"Making a Murderer" on Netflix

I live in Wisconsin so I knew of this case but I watched this anyway and loved it. Way too much shady stuff that went on. They both deserved new trials and were railroaded by a police force that didn't like the family. I'm not saying Steven Avery is a perfect human being but I don't think he killed anyone.

 

I'd heard of the story also from other shows, including...I think...This American Life.

Watched 4 hours so far. Like others have said, hard to imagine 6 more hours, but it's been pretty riveting.

 

Watched eps 2, 3 and 4 and if we didn't have to work tomorrow, my wife and I probably would've plowed through the whole thing. Amazing and infuriating.

 

We binged watched it yesterday straight through and then continued to talk about it for another hour or so.

Man watching Brendan functioning in life just broke my heart. I was stunned beyond belief that he wasn't given a second trial.

While I am of the belief that Steve is innocent of the crime, who would have motive to kill Teresa? I thought for sure they would have pursued whoever it was that kept harassing her on her cell phone as mentioned by her co-worker. One or two articles are actually implicating Steve as that person on the other end of the phone. Along the same lines, how could they not have found out which voice mails were removed from her phone and which phone number was the one to have erased them. I'm sure Cingular Wireless could have provided that information. For a split section, I thought they were going implicate the ex-boyfriend.

Something else that really surprised me. Maybe its because I watch too much Law and Order, but the juror who was excused said that when the initial vote was counted; it was 7 Not Guilty - 3 Guilty - 2 Undecided. So what caused the change? No other jurors were ever brought into the documentary. Usually they are polled to discussed what took place behind the scenes.

 

My heart breaks for Brendan. I don't know how often these happen, and under what circumstances, but a Presidential pardon is in order.

 

This is as infuriating as Jinx or the Paradise Lost documentaries. Massive miscarriage of justice and corruption. Those cops were lying through their teeth and doing a terrible job of it. You could see them sweating bullets. They should have moved the trial as far away from the county as possible. The judge made some unbelievably stupid calls. Brendan is clearly mentally challenged and his statements should never have been considered for a second. Any impartial judge could have seen that. My biggest question is why both the defense and the prosecution ever brought up motive? What motive would Steve have to kill Teresa? He was likely about to get a substantial chunk of change from the county for his wrongful conviction in 1985. Why would he murder somebody? Unless he's a complete lunatic, but nobody ever presented any evidence of that. Her ex boyfriend might have a motive. Why didn't they investigate him? Who was phone stalking her? Maybe these questions were addressed in the trial, but not shown in the doc?

 

Over about a week or so, my wife and I watched the whole thing. The last few episodes are not the "page turners" that the first are, but there are still developments that easily maintained our interests. I agree with the other posters that Brendan has the mental capacity of a young child -- at most -- and in his case, a retrial is demanded. (I am just glad this took place in Wisconsin, because in TX they probably would have executed him. Yes, I was born in TX and have lived here for most of my life, and I am ashamed of corruption in the judicial system, starting with the very top on down.)

The case with Steve has serious deficiencies, but is somewhat confusing. Inconsistencies on the part of law enforcement alone do not necessarily imply a conspiracy -- but they do point to gross incompetence. Now the judge has the benefit of considering and reconsidering all the evidence presented by both parties and the time to reflect on it -- despite that benefit, his judicial choices are bizarre.

One of the things that continues to bother me is the editing and presentation of the entire situation. Is key evidence, and key scenes left out? Regardless of all the video that is shown, that is only a glimmer of the entire material, from the trial. Even if unintended, the selection and even the way the documentary is presented shape our view and reaction. Usually, trials discuss method, motive, and opportunity. I don't recall much on motive. What would possibly be Steve's motive, having recently been released from prison and due to receive $$ from the county?

And if you think this case is strange, what about Jon Benet Ramsey case? I find it incredible that even in this day and age, logical, coherent protocols are not followed but routinely violated.

 

One thing that really bothered me about the evidence was the key ring to Teresa's car. Are we to believe that she only had one key on her ring and that was to the car? Most people have multiple keys plus other odds and ends.

 

Can't stop reading these articles.
http://decider.com/2015/12/31/the-5-best-making-a-murderer-fan-theories/

 

http://www.avclub.com/article/read-damning-evidence-against-steven-avery-making--230224

 

i am of the opinion that the documentary is biased. I believe we are given only things that make us question Steve's guilt. I felt things were left out that the jury, the appellate courts and the Wisconsin Supreme Court found to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to either convict or to not grant another trial. Something that was mentioned in the movie only briefly is that Brenden told a friend what happened along with the female cousin from the movie. And that friend testified but was not shown in the doc. Why would you make up a story like that and tell a friend?

As I see it there are four possible stories.

Steve killed Theresa.
Steve and Brenden killed Theresa.
The crooked cops killed Theresa and framed Steve.
Someone else killed Theresa and the crooked cops were able to gather the evidence without anyone else noticing and framed Steve.

Even though I think they are guilty, I would like to see them get new trials because there are too many question marks with those local cops. But would the local cops be able to subvert the FBI both the agent and the blood lab?

If Steve is guilty why wouldn't he crush the car?
Why has the test for the blood preservative been discontinued for ten years?
if Steve is innocent why are his lawyers no longer handling his case? I would think if I was a lawyer under that circumstance I would work pro-Bono until he was free.

I would love to see all the evidence and not just what the filmmakers choose to show us.

 

That "defense" investigator told Brendan exactly what to draw and write....how does that not warrant a new trial???

 

Lots of weird stuff as others have observed. Huge inconsistency -- why would Steven burn her body, almost completely obliterating it, but fail not to obliterate/crush the car?

Even if you grant that the blood found in Teresa's car did not come from the test tube, who tampered with that test tube and to what purpose? It appears that evidence from old trials in police lockup is subject to potential "reuse."

Of all the corruption in the justice system, I am beginning to think that Branden's first attorney, Kachinsky, beats out all comers. What a piece of crap. He should be disbarred for five to ten years, at a minimum.

 

I binged this doc too, it was riveting stuff.... I think that whole county is super corrupt and sleazy... Speaking of sleazy, that Ken Kratz guy seemed like the biggest sleazeball of the doc - he also looks like the kind of guy who would like to lay in a bathtub and have other men pee on him.

 

And something about Teresa Halbach's brother just turned me off... I mean I have sympathy that he lost a family member in such a horrific fashion but... 'dur dur, we love law enforcement dur, dur'

 

I try and keep in mind this is real life and not a movie. Family lost their daughter, sister, horrifically.

 

Dean Strang who was one of his defense attorney's said that unless new evidence or new testing for the blood evidence came about that he is out of options at this point. He did say that some new leads have popped up since the documentary aired. Not sure if it will lead to anything.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/steven-avery-juror-believes-police-framed-2016-1

 

I haven't watched this yet but had to respond to this in particular: not unusual at all. I have one keyring for my house/mail/etc. keys, and another that only has my car key on it. It makes it easier to deal with when leaving the car with anyone else (mechanic, etc.) Not unusual or weird at all.

 

Ohhhhhh.....wow....so the jury was threatened?!?

I'd like to know more about the excused juror's daughter's accident!

 

One of the reasons the doc seems biased (and indeed it does) is because most of those on the prosecution/law enforcement side declined to be interviewed by the filmmakers. Prosecutor Ken Kratz, Lieutenant Lenk, Sergeant Colborn, Teresa Halbach's brother, ex, and roommate -- they all declined to participate in the doc, so their voices and ideas weren't heard other than what they did and said in court mostly. Whereas Steven Avery, his defense lawyers, and his parents participated fully in the making of the doc and sharing as much as they could (or as much as they wanted, at least) with the filmmakers.

It does make the doc seem kind of one-sided, at least when it comes down to whether or not Steven and Dassey are guilty or innocent, but I think Making a Murderer is more about the failures of the criminal justice system and how a media frenzy can make a fair trial near impossible. Whether or not Avery is guilty, he and Brendan Dassey were totally screwed over by the system and corrupt people with power within it and did not receive fair trials.

And it's pretty terrifying that the same thing could happen to any of us.

 

How's this?
http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/making-murderer-update-9-car-crash.html?m=1

This whole story is 100% rotten to the core. All those "law enforcement" people, including the judges, should be in prison, but they are not, because they all back their own plays and believe that they can get away with anything. And, they have!

I worry that either Steven, Brendan, or both will be killed while in prison.

They barely even looked at the phone-hacking, voicemail-erasing ex-boyfriend. What?
I get it, they don't like Avery, and they would personally been on the hook for big bucks from him.
I also get that the jury were scared crapless to let either of them walk.

If this were a CSI episode, it would have been laughed at. Did anyone else see the RAV 4 with that brush placed on it and yell something like "You gotta be f-ing kidding!"


Dan

 

EDIT: It was the brother who erased the voicemails. Man, what a story this is!
My head is reeling from this. I feel so badly for the Halbach, Dassey, and Avery families.


Dan

 

The ex-boyfriend entered the password. Thought he deleted the emails?

 

Don't get me started on this one. There's a petition -

"Hello,

I just signed the petition, "President of the United States: Free Steven Avery."

I think this is important. Will you sign it too?

Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/p/president-of-the-united-states-free-steven-avery

Thanks"