Court blocks release of ‘Making a Murderer’s’ Brendan Dassey
(CNN)A federal appeals court Thursday blocked the release of Brendan Dassey, the teen whose confession became a subplot in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer.”
The ruling represents a win for Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, who had fought the release.
Now 27, Dassey was set to be freed under the supervision of the US Probation Office, but Schimel filed a motion Tuesday seeking a stay of US Magistrate Judge William Duffin’s decision to release Dassey pending the appeal of his 2007 murder conviction.
In 2005, Dassey, then 16, confessed to authorities that he assisted his uncle, Steven Avery, in raping and killing photographer Teresa Halbach, whose charred remains were found on Avery family property in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
The case was chronicled in the 10-part Netflix series “Making a Murderer,” which suggested that investigators took advantage of Dassey’s youth and limited intellect to coax him into confessing to a crime he didn’t commit.
“The court’s decision rests on a fundamental principle that is too often forgotten by courts and law enforcement officers: Interrogation tactics which may not be coercive when used on adults are coercive when used on juveniles, particularly young people like Brendan with disabilities,” Dassey’s attorneys said in an August statement.
Dassey will stay in prison pending the outcome of the appeal.
Avery, 54, is serving a life sentence at a Wisconsin prison.
He maintained his innocence throughout his original trial. He said he was framed and is seeking a new trial.
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