I know I haven’t been asleep since 2007, but I don’t recall ever hearing anything about these people or the case.
This case was made known through the release of the documentary series, “Making a Murderer” on Netflix in December.
It’s the story of a team of filmmakers who are following the exoneration and release of Steven Avery after 18 years in prison for rape.
The filmmakers were documenting Avery’s fight for recompense from the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s department who he was suing for millions. Apparently, the handling of the rape case was so egregious against Avery that the county’s insurance company declared they would not cover any damages won by Avery. The Sheriff’s department was in very hot water and final depositions were being held where it was apparent that Avery was railroaded into the rape conviction.
During the filming, a woman (Teresa Halbach) comes up missing, and the last place she was seen was at the Avery family’s salvage yard taking pictures of a car for Auto Trader magazine. Avery had to settle the multi-million dollar wrongful rape conviction for $400,000 so that he could hire a lawyer to defend himself. The rest of the documentary examines how Avery was convicted of her murder, and raises questions about how the case was handled.
It’s a fascinating story and proves that justice is not always blind (wrongful conviction) and that prosecutors are sometimes as evil as the perpetrators.
In the meantime, Teresa Halbach is dead and two men may be in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Avery has a new lawyer so there is some hope the truth will be eventually known.