Durham novelist Michael Peterson denies killing his wife in latest Dr. Phil episode

A new Dr. Phil episode airing on Monday will examine Michael Peterson, a Durham novelist maintaining his innocence after the Dec. 9, 2001 death of his wife, Kathleen.

Posted 12:30 p.m. Apr 22, 2019 — Updated 6:15 p.m. May 23

Jessica Patrick

, WRAL digital journalist

A new Dr. Phil episode airing on Monday will examine Mike Peterson, a Durham novelist maintaining his innocence after the Dec. 9, 2001, death of his wife, Kathleen.

In the episode, which airs at 3 p.m. on WRAL, Dr. Phil interviews Peterson, who denies killing his wife and explains the circumstances surrounding her death.

WRAL News covered the Peterson case, which led to a 2004 Netflix documentary, from start-to-finish. Two years after Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in the couple's upscale home, Mike Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder. View all of WRAL's coverage of the Peterson case.

"They convicted me because of blood," a preview of Monday's episode shows Peterson telling Dr. Phil, explaining that investigators said there was far too much blood under his wife for a fall down the stairs.

In the episode, Dr. Phil is expected to ask Peterson questions like, "How can you explain the blood?" and "Did you want your wife dead?"

In December 2011, Peterson was released from prison and a new trial was ordered after it was revealed that a blood analyst with the State Bureau of Investigation, one of the key witnesses, had given misleading testimony.

After years of continuing legal battles, Peterson agreed to enter an Alford plea in February 2017 to a charge of voluntary manslaughter.

After the plea, Peterson was sentenced to time served and walked out of a Durham County courtroom a convicted felon but a free man. A timeline is available here.

Suggest A Correction