followed? >> oh, my god, yeah. she had to wear a neck brace. she -- they put her on percocet to begin with. then they brought valium. she was on flexeril which is, apparently, a muscle relaxant -- oh yeah. she was in a great deal of pain all the time. >> reporter: for michael peterson, the trial was hard enough to bear, but the family spilt made it even worse. there was kathleen's daughter, caitlin, across the room in the prosecution's camp. and behind him the whole time, his girls, margaret and martha. >> they were sisters. they loved one another. they helped one another. and that's been the biggest, to me, the sadness that everything that kathleen wanted to make happen and did happen as far as the family was torn asunder. >> reporter: michael's story is one he says those closest to him have known for years. >> that information -- >> reporter: a story his lawyers were about to present to the jury. and they had an ace up their sleeve, a moment straight out of "perry mason."