Making a Murderer

The story of the crime for which Avery was initially charged and imprisoned was featured in the Radiolab episode, "Are You Sure?" (airdate March 26, 2013), in the segment "Reasonable Doubt". The show featured an interview with Penny Beerntsen, the subject of the attack for which Avery was wrongfully convicted.[22]

• Steven Avery – Wrongfully convicted of a sexual assault, for which he served an 18-year sentence. Defendant convicted of Halbach's killing.
• Allan Avery – Steven Avery's father
• Dolores Avery – Steven Avery's mother
• Chuck Avery – Steven Avery's brother
• Earl Avery – Steven Avery's brother
• Barb Dassey – Steven Avery's sister, mother of Brendan and Bobby Dassey
• Brendan Dassey – Avery's nephew, son of Barb Dassey, defendant convicted of assisting Avery in Halbach's murder.
• Bobby Dassey – Brendan Dassey's brother, son of Barb Dassey
• Scott Tadych – married Barb Dassey (before the trials), stepfather of her children
• Kayla Avery – Brendan Dassey's cousin
• Kim Ducat – Steven Avery's cousin
• Carla Chase - Steven Avery's niece, Brendan Dassey's cousin
• Brad Dassey - Brendan's half brother, voice actor, and aspiring rapper.

• Penny Beerntsen – Victim of a sexual assault and attempted murder in 1985, for which Steven Avery was wrongfully convicted
• Teresa Halbach – Murder victim in 2005
• An unidentified and unnamed rape victim of Gregory Allen, convicted for an attempted rape on Penny Beerntsen.

• Kathleen Zellner – post-conviction attorney for Steven Avery
• Dean Strang – for Steven Avery
• Jerome Buting – for Steven Avery
• Robert Henak – post-conviction attorney for Steven Avery
• Stephen Glynn – civil rights lawyer for Steven Avery
• Len Kachinsky – Brendan Dassey's first appointed lawyer
• Mark Fremgen – for Brendan Dassey, appointed lawyer (second lawyer)
• Ray Edelstein – for Brendan Dassey, appointed lawyer (second lawyer)
• Steven Drizin – post-conviction attorney for Brendan Dassey
• Robert Dvorak – post-conviction attorney for Brendan Dassey
• Laura Nirider – post-conviction attorney for Brendan Dassey

• Denis Vogel – Manitowoc County District Attorney, prosecuted Avery's 1985 sexual assault case
• Ken Kratz – special prosecutor, district attorney of Calumet County, Wisconsin, prosecuted Halbach murder case
• Norm Gahn – special prosecutor, assistant district attorney of Milwaukee County

• Patrick Willis – Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge, presided over Steven Avery's trial
• Jerome Fox – Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge, presided over Brendan Dassey's trial
• Angela Sutkiewicz - Manitowoc County Circuit Court Judge, presides over Steven Avery's appeals

• Tom Kocourek – Manitowoc County Sheriff (1979–2001)
• Kenneth Petersen – Manitowoc County Sheriff (2001–07)
• Gene Kusche – Manitowoc County Chief Deputy Sheriff at time of Avery's 1985 trial
• James Lenk – lieutenant, Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department
• Andrew Colborn – sergeant, Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department
• Judy Dvorak – deputy, Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department
• Tom Fassbender – investigator, Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, lead investigator in Halbach murder trial
• Mark Wiegert – sergeant, Calumet County Sheriff's Department
• Jerry Pagel – Calumet County Sheriff

• Michael O'Kelly – investigator hired by Len Kachinsky

The series alternately received praise and criticism from critics. Some praised its comprehensive nature,[8] and the first season has an approval rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 40 reviews, with an average rating of 8.65 out of 10. The site's critical consensus describes Making a Murderer as "a spellbinding slow burn that effectively utilizes the documentary format to tell a twisty mystery."[24] On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[25] Lenika Cruz, writing for The Atlantic, commended the series for its "sense of total immersion".[1] Mike Hale, for The New York Times, described it as giving an:

almost Dickensian account of the tragedy of the Averys. The uniformly stoic family members shift allegiances over the years, while Mr. Avery's parents, as movingly bewildered and terrified as any fictional creations, steadfastly believe in their son's innocence, even as their long battle takes down their business and any sense they may have had of belonging to a community.[2]

Some critics, however, have described Making a Murderer as one-sided[26] and emotionally manipulative.[27] Prosecutor Ken Kratz claimed that key evidence from the trial was omitted from the documentary, claiming that, on one of Halbach's previous visits, Avery had come to the door in his towel, and that Halbach "said she wouldn’t go back because she was scared of him."[28]

Making a Murderer has been compared to The Jinx, a miniseries on HBO, and Serial, a podcast. All three series investigate criminal cases: The Jinx detailed murders allegedly committed by Robert Durst.[29] The first season of Serial dealt with the murder of Hae Min Lee.[30]

The second season received positive reviews from critics, although less acclaimed than the first season. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 71% approval rating based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 6.52 out of 10. The site's critical consensus is, "Making a Murderer's return may not yield closure for this maddening saga of crime and punishment, but the series' exploration of the U.S. justice system remains riveting."[31] On Metacritic, it has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

Local reporter Angenette Levy was interviewed after the series and said: "I did notice there were some parts of the state's theory, and some other things that weren't discussed in the documentary," but she also noted that it was a six-week trial with much evidence reviewed in court.[50] She said she was surprised that the trial, which she found compelling on many levels, had not received more national attention when it was being conducted. She found Dassey's conviction "tragic," as was Avery's wrongful conviction in 1985 but did not comment on the conviction in the Halbach case.[50][51] TV reporter Diana Alvear wrote on her blog that she believed Halbach's life and character deserved more coverage in the series.[52] Other local reporters said that the case still weighed on them nearly a decade after the trial.[51]

In an interview with the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, Sheriff Robert Hermann criticized the series, calling it "skewed" and not objective, but he admitted he had not watched it.[53]

According to Fox local news, Ken Kratz, the former Calumet County district attorney who prosecuted Avery, said that he had not been able to give his side of the story.[54] In another interview, he said that in 2013 Demos and Ricciardi denied him an opportunity for an interview.[9] The documentary makers said this statement was false, as it was Kratz who refused an interview.[55]

In an interview with People magazine, Kratz has said that the Netflix documentary left out key pieces of evidence against Steven Avery.[56] He said Avery used a fake name when requesting Halbach as a photographer, and that he had placed three calls to her cell phone on October 31. Kratz said Halbach's cellphone, camera and PDA were found near Avery's trailer. He noted other physical evidence that was found in the firepit on Avery's property, and that Avery's DNA was found on the hood latch of the victim's car. A ballistics report indicated that the bullet found in the garage was fired by Avery's rifle. In an email sent to The Wrap, Kratz alleged that while in prison for the rape conviction, Avery told another inmate of his intent to build a "torture chamber" to use for young women when he was released.[57]

In February 2017, Kratz published a book titled Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What "Making a Murderer" Gets Wrong. The books synopsis reads "Avery systematically erases the uncertainties introduced by the Netflix series, confirming, once and for all, that Steven Avery is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach".[58]

The filmmakers have said that they gave prosecutors an opportunity to answer questions,[6] but that Kratz refused invitations to be interviewed for the series.[59] Demos and Ricciardi said they believed the documentary was fair and included the most significant evidence of the six-week trial, including much of the state's key evidence.[60] Demos said that Kratz "is going on television and lodging accusations against us. Much of what he says, simply his facts are not true. It's not about 'do we include it, do we not include it', they simply are not facts."[61] The filmmakers maintain that their documentary was thorough, accurate, and fair.[59]

Dean Strang, one of Avery's attorneys for the Halbach trial, stated the filmmakers did "a good editorial job" with the documentary. Strang noted that the trial lasted for six weeks and featured approximately 200 to 240 hours of evidence. Strang believes that showing the full trial would have been too long for audiences and that only the most significant points on both sides could be shown. He disagreed that significant evidence was left out.[62]

Jodi Stachowski, a former fiancée of Avery's, defended him in the documentary. But, during an interview on HLN's Nancy Grace in January 2016, she was asked whether she believes Avery killed Halbach. She said, "Yes, I do, because he threatened to kill me and my family and a friend of mine."[63] Stachowski also said that Avery forced her to lie to Netflix producers, threatening that otherwise she would "pay for it." She quoted other alleged comments by him.[63]

The Halbach family stated they were "saddened to learn that individuals and corporations continue to create entertainment and to seek profit from their loss."[54] In a People article, Kay Giordana, Halbach's aunt, was quoted as saying that the documentary was "terrible" and "unfortunate," and

not even close to what really happened. Everybody has their own side of a story. That is the Avery family's side of the story. I wouldn't expect it to be different. They think he is innocent. I am not surprised. I am surprised that someone would put that together in that way and have it [be] one-sided." She added that Avery is "100 percent guilty. No doubt about it."[64]

Halbach's cousin-in-law, Jeremy Fournier, described the documentary as "very one-sided" and feels that viewers are "only getting one side of the story."[64]

Beerntsen, whose testimony contributed to the wrongful conviction of Avery for rape, declined to be interviewed for Making a Murderer. Beerntsen had previously apologized to Avery, in 2003, after learning of his exoneration; they later met and collaborated on The Forgiveness Project.[26] In a 2016 interview, Beerntsen said she had watched the show and that its portrayal of her case was accurate. However, as to the murder of Halbach, Beerntsen expressed that she was "not convinced" of his innocence, and that she had refused to speak to the documentary's producers for being "too close with Avery’s family and attorneys".[65]