MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A federal judge told Wisconsin prison officials on Wednesday that they must release an inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” by Friday evening.
It’s unclear if Brendan Dassey will finally walk free, however, because state attorneys subsequently rushed to prepare an emergency filing with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago seeking to block his release.
Dassey, 27, has been serving a life sentence since he was convicted in 2007 of helping his uncle, Steven Avery, rape, kill and mutilate photographer Teresa Halbach at the Avery family salvage yard in Manitowoc County in 2005.
U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin overturned Dassey’s conviction in August, ruling investigators tricked the then-16-year-old into confessing. Duffin ordered Dassey released from prison then, but said he would stay that request if state attorneys appealed. The state Department of Justice asked the 7th Circuit to restore Dassey’s conviction, a request that’s pending.
But Dassey’s attorneys asked Duffin in September to release Dassey from prison while that appeal is weighed. Duffin granted the request Monday, rejecting the state’s arguments that Dassey presents a threat to public safety. The state asked Duffin on Tuesday to reconsider but he refused.