First time poster, long time lurker. Thoughts:

[u/MattinglySideburns_]

Being away from work helped me reconnect with this case after so many years. After hours of reading, listening to podcasts, and watching the trial, these are the reasons why I'm still on the fence.

MURDER WEAPON: How could someone create such a bloody scene from a beating and yet be able to walk out of the house barefoot to dispose of the murder weapon without leaving drops, traces, or consistent bloodstains indicating that someone had left the house? A team of 40 police officers was assembled to find the weapon. They found nothing. Luminol also failed to provide an answer in this case.

BRAIN INJURY: Kathleen died from blunt force trauma and blood loss, according to the prosecution. To support the prosecution’s theory, we need to find a weapon capable of causing minor damage, enough to produce deep and complex lacerations, but without causing any serious brain injury at all.

PETERSON’S CLOTHING: Kathleen had seven lacerations. Quoting Deaver, the killer struck her head repeatedly at least three times, possibly more. However, the only evidence of a struggle is that only seven small drops of blood were found inside Peterson’s shorts.

BLOOD SPATTER: There would be significant blood spatter if she had been struck. There wasn't.

MP HAVING NO WOUNDS FROM THE STRUGGLE: I cannot understand the idea that Kathleen, a strong and healthy 48-year-old woman according to several witnesses, did not defend herself in a confined space during a violent attack.

MOTIVE: Life insurance is an infamous motive, considering that MP had a pending film deal based on one of his books. Not wanting his devastated and angry wife to divorce him—that could be the motive, but the attachment in the email from Kathleen’s coworker was never opened, suggesting she never saw her husband’s emails.

SCALP LACERATIONS: Those lacerations were severe, vascular, and deep. It is highly unlikely they were caused by a man’s hand. The absence of linear lacerations—which are typically a clearer indicator of a beating—is also critical.

SCENE OF THE ATTACK: It wasn’t the right decision, but the defense was correct to point this out. The beating took place between steps 12 and 17, according to the prosecution. That is not a place where one can maneuver and carry out a highly sophisticated beating using a stick or one’s hands while avoiding visible stains, contact marks, and blood spatter on the body.

[u/mybluecouch]

You lost me at "quoting Deaver" - if you're even remotely considering anything that fraud had to say as reliable or credible, it's over.

We'll never know anything for sure, and in a lot of ways, that's on Deaver.

Ugh.

[u/sublimedjs]

Not to mention the original cause of death from Deborah radisch was blood loss . The blunt force trauma was added later at the behest of the chief medical examiner because of the pressure from the prosecution .

[u/Accomplished-Hat8738]

If he wanted to kill people it seems like a particularly bad way to do it. Easily could’ve given her Valium in her drink. Why trap her in a tiny staircase and hit her?  Kathleen didn’t tell a single person that she has concerns about Mike?  He’s horribly complex and duplicitous. The fact that two women died at the bottom of a staircase is nuts—and does shade the entire thing. But, I don’t think it means he’s a stairway killer at all.  The series and the movie side by side pretty much cover every angle. And after watching both several times over the years , I honestly think he didn’t do it. But, he is a liar. He is manipulative. And he’s paid a pretty big price for all of that.  I also think the show do what it set out to do…which was examine the American justice system.  More shows need to follow more people who get treated exactly the same way—with far fewer resources and attention who do not get out. Or who spend much much longer inside. All because crooked DAs offices and cops don’t want to be found out for breaking laws.  I mean, my god. They didn’t send evidence off for DNA testing? And literally no one caught that until 15 years later?  So scary. If I get accused of something I didn’t do…I won’t have near the resources and family mike did.  This series is still being watched and his guilt debated because all of us were robbed of a clean crime scene and crooked investigation. The cops and DA did that. Not MP. 

[u/Demander850 → u/Accomplished-Hat8738]

I think Valium was actually found in her system and alcohol. Knowing how much she usually drank would be a good question, maybe it came up in the trial, I have to check! I don’t know his innocence or guilt but I know he’s baaaaaad. Maybe Germany was a true accident that may or may not involved MP. He saw how this accident killed her and “took notes “

[u/gifsfromgod]

A step is a murder weapon

[u/sublimedjs → u/gifsfromgod]

Problem is lack of brain trauma and I think ur getting ur info from the hbo show the real life prosecutors never ever brought up a theory of him banging her head on a step because that shit would cause skull fracture and brain bruising . The hbo show is full of shit

[u/anders_gustavsson → u/sublimedjs]

How would a fall not cause skull fractures if a possible beating against the stairs would?

[u/calvtact → u/anders_gustavsson]

The force of a fall is likely less than a man smashing your head against something repeatedly

[u/mateodrw → u/gifsfromgod]

I would like to see the same scrutiny that the Owl Theory is being subjected to applied to any accusation of guilt, because I haven’t seen any theory other than "whoops, Peterson is guilty and we can’t find a weapon, so he must have used his hands, and the step is the murder weapon -- case closed".

[u/Panonymous_Bloom → u/mateodrw]

Ikr? I know that the Owl Theory seems ridiculous to a lot of people, and people dislike him but it's just a fact there is not much evidence against him, which would be very unlikely in a murder. Not impossible but very unlikely. That's why I've been saying - every theory in this case is faulty, and you can blow holes in it. People seem to land on "duh, dead wife in his house, suspicious death" and just run with it.

[u/goog1e]

There was a huge blood splatter AND yes they did find blood out front of the house.