By Amber Hodson
Making a Murderer, a new 10-episode documentary exclusive to Netflix, details the life of Steven Avery who after being accused and then exonerated of a sexual assault in 1985 is accused and later convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach in the same American town. The series, which was released on the streaming network in December 2015, has caused at stir worlwide with the people of America creating a petition to ask President Obama to pardon the conviction.
The White House released a statement on We The People:
“Under the Constitution, only federal criminal convictions, such as those adjudicated in the United States District Courts, may be pardoned by the President. In addition, the President’s pardon power extends to convictions adjudicated in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and military court-martial proceedings. However, the President cannot pardon a state criminal offense. Since Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are both state prisoners, the President cannot pardon them. A pardon in this case would need to be issued at the state level by the appropriate authorities.“
The sudden interest in Steven Avery’s case comes from the fact it seems as though, even from some of the evidence presented at his trial, Manitowoc County planted evidence on the Avery property in order to convict Mr Avery of a second crime.
From the victims vehicle being found by a family friend of Teresa Halbach on the Avery property within 20 – 25 minutes of entering, the keys to said car appearing in a plain sight location within Mr. Avery’s accommodation on the seventh search and 11 bullet casings appearing within Mr. Avery’s garage again not in the initial search but after the fact. There certainly is something fishy about this case, despite in early episodes Steven Avery guilt being clear cut.
If you are interested in policing, forensic science or real life documentaries, Making a Murderer should be at the top of your list of things to watch this month. The entirety of Steven Avery’s life is a complete mystery – is he a murderer or simply being chewed up by the unlawful members of the system – you decide.
Making a Murderer is available on Netflix right now.
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