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  • Death by Talons

  • Did an Owl "Murder" Kathleen Peterson?
  • By: Tiddy Smith
  • Narrated by: Tom Lennon
  • Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

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Death by Talons

By: Tiddy Smith
Narrated by: Tom Lennon
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Publisher's Summary

An outrageous theory for murder!

On December 9, 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham, NC home. Her scalp was laced with deep incisions, and her blood was strewn from outside to inside the house.

The sinister truth of that night turned her murder into North Carolina's most enigmatic criminal case, capturing media attention across the globe.

Police zeroed in on Kathleen’s husband, Michael Peterson, and charged him with murder.

But Was It The Truth?

A neighbor, Larry Pollard, came up with an alternative “killer”: He claimed an owl had attacked Kathleen outside her house. He said it sliced her scalp with its fierce talons and caused her to run inside, collapsing at the stairwell, and bleeding to death.

When the media heard about his theory, Larry was mocked. And Michael was convicted. 

Now, 20 years later, author Tiddy Smith explores Pollard’s theory and questions whether law enforcement ignored, or even hid, evidence to convict Michael Peterson. And was an owl, in fact, the real killer?

©2023 Tiddy Smith (P)2023 WildBlue Press

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Interesting Narrative, Well Read

Anyone who is interested in this case, or true crime in general, should find this an interesting and engaging book, especially as a companion to the variety of other media coverage of this case, the docuseries "The Staircase" first and foremost among them. The book gives a good general overview of the case, the opposing hypotheses presented by the prosecution and the defense, their respective weaknesses, and how the so-called "owl theory" may provide a stronger explanation than either of them of what really happened. The author cannot account for every last remaining question in a case almost a quarter of a century old, but he does not try to disguise this, instead accepting that some doubts will always remain. The owl theory, however, is discussed in great and persuasive detail, as are the potential reasons for why it was not considered seriously at the time of the trial. The audiobook is read in an engaging and pleasant voice and at an easy-to-follow pace.

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