Another alarming development. Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, the filmmakers behind Netflix’s disturbing, infuriating and downright addicting documentary series Making a Murderer, gave an update on Steven Avery’s 2005 murder case during the Today show on Tuesday, January 4.
Ricciardi and Demos revealed to Today cohosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie that a juror from the trial has recently contacted them. And he or she believes that Avery was framed for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.
“[The juror] told us that they believe Steven Avery was not proven guilty,” Ricciardi said. “They believe Steven was framed by law enforcement and that he deserves a new trial, and if he receives a new trial, in their opinion it should take place far away from Wisconsin.”
In addition, the juror claimed that each vote was a “compromise” during the deliberation. “That was the actual word the juror used and went on to describe the jurors ultimately trading votes in the jury room,” Ricciardi added. “And explicitly discussing, ‘If you vote guilty on this count, I will vote not guilty on this count.'”
Making a Murderer details the trial that led to Avery’s life sentence for the murder of Halbach. (Avery was wrongfully sentenced to 18 years of prison for sexual assault prior to the 2005 case.) The 10-part series has left viewers livid, with many speculating that the Manitowoc County police department mishandled the situation and tampered with evidence. The jury convicted Avery of first-degree murder after three days of deliberation.
“[The juror] told us that they were afraid that if they held out for a mistrial that it would be easy to identify which juror had done that and that they were fearful for their own safety,” Demos said on Tuesday.
As previously reported, two petitions have been created to help Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey (who was also convicted for Halbach’s murder) get new trials.
Meanwhile, Ken Kratz, the prosecutor in the case, has publicly stated that Ricciardi and Demos left out crucial facts in their documentary. The filmmakers alluded to Kratz’s allegations on Tuesday.
“I think people are interested in our public institutions, our public systems, and whether they are functioning properly. And to the extent they’re not, what can be done about it,” Ricciardi said.
Demos added, “Our goal going in was always to start a dialogue. And I’m sure a piece of that dialogue is people’s desire to have more information about what happened to Teresa Halbach, and if somebody finds more information, I think that’s a good thing. I think that’s what she deserves.”
