reporter: a blood pattern expert analyzed the scene. when he completed his initial findings, police suspicions were confirmed. he told me that he felt strongly that, um, this was a homicide. can you tell us how this has been for you and your family? reporter: just a few days before christmas, michael peterson was charged with the murder of his wife. they had the grand jury, and, of course, i was indicted. and so, i turned myself in. reporter: as the officers booked michael into the county jail, the blended family formed a unified block of support. my mother would just be absolutely appalled, and this is the last thing she would ever, ever want to happen to her husband. reporter: it was hardly the christmas that the peterson family had so looked forward to. kathleen dead, their father in jail. it was just us kids, you know, in that house by ourselves, you know, trying to piece together a christmas. reporter: but soon another bombshell, and this one would blow the fam
expert analyzed the scene. when he completed his initial findings, police suspicions were confirmed. he told me that he felt strongly that, um, this was a homicide. can you tell us how this has been for you and your family? reporter: just a few days before christmas, michael peterson was charged with the murder of his wife. they had the grand jury, and, of course, i was indicted. and so, i turned myself in. reporter: as the officers booked michael into the county jail, the blended family formed a unified block of support. my mother would just be absolutely appalled, and this is the last thing she would ever, ever want to happen to her husband. reporter: it was hardly the christmas that the peterson family had so looked forward to. kathleen dead, their father in jail.
reporter: a blood pattern expert analyzed the scene. when he completed his initial findings, police suspicions were confirmed. he told me that he felt strongly that, um, this was a homicide. can you tell us how this has been for you and your family? reporter: just a few days before christmas, michael peterson was charged with the murder of his wife. they had the grand jury, and, of course, i was indicted. and so, i turned myself in. reporter: as the officers booked michael into the county jail, the blended family formed a unified block of support. my mother would just be absolutely appalled, and this is the last thing she would ever, ever want to happen to her husband. reporter: it was hardly the christmas that the peterson family had so looked forward to. kathleen dead, their father in jail. it was just us kids, you know, in that house by ourselves, you know, trying to piece together a christmas. reporter: but soon another bombshell, and this one would blow the fam
when did it hit you that the $118,000 equated to your christmas bonus? it didn t initially because that bonus had actually occurred a year earlier, in january of 96, but it was on every pay stub that i got. police asked the ramseys for handwriting samples. john gave them two note pads. these pads were pads that were kept by the telephone and each john and patsy had their own pads. detectives concluded the ransom note was written on pages torn out of patsy s notepad. also examination of that pad showed that somebody had started a ransom note at one time and then abandoned it. did the kidnapper write a practice note? over the next few weeks other clues heightened police suspicions towards patsy. the garrote was fashioned from a paintbrush which came from patsy s painting supplies.
what s that mean? we looked at psalm 118. was it a biblical reference? where did this number come from? when did it hit you that the $118,000 equated to your christmas bonus? it didn t initially because that bonus had actually occurred a year earlier, in january of 96, but it was on every pay stub that i got. police asked the ramseys for handwriting samples. john gave them two note pads. these pads were pads that were kept by the telephone and each john and patsy had their own pads. detectives concluded the ransom note was written on pages torn out of patsy s notepad. also examination of that pad showed that somebody had started a ransom note at one time and then abandoned it. did the kidnapper write a practice note? over the next few weeks other clues heightened police suspicions towards patsy. the garrote was fashioned