Making a Murderer

Making a Murderer is an American true crime documentary television series written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. It is the story of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison for the wrongful conviction of sexual assault and attempted murder. He was again charged in 2005 and convicted in 2007 for the murder of Teresa Halbach. The connected story is that of Brendan Dassey, accused and convicted as an accessory in the murder. The first season mainly chronicles the period between 1985 and 2007, portraying Avery's 1985 arrest and conviction, his subsequent exoneration and release in 2003, the civil lawsuit Avery filed against Manitowoc County, his 2005 arrest, and the ensuing trial and conviction in 2007. It also depicts the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, focusing on the accusations of coercion and attorney ineptitude. The second season explores the aftermath of both Avery's and Dassey's convictions, focusing on Avery's and Dassey's families, the investigation and findings of Avery's new attorney Kathleen Zellner, which corroborates the thesis of Avery's innocence and him being framed for the murder of Halbach, and Dassey's legal team's efforts in arguing in court that his confession was coerced by prosecutors and his constitutional rights were violated. The first season premiered on Netflix on December 18, 2015. It was filmed over the course of 10 years, with the filmmakers moving back and forth from New York City to Wisconsin during filming. To promote the series, Netflix released the first episode concurrently on YouTube and on Netflix, which it had not done for any other original programming. In July 2016, Netflix announced that it was filming a second season, to explore the aftermath of Dassey's conviction and the numerous appeals that have taken place. The 10-episode second season was released October 19, 2018. Making a Murderer won several awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016. As a production, the series was favorably compared to the HBO series The Jinx and the podcast Serial. Making a Murderer was widely viewed and has generated considerable controversy, both in Manitowoc County, the setting of events, and nationwide. A petition in December 2015 to the White House to pardon Avery garnered more than 500,000 signatures. The White House's statement noted "the President cannot pardon a state criminal offense."