Making A Murderer
 

Anyone watching? Any thoughts? In your opinion, are Avery and Dassey guilty or innocent? If the latter, any alternative theories?

Don't read this thread if you don't want to hear any "spoilers" (I hate that word in instances like this, btw). I have two episodes left, but I already knew the outcome of the whole thing before I started.

I think there was without question reasonable doubt.

This. Definitely.

I think what shocked me the most was the first investigation/trial in 1985. I knew the story, but seeing/hearing ALL of those details was overwhelming. It truly seemed like they wanted Avery to be locked up (and stay locked up) for as long as possible. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to watch. And I can't help but wonder... why?!

I haven't watched it, but a friend told me the documentary has left out showing key evidence that led to his conviction making the viewer more sympathetic to Avery. I'm debating on whether I want to watch it.

I binged it in about a day and a half and very much enjoyed it. Like Kevin said, it seems like there was a lot of reasonable doubt, but I won't go as far as saying "he's innocent," since the story was obviously crafted in Avery's favor.

Definitely interesting, though.

Regardless of whether or not that's true (and I have no doubt that it is, based on the additional research I've done and the fact that they had to condense 6 weeks of a trial into less than 10 hours... or probably more like 6 hours), you really should watch it. Even if some evidence is missing, that's ultimately not what has everyone so outraged.

You'll only really understand if you watch it. It's sure to suck you in almost immediately.

And aside from the whole Avery side of it, the most frustrating thing to me was the whole Brendan Dassey part... A 16-year-old with an IQ of 70 who gave an inconsistent, coerced confession was convicted and put in jail for LIFE without any physical evidence. That deserves a huge W.T.F.

His entire arc frustrated the hell out of me. The interrogators' questions were so leading (ex. the "what else happened to her head" thing made my blood boil) and the answers to their questions didn't even make sense most of the time.

Kevin, is it not illegal to interrogate a minor w/o an adult with them?

My experience working with special needs students caused me to get so ANGRY watching the interrogation of that boy. He obviously did not understand. I don't see how the justice system can think he was a reliable witness, or that his statement was any good.

It was SO frustrating to watch.

I'm still hesitating on whether or not to watch it because it's gotten so many of my friends angry and upset.

That was the genius of it, though (for the prosecution)... Dassey wasn't a witness. I mean, he was a witness in the court of public opinion, but not in a court of law. The defense even said in the documentary that it was a good - and obvious - move on their part not to have him testify in the Avery trial.

Haven't watched it. Not sure if I will.

I personally think he's guilty as sin.

I think the filmmakers deliberately left things out to make the public sympathetic to Avery. Apparently they spent 10 years making this documentary. If it truly is a documentary, they should have taken ALL information into account and put it to screen. Prosecutors have come forward and said "by the way, they left this crucial piece of evidence out that led to the conviction".

He might not have gotten a truly "fair" trial, but I still think he's guilty.

An "unfair" trial is an understatement. And I find it interesting that you think he's "guilty as sin". What made you reach that conclusion?

Regardless of whether or not he did it, there was a huge miscarriage of justice here. EVERYONE deserves a fair trial. I would hate to think that anyone could be put through the ringer like this. If they can do it to a guilty person, they can clearly do it to an innocent one, too. And if I was wrongly accused of something, I wouldn't want to have done to me what was done to Avery and Dassey.

I think the petitions for letting them out of jail are crazy, and I'm not going to loudly proclaim their innocence anytime soon. To me, watching this wasn't so much about guilty vs. innocent, but more about a clearly corrupt system. Of course, it's not like this everywhere all the time, but it certainly could be. And obviously they can get away with it.

I'm still working my way through the episodes, even though I know the outcome. I find the series intriguing. I keep going back to "reasonable doubt" and I think its there. The investigation was tainted when they allowed the county police who had been deposed weeks before the murder onto the Avery property unsupervised even though the police department claimed that they had a conflict and would not be involved. I also think the policy and investigators did not run down every lead they had. They made an assumption it was Steven Avery.

And what happened to Dassey is sickening.

Fun Fact: An AOPi alum from Epsilon Chi at Elon is one of the reporters. She was recently on Dr. Phil discussing the case.