A judge ordered on Monday, November 14, that Making a Murderer subject Brendan Dassey be released from federal prison as Wisconsin state prosecutors appeal his overturned conviction, the Associated Press reported.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin ruled that Dassey’s release, which is not immediate, be supervised by probation officials, according to the AP. Dassey, 27, has until noon on Tuesday, November 15, to provide the federal probation and parole office with the address of where he plans to live after his release.
WDJT-TV reported that Dassey will also be barred from “possessing weapons, using controlled substances and having any contact with his uncle Steven Avery,” who was also a subject of the Netflix docuseries and is currently serving life in prison at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institution.
Dassey’s attorney, Steve Drizin, told the AP that he hasn’t spoken with his client yet, but he hopes to have him released from prison by Thanksgiving so that he can spend time with his family.
“That’s what I’m focused on right now, getting him home, getting him with his family and then helping him to reintegrate back into society while his appeal plays out,” Drizin said.
The news of Dassey’s release comes three months after Judge Duffin overturned his conviction for murder on the grounds that his 2006 recorded confession, in which he admitted to helping Avery rape and murder photographer Teresa Halbach, was coerced by Manitowoc County investigators. Prosecutors maintain that Dassey’s confession is valid.
Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. Avery was convicted of first-degree murder in a separate trial and is also seeking appeal.
Avery’s and Dassey’s cases made headlines last year when Making a Murderer debuted on Netflix. The 10-episode series investigated whether the duo were wrongly convicted for Halbach’s murder.
