REPORT: MANITOWOC COUNTY — In five days since its release, plenty of buzz has been generated about the Netflix series “Making A Murderer.”
The series takes an in-depth look at Steven Avery and his history with Manitowoc County law enforcement.
The creators and executive producers, Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, were New York film graduate students when a New York Times article about Avery drew them to Manitowoc County. They boiled hundreds of hours of footage into 10, one hour episodes.
After spending 18 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Avery was a free man in 2003. However, two years later, Avery was arrested for the murder of Teresa Halbach. Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, was arrested for his role in the murder a few months later. Netflix’s “Making A Murderer” has a much wider audience learning about the story ten years later.
“When we started this project, we cast a very wide net,” said Demos. “People had very different responses to the invitation to participate.”
Members of Avery’s defense team were among willing participants. Throughout the series, the defense suggests the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department planted evidence to frame Avery for murder. It’s a theory series’ viewers are heavily backing on social media, leading to online petitions to free Avery from his life sentence.
“We just think it’s important for people to be reflecting on this and talking about it and trying to process it in a healthy way,” said Ricciardi.
“Anytime you edit 18 months’ worth of information and only include the statements or pieces that support your particular conclusion, that conclusion should be reached,” said Ken Kratz, the special prosecutor on Avery’s murder case.
Kratz says before the series’ release, he wasn’t provided the opportunity to answer any allegations made. Kratz says that’s led to him receiving dozens of threatening and insulting messages.
“Suggestions that I shouldn’t even be walking around was offered, the good cheer that I happen to develop stomach cancer for Christmas and really lots of really troubling pieces of correspondence,” said Kratz.
