A convicted killer claims he is responsible for the murder of Teresa Halbach, the homicide featured in Netflix’s riveting docuseries, Making a Murderer. Convicted in 2005 for the murder of Halbach, Steven Avery - and his nephew Brendan Dassey - has spent more than a decade behind bars for the horrendous crime.
Released in 2015, Netflix’s Making a Murderer is one of the most controversial true crime documentary series of all time. Helmed by filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, Making a Murderer fixates on Avery, a Wisconsin native who served 18 years in prison after being wrongly convicted for the assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. Filmed over ten years, Making a Murderer season 1 unravels the events that led to Avery’s exoneration. Spending the bulk of his time at his family’s auto salvage yard, Avery attempted to revamp his life, until his arrest in 2005 for the murder of photographer Halbach. Deemed highly controversial, the series picks apart the Halbach murder case and alleges that Avery was framed by Manitowoc county police. Convicted as an accessory to Halbach’s murder, Dassey became a prominent figure in the series, with many believing his confession was coerced. Now, it appears an emerging figure could shake the case up, yet again.
According to The Wrap, a Wisconsin prisoner claims he is the one who murdered Halbach. The startling confession was told to Shawn Rech, director of the upcoming docuseries Convicting A Murderer. Acquired during filming, the confession did not come from Avery or Dassey. Rech states the prisoner was free at the time of Halbach's murder and shared his thoughts on the confession:
We haven’t confirmed the legitimacy of the confession, but seeing as it was given by a notable convicted murderer from Wisconsin, we feel responsible to deliver any and all possible 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.
Avery and Dassey maintain their innocence. Featured in Making a Murderer season 2, Avery’s current lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, continues to work on Avery’s exoneration. Zellner claims her office received a handwritten confession to Halbach's murder, however, the information is worthless until it is corroborated. If the inmate’s confession is deemed reliable, freedom is a possibility for Avery and Dassey.
Slated to premiere in 2020, Convicting a Murderer is a 10-part series in the same true crime vein as Making a Murderer. Focusing on elements of the case not revealed in the original series, Convicting a Murderer could spark more controversy. Despite copious amounts of manpower spent sifting through evidence, new tips and information shouldn't be neglected. After all, true crime fans declare that a single piece of evidence could change everything. No doubt the recent confession will incite further debate on Making a Murderer.
Source: The Wrap