A shocking, real-life thriller that follows the high-profile murder trial of North Carolina author Michael Peterson, who was arraigned in 2001 for the murder of his wife after her body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of the couple's upscale Durham home. Did Kathleen Peterson fall down the stairs, or was it cold-blooded murder? As the mystery unravels, de Lestrade's cameras are granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home, and immediate family.

Videodisc release of all eight episodes of the documentary television series produced in 2011. Special features: Step by step : the making of the staircase; Family & friends : interview outtakes; filmmaker insights; Michael Peterson follow-up interview; filmmaker biographies.

Disc 1. chapter 1. Crime or accident?; chapter 2. Secrets and lies; chapter 3. A striking coincidence; chapter 4. Prosecution trickery -- disc 2. chapter 5. A weak case; Chapter 6. The prosecution's revenge; Chapter 7. The blowpoke returns; chapter 8. The verdict.