Netflix's Making a Murderer captivated the nation, with people consuming in the story of Steven Avery and the possible mishandling of his case when he was convicted of murder in 2005. His nephew Brendan Dassey was also a subject of the documentary series, and was sentenced to 41 years in prison on charges of first-degree intentional homicide. That conviction was recently overturned by a judge, and now the directors and executive producers have weighed on that recent development.
Earlier this week, a federal judge overturned Brendan Dassey's conviction in the murder of Teresa Halbach. Dassey was a subject of Making a Murderer, a 10 part documentary series that followed his uncle Steven Avery and the two different murder cases he was convicted of. Dassey was tried as an accomplice in the second case for the murder of Teresa Halbach and was sentenced to 41 years in prison when he was 16 years old; he'll be 27 this October. Making a Murderer examined the case and theorized that local law enforcement may have tampered with the evidence and forced a confession from Dassey. If the state chooses not to retry him then Dassey will be free in 90 days. According to Variety, co-director and creators of the series Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos have released a statement about the Dassey's possible release.
Today there was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work. As we have done for the past 10 years, we will continue to document the story as it unfolds, and follow it wherever it may lead.
Making a Murderer was renewed by Netflix for a Season 2 shortly after the series premiere. Season 2 is planned to follow the post-conviction process and the emotional toll it had on the defendants and their family. It's hard to imagine that this latest news won't be a major focus in Season 2, no matter how it eventually plays out. There is no stated correlation between the overturned conviction and the documentary series, though one has to wonder if the spike in national attention to the case is what caused the judge to re-examine the conviction.
This is no doubt a major development to fans of the documentary series who devoured the 10 episode series. People have been so enamored with Steven Avery's case that some signed a petition to the White House demanding that President Obama pardon Avery and Dassey. However, The President was unable to issue a pardon due to the fact that both of them were state prisoners.
Netflix has not announced a premiere date for Season 2 of Making a Murderer. Stick with Cinema Blend for any and all future updates.
