Kathleen Peterson est née le 21 février 1953 en Caroline du Nord, États-Unis. Elle était mariée à Michael Peterson et Fred Atwater. Elle est morte le 9 décembre 2001 en Caroline du Nord, États-Unis.
On December 9, 2001, she was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her Durham mansion. Her husband Michael Peterson had called 9-1-1, stating that she had fallen down the stairs. He was convicted of her murder in 2003 and sentenced to life in prison, but on December 15, 2011, was granted a new trial following the discrediting of a prosecution witness.
