Freda Black, the former district attorney featured in Netflix's The Staircase, has died aged 57, The News & Observer reports.
She formed part of the prosecution team that won the initial murder conviction of Michael Peterson in the death of his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2003. Kathleen was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their home on 9 December, 2001.
The trial became the basis for the documentary series The Staircase, which has seen Black become a controversial figure, having used her closing arguments to attack Peterson on the basis of his bisexuality, presenting it as a motive for Kathleen's murder.
Peterson served eight years in prison before he was granted a new trial in 2011, based on misleading testimony given in the first trial, and, last year, he was freed after entering an Alford plea to a charge of voluntary manslaughter - allowing defendants to maintain their innocence. He was released on credit for time served.
After the Peterson trial, Black ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Durham County district attorney, in 2006 and 2008. In 2010, she unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Durham County District Court bench.
Ms Black was found dead at her home over the weekend, Durham police confirmed in a statement. The cause of death is unknown. .
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