Early in August, fans of Netflix’s Making a Murderer rejoiced at the news that Brendan Dassey, who was serving a 41-year prison sentence in connection with the 2005 slaying of Teresa Halbach, would soon be a free man. Dassey’s conviction was overturned by a federal judge on the grounds that his confession — upon which virtually the entire case against him was based — was coerced.
It seems, however, that the saga of Dassey’s trial hasn’t yet concluded. According to Uproxx, the state of Wisconsin exercised its right to appeal the decision yesterday afternoon, just before the September 12 deadline. The state had been given 30 days to come to a decision.
The filing itself is embedded below and, at the very least, means that Dassey will remain imprisoned for far longer than he otherwise would have. The gears of the justice system often turn slowly, so it could take a year or more for this newest challenge to play out in court. On top of that, there’s no guarantee that the next federal judge who hears the case won’t reverse the previous decision and order Dassey to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
Wisconsin AG filed a notice today stating that they will appeal the Brendan Dassey release #MakingAMurderer pic.twitter.com/QcEfexI3fa
— Mike Hayes (@michaelhayes) September 9, 2016
Many who watched Making a Murder came away feeling like it was a miscarriage of justice that sent both Brendan Dassey and Steven Avery to jail, but there was perhaps even greater sympathy for the former, given his age, his limited intelligence, and the dubious circumstances of his confession.
Netflix has already confirmed a second season for Making a Murderer, looking at the post-conviction process, and catching up with the defendants’ families. While some had hoped that season 2 would also follow Dassey’s release, that now seems unlikely.
Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated as news breaks.
