North Carolina ? The state Supreme Court on Friday upheld the murder conviction of novelist Michael Peterson, who is serving life in prison for killing his wife.

Peterson’s wife, Kathleen, was found at the bottom of a staircase in the couple’s Durham home in December 2001.

Peterson, 64, contends his wife died accidentally in a fall, but prosecutors said he bludgeoned her to death. They said the couple’s marriage was strained and they had accumulated $143,000 in credit card debt.

Prosecutors also said Michael Peterson stood to benefit financially from life insurance and other assets if his wife died.