MENOMONIE -- Governor Scott Walker has now been asked about the Netflix docuseries "Making A Murderer" that is growing in popularity among folks in Wisconsin and across the country.
Petitions have been launched on Change.org and at the White House, asking for a presidential pardon for Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted of murdering photographer Teresa Halbach.
As thousands call upon President Barack Obama, asking for Avery's release, Governor Walker is actually the only person who could set Avery free. The president cannot pardon or release someone charged with a state offense.
The Netflix series "Making A Murderer," released on December 18th, follows the Avery case for a decade.
The Manitowoc man spent 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, until DNA evidence exonerated him.
Two years later, Avery was back in court -- on trial for the murder of a young photographer named Teresa Halbach.
The docuseries showcases Avery's trial, and the trial for Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey, who was also charged in the case.
The Netflix series has led many to heed the charge for Avery's (and Dassey's) release.
Since this was a state trial, that could only come from Wisconsin's governor.
Walker, who admitted he hasn't seen the Netflix series, said Tuesday, January 5th he wouldn't give Avery a pardon.
"Just because a documentary on TV says something doesn't mean that's actually what the evidence shows.The bottom line is that there was a crime that was committed a decade ago. There is a system in the judicial system by which individuals can petition the courts to get relief like others have done in the past that shows that someone might actually be innocent. But I am not going to override a system that is already put in place," Walker said.
Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are each serving life sentences in the death of Teresa Halbach -- Avery without the possibility of parole.