Brendan Dassey Will Remain in Prison
A federal appeals court has overturned a ruling that could have freed Brendan Dassey, one of two men convicted in a case that drew widespread attention via the Netflix series, Making a Murderer.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that police properly obtained Brendan Dassey’s confession and he should remain behind bars. The judges were sharply divided, voting 4 to 3 that Dassey’s confession wasn’t coerced.
Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after he told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach.
A federal judge overturned Dassey’s conviction in 2016, ruling that investigators coerced his confession. A three-judge panel from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, but the state asked for a review by the full court that led to Friday’s decision.
Dassey's Attorneys, Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin, say they’re “profoundly disappointed” and that they’ll ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. They say the 7th Circuit judges ignored the fundamental idea that false confessions often result when children or the mentally vulnerable are interrogated.
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