Steven Avery Files Appeal; Cites Illegal Search, Biased Jury

Avery says the alleged statements are evidence of “preconceived guilt”. WBAY reports Avery and Zellner met on Monday.

The UW-Madison law professor who helped free Steven Avery after a wrongful conviction in the 1980s says “Making a Murderer“, the Netflix documentary about his 2007 homicide trial, illustrates problems in the criminal justice system that affect many cases beyond Avery’s. “We are confident Mr. Avery’s conviction will be vacated when we present the new evidence and results of our work to the appropriate court”.

As things stand now, both Avery and Dassey will probably spend the rests of their lives in jail, a fact that led thousands of people to petition the White House for presidential pardons. In 2003, Avery was released from prison after almost two decades.

Obviously, Avery is likely hoping that the attention brought to this case by the documentary will help his cause, but several key pieces of evidence that may help to overturn his conviction were actually not featured in the ten-part Netflix series.

In papers filed Tuesday, Avery – who filed the papers himself – claims a number of grievances, including an improper warrant, inadequate legal representation and a juror who tainted the rest of the jury with claims of Avery’s guilt. At least not by Wisconsin’s governor.

Manitowoc County Sheriff Robert Hermann said he has not yet seen Avery’s appeal. “I don’t believe we should undermine the criminal justice system”.

He filed the appeal on his own without help from a lawyer. They have argued that Dassey’s trial was plagued by the actions of his former attorney, who was removed from the case, and claim that Dassey’s confession was coerced.