Three years ago, filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demo first introduced the world to Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, two nondescript Wisconsin natives whose 2007 conviction for the death of Teresa Halbach seemed like you run-of-the-mill murder case — that was until camera crews arrived and began digging. Avery and Dassey’s story served the basis of Netflix’s award-winning true crime docu-series Making a Murder, and the subsequent revelations uncovered by Ricciardi and Demo brought national attention to the small-town murder case. With many questions still unanswered — including whether Avery and/or Dassey actually committed the murder — Netflix greenlit a second season of Making a Murder in 2016. Now, the 10-episode follow-up is finally set to air on October 19th.
According to Ricciardi and Demos, whereas part one “documented the experience of the accused,” part two chronicles “the experience of the convicted and imprisoned, two men each serving life sentences for crimes they maintain they did not commit.”
“Steven and Brendan, their families and their legal and investigative teams have once again graciously granted us access, giving us a window into the complex web of American criminal justice, Ricciardi and Demos said in a statement.
The episodes will introduce viewers to Avery’s post-conviction lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, who has reversed more wrongful convictions than any other private attorney in the country. Dassey’s post-conviction lawyers, Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin, will also be featured as they work to prove that his confession was involuntary.
Both Avery and Dassey have fought vigorously to overturn their convictions — to varying degree of success. In 2016, a judge granted Avery’s request allowing scientific testing to proceed in his case, but last year, his request for a new trial was denied. Meanwhile, in 2016, a judge ruled that Dassey’s confession had been coerced by investigators, and ordered he be freed from prison. However, a court of appeals subsequently overturned the decision, maintaining that Dassey’s confession was in fact voluntary. Both men continue to appeal their convictions.
