking crimes to reveal what was missed before tragedy changed everything.

Full of salacious acts, secret trysts and cold-blooded murder, the series peeks behind closed doors to shocking crimes that happened inside hotels.

Hosted by LisaRaye, Murder in the Thirst explores scandalous and shocking true-crime stories. With stylized recreations of the crimes themselves and interviews with the real-life players involved, the show explores what pushes someone to murder.

A journalist races to learn the truth when human remains are found in the home of self-proclaimed Satanist "Pazuzu".

When justice fails, we are in danger of becoming its victim. Sandra Gaudet, 14 years old, was murdered in Val-d’Or in 1990. Two young men falsely accused are sentenced to life. When justice isn’t seeking the truth.

Exploring the crimes of infamous serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. who preyed on women in South Central Los Angeles over a span of 25 years; exploring the personal stories of the victims who were all but forgotten.

Marie-Claude Savard and Sébastien Trudel propose a new investigation into a legal case that captivated Quebec in the 1980s. On December 15, 1987, Michelle Perron, 45, was found dead in her car. Her husband, director Gilles Perron, was at the scene of the crime. Thirty-three years later, the identity of the murderer remains a mystery.

Investigations, arrest, conviction: Journalist Sven Voss reconstructs sensational criminal cases and speaks with experts, police officers and prosecutors at crime-relevant locations.

Incorporating bodycam footage from the initial crime scene, surveillance video, and interrogation room recordings, homicide investigations unfold through dramatic real video footage providing an up-close perspective on homicide investigations.

Renowned author and journalist David Lagerkrantz, along with historians, forensic scientists and investigators, sheds new light on Swedish murders in the past.

The story of how Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher deliberately breached police procedure and protocol to catch a killer, a decision that ultimately cost him his career and reputation.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to his gruesome crimes in unguarded interviews, offering an unsettling view into a disturbed mind.

When marriages fall apart, divorce can turn ugly - even deadly. From blushing brides turned cold-blooded killers to smitten grooms with shocking dark sides, the criminal psychology behind deadly divorces is examined. Guiding viewers through actual stories of love gone wrong are psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser and forensic psychologist Dr. Brian Russell, who analyze each couple to better understand how the marriage turned from flawed to fatal. .
Caught Red Handed is an American reality television series on truTV. The series debuted on November 5, 2012. Overcoming such things as antiquated surveillance systems, no floor security, and even their own cashiers, store owners enlist the help of professional “loss prevention agents” to start a crackdown on store theft. These bold bandits don't realize that their every move is being watched, and soon begin to display their shameless shoplifting skills.

An Elvis impersonator's conspiracy theory sets off a feud that spirals into an attempted presidential assassination.
Ashleigh Banfield is *the* definitive authority on the nation’s biggest true crime stories. A veteran award-winning journalist, Ashleigh brings a sharp focus to the crime stories gripping America, distilling facts and analyzing context in a way which captures viewers’ interests and imaginations. No one knows the prosecution and the defendants’ cases better than BANFIELD, all the while keeping the victim at the heart of every story we tell – just another reason NewsNation is truly News for All America.