‘Making A Murderer’ Part 2: Steven Avery’s Defense Gets A ‘Big Win’

Steven Avery, the man whose case gained national attention through the Netflix true crime series “Making A Murderer,” was given a chance to submit an appeal after his case was allowed to be sent back to circuit court in February. The 56-year-old man from Wisconsin was accused of the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. He was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Avery had originally taken Dean Strang and Jerry Buting as his lawyers back in 2005. He has heavily denied the allegations to this day, citing that the case was filled with planted evidence and false testimony. Defense attorney Kathleen Zellner has since represented Avery, giving some hope to the famous Avery case.

After the denial of a retrial in October 2017, several obstacles had made their case look bleak and unwinnable. Among these was the rejection of Zellner’s request for new DNA testing of the supposed remains of Halbach. Zellner did not lose hope, saying that the court did not deny the DNA testing but merely set it aside in light of the current appeal.

“The appellate court wants to resolve the issues on Avery’s current appeal before the new issue re: bone testing is addressed,” Zellner stated in an interview with Newsweek. “The state claims if Avery wins appeal, bone testing may become unnecessary,” she added.

The Avery case has made remarkable progress after Zellner won the right to appeal the case last February 25. This gives an opportunity for Avery as this may bring the topic of DNA testing of Halback’s remains back to the fore. Zellner calls this a “big win,” believing the evidence to potentially “undo” the case against Avery.

Buting and Strang believe that the added publicity of the “Making A Murderer” Netflix series has had a lot to do with the positive perception of the public on Avery. They claim that this is a “double-edged sword” — with the public gaining more facts and information about the case but making the officials of the state of Wisconsin to be more adamant about their side on the case.

Ultimately, they believe that the added publicity will work in favor of Avery — as it works with the public’s current knowledge and biases, instead of against it, as was the case back in 2005. “Potential jurors would come to the case with preconceptions about guilt or innocence, and more importantly about facts,” Strang explained. “They may be very wrong, some of their factual beliefs, but that’s an unavoidable problem and one I suspect Steven Avery would welcome if you asked him today,” he continued.

The world awaits the conclusion of this case and the justice that would be meted out. No date has been set for the next hearing as of this writing.

Meanwhile, “Making A Murderer” Part 2 can be viewed on Netflix now.