A new documentary series is aiming to tell the prosecution’s side of the Netflix sensation Making a Murderer after its success was plagued by claims of bias.
The 2015 series followed the story of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who was jailed and then freed over a false rape charge only to be jailed again after being convicted of a murder alongside his nephew Brendan Dassey. Making a Murderer questions the men’s guilt in the death of Teresa Halbach.
The new response series, to be titled Convicting a Murderer, is being shopped around by filmmaker Shawn Rech and his partner, Chicago Attorney Andrew Hale, and promises to look more closely at law enforcement’s role in the case.
On it’s way: A new documentary series is promising to tell the prosecution’s point of view in the case covered in Netflix hit Making a Murderer
Main subject: The series followed the story of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who had been wrongfully convicted of rape
‘When Making a Murderer was produced, many on the law enforcement side of the story could not, or would not, participate in the series, which resulted in a one-sided analysis of the case,’ said Rech in a statement.
‘This docu-series will examine the case and the allegations of police wrongdoing from a broader perspective. It will also share with viewers the traumatic effects of being found guilty and vilified in the court of public opinion.’
The pair already boast the access needed to get the details, including exclusive interviews with the likes of District Attorney Ken Kratz and lead investigator Tom Fassbender.
Rech made an impact with a previous documentary similarly about a possible miscarriage of justice: A Murder in the Park.
The victim: Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were later convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach
The 2014 film uncovered evidence that caused prosecutors in Chicago to overturn the conviction of Alstory Simon, who was on death row.
After the release of Making a Murderer there were similar calls for Avery and Dassey’s convictions to be reversed. However, despite speculation and some movement in courts on the case, this scenario doesn’t look likely.
Avery was denied a new trial back in October and Dassey’s conviction was held up in December, although lawyers for Dassey recently asked the U.S. Supreme Court on to review a federal appeals court decision that held his confession was voluntary.
The series won’t be the first effort of the prosecution to ‘set the record straight’. Last year, Ken Kratz released a book on the topic called: ‘Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What ‘Making a Murderer’ Gets Wrong.’
Other side: The new series will include interviews with District Attorney Ken Kratz (pictured) and lead investigator Tom Fassbender
Marching out: While the documentary led many to call for Avery’s release, he was denied a new trial in October last year
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com last year, Kratz called for the filmmakers to be held to account and for the film industry to set standards for documentary editing to prevent similar misrepresentation taking place again.
‘Making A Murderer is a very good piece of entertainment but it’s not really what happened – it’s simply not how the case happened in real life,’ Kratz said.
‘The filmmakers have distorted and misrepresented the case – this isn’t what the jury got to see or hear when they decided Mr. Avery was guilty.
‘Because law enforcement and the officers involved had chosen to stay quiet I decided somebody had to step forward and stand up for the victim of the case Teresa Halbach and also for the conviction itself.’