‘Making a Murderer’ Lawyer Says New Suspect Could Exonerate Steven Avery
Just when you thought the buzz around Netflix’s Making a Murderer had died down, the overturned conviction of Steven Avery’s “accomplice” Brendan Dassey got followers buzzing. Now, weeks away from Avery’s new lawyer Kathleen Zellner filing a new appeal, a new report suggests that an alternate suspect could finally clear Avery’s name.
The New York Times had a chance to speak with Zellner, whose current track record has helped exonerate 17 wrongful convictions, and who now seems exceedingly confident in Avery becoming number 18. Full details of the appeal won’t arrive until August 29, but key evidence and a new suspect could potentially make Avery’s past conviction untenable:
There is evidence that already exists in the case that points to a different location and a different suspect. We’ve got a combination of forensic evidence and a tip from somebody that we’ve interviewed multiple times that we think is credible.
Zellner understandably wouldn’t go into full detail just yet, but at least offered “[forensic retesting] may not all be successful, but I believe if even one bit of evidence is planted, the conviction is going to be vacated … I’ve never seen a more graphic, compelling illustration of a crime scene that was fabricated”
For those unfamiliar with the documentary, Making a Murderer follows the case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted of a brutal assault and sent to prison for 18 years, only to be exonerated by DNA evidence. Soon enough into a public civil case for justice reform however, Steven found himself accused of the murder of young photographer Teresa Halbach, and subsequently railroaded through a lengthy trial under especially dubious circumstances, and apparent corruption at every turn.
Either way, Making a Murderer Season 2 is off to an impressive start, but will Avery really follow Dassey’s lead with an overturned conviction?
(h/t UPROXX)