making a murderer

Wisconsin Appeals Making a Murderer Subject Brendan Dassey’s Overturned Murder Conviction

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2007 file photo, Brendan Dassey is escorted into court for his sentencing in Manitowoc, Wis. The Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer†tells the story of a Wisconsin man wrongly convicted of sexual assault only to be accused, along with his nephew, of killing a photographer two years after being released. Steven Avery and his then 17-year-old nephew Dassey were accused of killing Teresa Halbach, a photographer who visited the Avery family salvage yard to take photos of a minivan on Halloween and was never seen alive again. (Herald Times Reporter/Eric Young via AP, Pool)
Brendan Dassey. Photo: Herald Times Reporter/Eric Young via AP, Pool

On August 12, Brendan Dassey, one of the subjects of Netflix’s docuseries Making a Murderer, had his murder conviction overturned by a federal judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who cited misconduct by Dassey’s attorney and “false promises†made by interrogators during the initial confession as major reasons for his decision. That gave the state 90 days to decide to either let him walk or to file for a retrial. Today, Variety is reporting that Attorney General Brad Schimel made it clear that Wisconsin will redouble its efforts to keep Dassey behind bars, and that judge William E. Duffin’s verdict is being appealed. “We believe the magistrate judge’s decision that Brendan Dassey’s confession was coerced by investigators, and that no reasonable court could have concluded otherwise, is wrong on the facts and wrong on the law,†said Schimel. “Two state courts carefully examined the evidence and properly concluded that Brendan Dassey’s confession to sexually assaulting and murdering Teresa Halbach with his uncle, Steven Avery, was voluntary, and the investigators did not use constitutionally impermissible tactics.†Making a Murderer showrunners Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos are currently at work on a second season of their Emmy-nominated show.

Brendan Dassey’s Not Free and Clear Just Yet