It is no secret that the Netflix original docuseries, Making a Murderer, is a huge hit. The series is a ten-part documentary about Wisconsinite Steven Avery, and the murder charges placed against him by Manitowoc County.
Some Background:
Avery is no stranger to the Manitowoc County Justice System. He was previously falsely accused of sexual assault, among other charges, and imprisoned for 18 years back in the 80s. Fast forward to 2003, Avery was released due to new developments in DNA testing proving that another man was guilty of the crime that Avery has been accused of. Upon his release, Avery filed a civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County for $36 million and won.
Fast forward again to 2005. Avery was the center of attention of Manitowoc County again. This time for the murder, sexual assault, and mutilation of the corpse of Teresa Halbach. Halbach had gone to Steven Avery’s property to take photos for for a vehicle Avery was selling in AutoTrade magazine. That was the last known instance of Halbach alive.
Steven Avery was accused and tried for the case of Teresa Halbach. Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, confessed as an accomplice in the murder. Manitowoc County was asked to stay out of the investigation due to a conflict of interest with the previous settlement with Avery. Calumet County, a neighboring county, took lead in the new investigation. Manitowoc County’s District Attorney, Ken Kratz, represented the state of Wisconsin. Steven Avery used the $400,000 he had received from the settlement before he was arrested to hire arguably some of the best criminal defense lawyers in the state, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting.
The docuseries covers the release of Avery’s wrongful conviction, the investigation, the trial, and all of the following events. The producers, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos’s intent of the docuseries was to bring to light how corrupt the justice system is in America. This isn’t necessarily how it was received though. After watching the series, people truly believe that Steven Avery is innocent and that he should be pardoned.
Living in Wisconsin, many of us have mixed feelings about Avery being pardoned, but we did love the show for many reasons:
1. The incredibly poor Wisconsin accents. They make it sound like we live in Canada…
2. The phone conversations between Brendan and his mom.
“Hello”
“Hello”
“Yeah”
“Yeah”
In a Canadian accent… EVERY TIME
3. Dean Strang holds his practice in Madison.
4. Avery’s defense team makes us all want to be lawyers too. They just make it seem so easy.
5. The defense team reacts to new evidence just like we did.
6. They use so much science.
7. Years after the case ended, they still care.
Whether Steven Avery is guilty or innocent is unknown. But we can pick apart the evidence and pretend we are licensed attorneys until we come to our own conclusion. But in reality, Netflix just gave us another reason to binge for ten hours straight.