You may remember that in August 2016, US Magistrate William Duffin overturned Brendan Dassey's murder conviction in relation to the death of Teresa Halbach. That decision has now been upheld in the US Court of Appeals, after a 2-1 ruling in Dassey's favour yesterday.
Dassey rose to fame in the Netflix series Making a Murderer, which documented some of the events which led to his conviction, including the police interview which culminated in his confession to the murder. This week's ruling highlights the fact that there was no physical evidence linking Dassey to the murder and that the circumstances of said confession were questionable:
By linking promises to the words that the investigators wanted to hear, or allowing Dassey to avoid confrontation by telling the investigators what they wanted to hear — the confession became a story crafted by the investigators instead of by Dassey.
The decision however does not mean automatic freedom for Dassey however. The state may appeal to the US Supreme Court or look to have Dassey retried. Nonetheless, Brendan's legal team see this as a major step in their journey, with laywer Laura Nirider saying 'For the first time, this decision brings the end of that road in sight. We’re not there yet.'
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Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Justice director of communications and public affairs, Johnny Koremonus, said 'We anticipate seeking review by the entire 7th Circuit or the United States Supreme Court and hope that today’s erroneous decision will be reversed.'
via: USA Today
