Since Making a Murderer aired on Netflix, Brendan Dassey had his conviction overturned just last week. Dassey and his uncle Steve Avery were accused and convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach.
Steve Avery has maintained his innocence, and his lawyer has stated that there is evidence that could free him.
Avery’s attorney Kathleen Zellner told The New York Times that there is proof that could overturn his conviction.
“There is evidence that already exists in the case that points to a different location and a different suspect,” Zellner said. “We’ve got a combination of forensic evidence and a tip from somebody that we’ve interviewed multiple times that we think is credible.”
Brendan Dassey’s conviction was overturned, but what will it mean for #MakingAMurderer subject Steven Avery? https://t.co/S62es3wy06
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 15, 2016
New forensic testing can prove theories that were discussed on the documentary. Zellner did not give any more information on the new suspect, stating that more will be revealed after the DNA testing.
The show discussed the notion that evidence was planted at the crime scene, and Steve Avery’s attorney believes that if any of the evidence is proven to have been planted, Avery’s sentence will be vacated:
“It may not all be successful, but I believe if even one bit of evidence is planted, the conviction is going to be vacated.”
Zllner revealed that the testing will take a few weeks and could be finished in two months.
In Making a Murderer , some of the evidence discussed was the Hallbach’s DNA on a bullet in Mr. Avery’s garage and his DNA on a key to her car, which was found in his bedroom.
Steve Avery’s attorney has helped free 17 innocent people that were serving time behind bars. Zellner believes Steve Avery’s case is one of the better examples of a person being framed:
“I’ve never seen a more graphic, compelling illustration of a crime scene that was fabricated,” Avery’s attorney said.
Dassey case shows the critical importance of mandatory recording of custodial interrogations. https://t.co/Ruhpxgr1Se via @YahooFinance
— Jerome Buting (@JButing) August 15, 2016
Making a Murderer is a 10-episode show created by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. The Netflix hit focused on the cases of Steve Avery and Brendan Dassey and left doubts in many viewers about the legitimacy of their convictions.
It was the first time many people saw how easy it is for police to manipulate suspects during an investigation. Footage of Dassey’s investigation was shown during one of the episodes and it caused outrage on social media.
With Brandan’s conviction being overturned, there is hope for Steve Avery, who is still serving time.
The show also showed that Steve Avery served 20 years for a rape he did not commit, and this served as a pretext to the problems with the justice system.
One of the theories on Making a Murderer was that police used blood from Avery’s rape case to plant the evidence for Hallbach’s murder. Zellner argued that the spot where Avery’s blood was recovered doesn’t make sense because of its distance from Hallbach’s body.
Avery’s blood was not mixed with the victim, which is more typical of these cases.
The New York Times story also revealed that Steve Avery’s attorney cannot use his existing appeal and she is going to a trial court to request an evidence hearing. The publication continued saying Zellner believes in Avery’s innocence. The attorney said she had visited Avery in prison after his nephew’s exoneration, and he appeared happy and shocked by the news.
“I think he just couldn’t believe anything good had happened,” she said.
A second season of Making a Murderer has been greenlit by Netflix. However, no release date has been announced. His current attorney is expected to appear in the series and all the updates on the case are likely to be documented.
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[Image via Netflix]