With the justice system of the United States in a racial bind today, it was no big shock that such a riveting documentary, "Making a Murderer," struck a chord with audiences, and became hugely popular. However the documentary left out some evidence, and there are further questions; where will Manitowoc police go from here? What happens to Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey? What really happened to Teresa Halbach?
After watching the documentary, some people took a step farther, looking up new information in the case, and trying to get a better understanding of why the jury would convict Avery. One important thing to note that in a murder case is that you need beyond a reasonable doubt to convict the accused. Beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal case holds a lot more weight than preponderance of evidence in a civil case; meaning that lawyers on both sides, have to work to establish a higher degree of certainty.
Taking a broader look at the documentary series, it is also important to note a few key items that were left out. One of these instances was when a bullet, covered in Teresa Halbach's DNA, was found in Avery's garage and matched a gun that was found in his bedroom. Supposedly there was also a sweat handprint found under the hatch of Teresa's abandoned car. Both are pretty incriminating evidence and if they were talked about at length in court, could have led the jury to convict Avery more easily. But both of these pieces of evidence were mentioned by Ken Kratz, the slimy ex-DA.... so take that with a grain of salt.
Wanting to be a lawyer myself, I could write ten pages of questions that I have for each person who appeared in the series, and if you have watched all ten episodes, I am sure you could too. The most serious question I have has to be, where is all her blood? Excuse me for being harsh, but if you supposedly sliced Halbach's throat, or even shot Halbach, there would be a potentially massive puddle of blood somewhere. But instead, the only traces of blood that are discussed are Avery's. No offense to Avery, but would he really have been able and conniving enough to completely get rid of all the blood that was shed? My guess is probably not. As a lawyer you have to use evidence, testimony and true facts to win your case, and how exactly could a jury find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Teresa was murdered by Avery on Avery's property without a drop of her blood?
Even if it is found that Avery is actually guilty of murder, the Manitowoc police are under huge scrutiny and need to do some PR damage control. Not only are their techniques (both evidence gathering and interrogation) in question, but mistrust in their authority is huge. The police have made little statements on the film here and there, but they blame poor editing and the decision of the filmmakers to paint them in a guilty light (hello, first amendment). “We’re not pleased with the way the film has portrayed us," says Sheriff Robert Hermann, "In several areas throughout the film, you can see where they cut the tape and manipulated things." There could be bias in the film, but when it comes down to evidence, that is something that cannot be disputed.
This week, the governor of Wisconsin has stated that he will not pardon Steven Avery, so his future is unknown. Unless new evidence is found, Avery is a sitting duck in the justice system, or in his case, prison. However, Brendan Dassey could get a new trial coming up this year - stay tuned. If you wish to sign petitions (if you believe their innocence), then I encourage you to go to Change.com and voice your opinion. The petitions have caught the nation and are growing more and more popular each day.
Like any good Netflix watcher would, I have formed my own theory about what happened... You can call me crazy, a liar, wrong, or uninformed, but it's my theory and everyone can have there own, that is one beauty of the justice system. In my theory, Halbach went to the Avery residence to get her pictures and information, however either right after or right before she left, she came into contact with a police officer. I theorize that her and this officer have some sort of history -- maybe sexual, maybe its admiration that isn't returned by Halbach, maybe it's just a friendship -- but the meet up of these two people goes sour. Something happens, an argument spurs, and out of instinct, not premeditated, the cop kills Halbach. It would have to be something that wasn't "dirty," but still disgusting, like strangulation or suffocation. Then an opportunity arises, an opportunity to get Avery back from embarrassing the police force when he was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault. Cue the cover up, cue the dirty cops, cue the possible dirty DA. The murder isn't premeditated, the police subculture is stronger than you might think. Like I said, its just a theory and it can be totally off base, but I, for one, believe Steven Avery is an innocent man and Manitowoc county refuses to see that.
