Brendan Dassey Confession Coerced
Anyone who watched the Netflix documentary “Making a Murder” was probably pretty uncomfortable throughout the entire series. The somewhat unintelligible language, the crimes themselves, and the behavior of local and state officials probably all made people squirm on their couches. For some the confession of Brendan Dassey was especially disturbing to watch if you have a base level understanding of what a coerced confession is. Dassey clearly has developmental delays and is socially awkward, the officers took advantage of a the situation and violated this young man’s civil rights.
CHICAGO – The confession of a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” was improperly obtained and he should be released from prison, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled Thursday.
Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach’s death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach in the Avery family’s Manitowoc County salvage yard. Avery was sentenced to life in a separate trial.
Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, said the office expects to seek review by the full 7th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court, and hopes “that today’s erroneous decision will be reversed.”
“We continue to send our condolences to the Halbach family as they have to suffer through another attempt by Mr. Dassey to re-litigate his guilty verdict and sentence,” Koremenos said.
Dassey’s lawyers from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth at Northwestern University said they’re elated and will take immediate steps to secure his release.
A federal magistrate judge ruled in August that investigators coerced Dassey, who was 16 years old at the time and suffered from cognitive problems, into confessing and overturned his conviction. The state Justice Department appealed the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a move that kept Dassey, now 27, behind bars pending the outcome.
A three-judge panel from the Chicago-based 7th Circuit upheld the magistrate’s decision to overturn his conviction. State attorneys’ only recourse now is the U.S. Supreme Court. They could also elect to re-try Dassey.
The Netflix hit “Making a Murderer” focused on the murder case involving Brendan Dassey. Dassey’s conviction was overturned after the defense dec…
Avery and Dassey contend they were framed by police angry with Avery for suing Manitowoc County over his wrongful conviction for sexual assault. Avery spent 18 years in prison in that case before DNA tests showed he didn’t commit the crime. He’s pursuing his own appeal in state court.
Their cases gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired “Making a Murderer,” a multi-part documentary looking at Halbach’s death, the ensuing investigation and trials. The series sparked widespread conjecture about the pair’s innocence and has garnered them a massive following on social media pushing for their release.
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
