‘Making a Murderer’ Creators Respond to Brendan Dassey’s Overturned Conviction Appeal
“Making A Murderer” won a whopping four awards Sunday night at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, but when the creators of the Netflix documentary came backstage to speak to the press, they weren’t celebrating with their golden statues — they were still fighting for justice.
“As many of you know, Brendan Dassey’s conviction was overturned, and just last Friday, Wisconsin filed notice of appeal,” said Moira Demos, who spoke to press members alongside “Making A Murderer” co-creator Laura Ricciardi.
“This is just part of the process,” Demos said. “This is justice at work and we will continue to document that. It’s a very trying time for all the families involved on both sides to continue to have this unresolved and ongoing, but that’s sort of how justice works, so we’ll continue to follow it.”
In mid-August, Dassey’s conviction in Teresa Halbach’s murder case was overturned by a federal judge. He previously had been sentenced to 41 years in prison on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, second-degree sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse in the case in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Two days ago, an appeal was filed.
Earlier this summer, Netflix ordered more episodes of “Making A Murderer,” which the streaming giant says will explore the story of convicted murderer Steven Avery, and his co-defendant, Dassey, as both of their investigative and legal teams challenge their convictions and the State fights to have the convictions and life sentences upheld.
Speaking more about the upcoming episodes, Ricciardi teased, “Our plans for additional episodes, the story is clearly not over. Things are happening and we’re following those events as they unfold. As you follow things as they’re unfolding, you can’t predict the future… but that’s part of the process.”
The duo was also asked about their scripted show in development, “America’s Most Admired Lawbreaker,” which is currently in the works with George Clooney’s production company, Smokehouse Pictures. The pair confirmed no network is attached at this point, clarifying the potential series is “in the development stage of the project.”
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