(Aussie accent) A dingo ate my baby.

Strange, but true...so, strange things are possible.

Kathleen Peterson's sister, Candance Zamperini, urged Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson not to grant Peterson's request for a new trial earlier this month, telling him: "Ten years I've been without my sister. Ten years her daughter hasn't had her. And 10 years the rest of us have been alive and had our freedom, but not Kathleen."

And (potentially) ten years that a man who loved your sister has been falsely incarcerated. Think about that, eh? Ten years that a daughter has been without her mother or father-- and all (again, potentially) because of some f*cking wildlife. If there is any doubt, especially in a death-sentence case, a new trial should be held.

the wounds on Kathleen Peterson's head were consistent with those that would occur if an owl had somehow become entangled in her hair.

Wow. A hummingbird, maybe. But an OWL? She must have had one thick, long, dense, coarse, curly, teased, backcombed and lacquered head of hair to be able to entangle an owl.

not really if you think about it. And if a feather of an owl was found, she has claw marks on top of her head....makes sense to me. I have had a mocking bird tangled up in my hair and it was short, and scared the piss out of me!

This is the man in which another woman he knew died in very similar circumstances in Germany BEFORE Kathleen. And he was the last person to see her alive. Very strange case.

Not-a-Socialist..... Ever hear of a SMALL owl called the Lesser Barred Owl? It's about the size of a small cat -- and it's talons can do a LOT more damage than any house cat's claws. There are owls smaller than the Lesser Barred Owl, and their talons are every bit as strong.

Maybe you would have known that if you'd been more willing to accept and/or give help with out expectation of reward.

Wow, that's wild... an owl!

Someone should put a defense for the owl...

Shame, because Kathleen Peterson was a brilliant woman. Truly brilliant. The fact that the courts are even considering this "owl theory" a possibility shows what a bunch of cretins inhabit the justice system.

I remember watching the Dateline Story about this "murder". The blood spatter "expert" struck me as being a know it all quack! I remember him and what he looked like from that one show. I was not convinced by his theory of what happened. There is also a another reasonable theory about how she got the head injuries. That theory is that she fell backwards down the stairs and her head was caught between the edge of the steps and the wall. The steps were in a basement or utility room and they were not finished wood, they were typical basement steps with no fancy woods or finishing. There was too much reasonable doubt in my mind viewing the evidence we were allowed to see on the television. I was not there so I can only go with what was mentioned in the show.

We have had owls attack people up here in the wilds of Maine , in town as well. A great horned owl has done some real injuries to hat-less hikers even knocking one off of a wooden trail board walk. So knocking a person down the stairs sounds possible to me.

In that picture I clearly see a roasted bird. I think I see motive.

I enjoyed the photo of "happier times". lol

Patrick demarco, very, very funny!!

maybe it was the same owl before,but a better investigator,can't hire a straight cop here,who is'nt hoping to get qa name for himself.hadent heard the story of the one in germany,maybe the owl [just don't like him].

Well, actually the theory is that she was alone, outside in the garden, the owl attacked her, she ran inside in panic, and lost consciousness and/or fell in the stairs.

Actually, given the wounds on the head that match talons, it's the only reasonable explanation. The "murder weapon" was never found because it... flew away.

Oh, and she had tiny owl feathers in her hair. How many of you guys routinely carry owl feathers in your hair?

Strange, yes, but I heard of stranger things. Like that skier who skied right into a cave where a bear was hibernating... and wasn't happy about the interruption. Yes, true story too.

Gives new meaning to the phrase "Who Dunnit".

Actually, I don't usually make light of things like this, especially when it involves someone's death. I hope the truth will be brought to light, whatever that may be.

my2cent$, I don't usually make light of these things, either, but 'tis the season.............also, I think I've just seen/read/heard so much that, well, laugh or cry, your choice, you know?

Forget about the owl. Didn't happen. Never believed the dingo story either.

I've had a bat swoop down and get stuck in my hair. The freak out factor alone could cause a person to run/stumble/fall. I fell to the ground in a panic with the bat... and a bat's 1/10th the size of an owl if even.

The dude had her blood spatter all over his pants.

Imatthebeach, -The dingo "story" is fairly well supported now since they found evidence years after the event.

WMG - couldn't agree with you more. People seem to confuse the severity of an apparent crime with the likelihood of the actual event. Words from the sister should have no effect on whether this guy deserves a fresh trial to consider his guilt/innocense, - her voice should, however, be heard regarding his sentencing, parole, etc once/while found guilty.

Mrs. Georgia Peech

This is the man in which another woman he knew died in very similar circumstances in Germany BEFORE Kathleen. And he was the last person to see her alive. Very strange case.

AND the woman in Germany (who was supposedly his girlfriend at the time) had died in a similar way as his wife did. Try looking up her picture too. She is a dead ringer (excuse the pun) for his wife. They could have been sisters! Too creepy to ignore. How many women does he get to kill before people accept the pattern???

An Owl, really? Both him and his wife were outside drinking wine before she went upstairs. At least that is his story. One of them could have easily brought a single feather in on their shoes, or through a gust of wind if the door was left open. If it were multiple feathers then I would take a serious look, but if there was only one feather and no previous reports of scratches consistent with a talon then this is just smoke and mirrors people. I have followed this case for years and only a moron would confuse blunt force trauma with an Owl scratch!

Elizabeth Ratliff died on November 25, 1985 when she was found at the bottom of a staircase in her house in Weiterstadt-Graefenhausen, surrounded by pools of blood. An autopsy at the time of her death concluded she had died from an intra-cerebral hemorrhage secondary to the blood coagulation disorder Von Willebrand's disease. The coroner determined that the hemorrhage resulted in immediate death followed by Ratliff falling down the stairs after collapsing.

The North Carolina medical examiner's office had Elizabeth Ratliff's body exhumed from a Texas grave in 2003. The new autopsy report stated that Ms. Ratliff had been murdered, and gave the cause of her death as blunt force trauma to the head by the same examiner who had conducted Kathleen Peterson's autopsy.

A "new" autopsy by the same medical examiner? Sounds like to me they made the evidence fit the case the way they wanted it to go.

My nephew was attacked by a bat! It flew into the shiny (read bald) spot on the top of his head and mauled him a bit. He required rabies shots, stitches, the whole nine yards. (It was never determined that the bat was rabid, but all bats can carry the virus--hence mandatory treatment.)

An owl is not as farfetched as it might seem. Owls come in all sizes, too. I have no idea of the particulars of the case, but a bird being caught in the hair is very possible.

LOL ... good one!

OMG! That is too funny.................

Perhaps it was also an owl that caused a very similar death in Germany, even occurring on a staircase, in which Peterson was closely involved with the victim. Of course, it doesn't help to learn that an investigator mishandled evidence. I personally have concluded he's guilty based on everything I've read and seen. Woo-woo knows?

Donna, have you had access to the evidence and testimony that ONLY the investigators have had access to? Yeah, I knew you have not had that access.

Based on everything I have seen and read, I have personally concluded that YOU are a self-righteous and judgmental old biddy of a woman. Are you able to hear the sarcasm, Donna?

LOL

an OWL!!!!!!!!....wtf....never!...a canadian goose?...most likely...probably in an owl suit...this theory brought to you by the CGESOA...the canadian goose eradification society of america,llc

$300,000 and electronic monitoring - must be a flight risk.

@tornjeans...LOL. Owls. Flight risk!! (rim shot).

John - darn it, ya beat me to it.

The Dingo ate his wife!

Did he keep owls in his house? If an owl was responsible there should have been DNA evidence on its claws. I won't speculate as to what happened, but an owl attacking someone's head at the top of a staircase could cause them to fall. Still, there is a lot of coincidence here.

Hey joe-1884424, where's the DOCUMENTED PROOF that he kept owls anywhere at all at any time at all? Hate to ever have anyone like you on the jury should YOU ever be accused of even manslaughter.........

Well, actually the theory is that she was alone, outside in the garden, the owl attacked her, she ran inside in panic, lost consciousness and/or fell in the stairs.

Actually, given the wounds on the head that match talons, it's the only reasonable explanation. The "murder weapon" was never found because it... flew away.

Oh, and she had tiny owl feathers in her hair. How many of you guys routinely carry owl feathers in your hair?

Strange, yes, but I heard of stranger things. Like that skier who skied right into a cave where a bear was hibernating... and wasn't happy about the interruption. Yes, true story too.

Mike Peterson did the deed. Live in Raleigh, NC and have kept up with this from the beginning. An owl in the house ? You gotta be kidding me !!! The owl story was brought up by the defense at the end of the first trial when they had nothing else left to offer. Totally reaching for anything at that time.

Kathleen caught him soliciting for homosexual lovers on his computer and he whacked her. That's how it happend folks.

When questioned the Owl denied it and had an alibi for the time of the murder.

THE QUACKED ONE: The only thing I can conclude with any certainty is that you've run out of medication. Please refill and then, and only then, continue your inspired reign of knowledge.

Does this mean that Henry Lee will mount the stand again, shooting ketchup out of his mouth in an attempt to replicate the "owl" talons and their damage? Dang, maybe Alan Rudolph, his egomanical attorney can come back from Hades to represent him with the "blowpoke" defense and find a new reporter girlfriend in the process.

Derp.....

@Blue Wasabi

Wow, no 2nd chance for the possibly wrongly convicted huh? Prosecutors and cops and labs never make a mistake huh?

Rather see this guy go free than convicted wrongly...... Because mistakes can happen to anyone, even you and me.......

Blue Wasabi: I agree with you. Maybe Henry Lee will skip the ketchup reenactment and instead break fortune cookies in half, place them on his fingertips and claw at a head. Before people conclude that was "racist," offer a better alternative for talons. I'm sure some producer is already working on the reality show. Perhaps it will be called "The Encroached Upon, Retaliatory Owl," or "Stairs, Tangled Hair, and The Killer in the Air."

How nice of y'all to convict a person when y'all DO NOT have access to ALL of the evidence.

I have all the access to facts of the case. Peterson claims HE was outside and his wife inside and when he came in she fell down the steps- so according to the murderer she was Never outside. Perhaps you think the owl had a back door key? As to tainted or mishandled evidence in this case: there was none. The investigator the defense cites for bungling evidence was on other cases. The defense is saying that because he bungled evidence on other cases this case's evidence was bungled too.

They were both outside at one point and then she went inside, and he stayed outside.

Sorry, inadvertant pun, blood lab etc.

They made their results fit the theory of their case. There was no bruising to the brain and if she had been bashed in the head like prosecution maintained the brain would have sustained major damage of which there was none. She bled out, causing her death.

Yes, I have, and I have read it -- and it has NOTHING to do with this case or this article.

Hmmmm....an "innocent" man whose next door neighbor died almost identically 20 years earlier with the same "chat noir" print on the stairwell.......no such thing as coincidences except in poorly written pot boiler novels.

Ive had run ins with Owls its very possible, the Owl strikes at her hair not realizing her size. she falls down the steps. the owl flies away. the problem that will never go away is his sister in laws hate and conviction she wants him dead, not the Owl. I wonder how his daughter feels on this matter. the owl may have seen that picture of her laughing over that turkey.----- Owls like other wild animals can get into everything don't tell me none of you never had a wild bird loose in your house.

There is such a thing as coincidence, hence the reason there is a word for it. However the "coincidence" is probably overstated by an incompetent police department.

I'm still for the death penalty. That case where the black man boiled his girlfriend's baby in a pot and he suffered. THEN died a month later. Yea I'm still pretty much for the death penalty.

The monster was called Carlnelus Delaney Simmons.

The baby was named Jabraylon Bables, he was 16 months old.

And this is why I am FOR the death penalty. They should have dragged this creep out the backdoor of the courthhouse and HUNG him then and there. An owl did create the blood splatter on those walls, an owl did not put the e-mail to male prostitutes on the husband's computer, the owl did not lie about the husband's military service in order to help sell his fantasy books. Oh yeah, and where was the owl when the husband came downstairs? How did the owl get in? There big freeking birds, they don't just creep in under the door jam. And, why didn't he hear anything? You're being attacked by a big-ass bird, you don't scream? He is a murdering, lying bastard, who was using this woman's money to hide his creepy, homosexual life-style while pretending to be a married macho man. Hang him

Maybe if he wasn't connected to a similar death in Germany there could be a question. I think we need to know more on the habits of owls. Somebody that studies owls might be able to say if this is even possible. Sounds pretty far-fetched to me.

Yea I think the elite are just having fun with this one. But true strange things can happen.

Well, actually the theory is that she was alone, outside in the garden, the owl attacked her, she ran inside in panic, lost consciousness and/or fell in the stairs.

Actually, given the wounds on the head that match talons, it's the only reasonable explanation. The "murder weapon" was never found because it... flew away.

Oh, and she had tiny owl feathers in her hair. How many of you guys routinely carry owl feathers in your hair?

The murder weapon imprint matched the missing fireplace stick

Red Girl, that scenario does not explain the blood splatter, AT ALL. And he murdered another woman in Germany and then stole her daughters. Those are the dumbasses who call themselves his "daughters". This guy is on sick bastard. You need to know the WHOLE story not the one this Fiction Writer is selling you. He is a LIAR. He lied for years about his military "service", his books never sold, and he was living on his wife's income. She didn't like the Hollywood lifestyle that he craved, she found out the he was setting up meets with male prostitutes and threatened to cut him. That's the real story.

He did not murder the woman in Germany, the original autopsy at the time of her death concluded she had died from an intra-cerebral hemorrhage secondary to the blood coagulation disorder Von Willebrand's disease. The coroner determined that the hemorrhage resulted in immediate death followed by Ratliff falling down the stairs after collapsing.

The father was dead and since they had all been really close friends took the daughters in...no good deed goes unpunished. A second autopsy was performed by the same medical examiner who had done Kathleen's...no bias there right? And done almost 18 years later. The prosecution made everything fit their theory of the crime rather than letting the "real" evidence tell the true story.

It was Hootie the owl.

Thats what I would do. Attack owl. Kill the beyotch

EXACTLY! Seven gouges in her scalp and that lucky owl lost only one feather. Pulllleaaazee!

I have dealt with wild and tame birds my entire life. They are quite dangerous and you would be shocked how much damage they can do and not lose any feathers. Feathers are not delicate things that slide easily out.

reasonable doubt-not shadow of a doubt-BIG difference.

I've always heard it as "beyond the shadow of a doubt". But, if you prefer it your way. That is okay with me. Southerners have a tendency to speak a little different than most folks.

@lacy, u aren't allowed to speak differently. Nor have ur own thoughts. The Internet Grammer & Correction Police WILL find u. The world wide web is not big enough to hide in. The IGCP are always on the lookout for lowlifes like u & I that don't spellcheck or keep a dictionary on hand. We r the enemy of English teachers EVERYWHERE.

Gee, Harry. I didn't mean to be speak different. Don't let them get me. You know what they do to people like us. No, I will speak different. By all that is holy, I will be myself and speak different. They will not get me. I promise you that.

I know, right? I like keeping The Keepers of the Intermets on their tows

Why r u so sure? What happened to make u 100% positive that he is guilty? Were u on the jury? Were u the judge? The prosecutor? Investigator? Witness?

We both probably would after being on death row for ten years.

you ought to see the new hooters calender!

owls feet fit you must acquit - too funny!

This will probably drudge up sightings of that alleged dimensional owl creatures. You know how common those things are. They predict quakes but can't predict where the bankters put all that trillions of dollars. (Whoo Whooo They put it in China's economy. Who!)

I read in another post that there were seven gouges in her head so ya know, there just may be some logic in that quip.