'Making a Murderer' case sees massive twist after 'notable convicted murderer' confesses to killing Teresa Halbach in 2005
There seems to be yet another twist in the story of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey who were convicted in the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach and became the subject of popular Netflix docuseries 'Making a Murderer'. A convicted murderer has now confessed to the crime, seemingly backing the pair's repeated assertions that they are innocent.
Halbach was raped and murdered on Halloween night after visiting 43-year-old Avery's property that day for an interview. Avery and 14-year-old Dassey were convicted of her death and sentenced to life in prison.
The trial was one that was extensively covered by the media, mostly because of Avery's status in Manitowoc County. He had been falsely convicted of a sexual assault previously and had spent 18 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him.
He was in the midst of a legal battle with the county seeking compensation when the murder allegations against him emerged in 2005, leading to suggestions that he had been framed by officers from the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office who would have found themselves in the line of fire had the lawsuit proceeded.
Dassey's conviction was similarly mired in controversy. No physical evidence linked him to the crime, with his conviction solely based on his confession to two investigators, which many argue was coerced and improperly obtained.
Lower courts did rule that the confession, which was obtained without the presence of either his lawyer or his mother, was involuntary, but in June 2018, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago upheld the conviction.
Now, there seems to be another ray of hope for the pair in the form of 'Convicting a Murderer,' a second docuseries on the case that is currently in the works by director Shawn Rech, who revealed to Newsweek that a "notable convicted murderer from Wisconsin" had allegedly confessed to them to murdering Halbach.
While Rech did not name the inmate, he confirmed the confession did not come from either Avery or Dassey. He said they hadn't confirmed the legitimacy of the confession but had turned over evidence to law enforcement and legal teams.
"Having been in production for 20 months, we've uncovered an unfathomable amount of information and evidence that is leading us to the truth. Our investigation does not end here," he said.
Avery's lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, tweeted that her office had received the handwritten confession but said "it is worthless unless it is corroborated." Laura Nirider, an attorney for Dassey, similarly tweeted that they are aware of the alleged confession but did not comment further.