The popular Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" has catapulted the story of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey into the national spotlight. It was a trial riddled with unethical and possibly illegal behavior on the part of the police, prosecutors and even defense attorneys. And while the documentary does elicit sympathy for Steven Avery and I certainly hope for more evidence that shows that he is innocent as well, there is a very serious problem with the conviction of Brendan Dassey, who was imprisoned at 16 and is now 26.
"Making a Murderer" shows the horrifying details of Brendan's case. He was questioned multiple times, and after the first few interrogations, the police began feeding him specific questions leading him to say what they wanted him to say -- to implicate Steven Avery. Dassey, who at the time reportedly had an IQ of about 70 and a 4th grade reading level, was blatantly coerced into confessing to the crimes not once but TWICE -- the second time by an investigator hired by his own defense lawyer.
The misconduct in this case is staggering, and there is still NO physical evidence that links Dassey to any crimes. There is no physical evidence that even places him at the scene. Currently, there is an open petition for a writ of habeas corpus being considered by Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin of Milwaukee.
Dassey's treatment to date has been a massive failure of our justice system, and violates his right to a fair trial, legal representation, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Sign this petition to show Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin, as well as the Wisconsin and federal courts, that you support a retrial for Brendan Dassey!
