Freda Black, the prosecutor in the 2003 Michael Peterson murder trial, was found dead in her Durham, NC home over the weekend, reports the News & Observer.
The trial became the basis for the true crime documentary, The Staircase.
Black's body was found by a family member at around 3:30 PM on Sunday. In a statement, Durham police spokesman Wil Glenn said the death did not appear suspicious and that the medical examiner would provide more information.
Peterson's trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen received renewed attention in recent months when The Staircase aired on Netflix. Black, part of the team that won the initial conviction in Peterson's case, was a divisive presence for viewers of the documentary. In her closing arguments she expressed disgust at Peterson's bisexuality and presented his affairs with men as a motive for Kathleen's murder. Peterson's 2003 conviction was overturned in 2011 and in 2017 he entered an Alford plea and was released on credit for time served.
The News & Observer notes that Black ran two unsuccessful campaigns for District Attorney following the Peterson trial. She pleaded guilty to two charges of driving while impaired, first in 2012 and again in 2015. Black, the mother of two daughters, was described as "true prosecutor" by a colleague.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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