In new, handwritten letter, Steven Avery slams attorneys saying they "didn't do no investigation"
MANITOWOC COUNTY -- While serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, Steven Avery continues to pledge his innocence. He's blaming his former attorneys for the guilty verdict. This, according to a letter he wrote to In Touch Weekly.
"Making A Murderer," a 10-part Netflix docuseries shed new light on the case involving Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey -- convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach. The series was released on December 18th.
Netflix "Making A Murderer"
The story told by the "Making A Murderer" docuseries has brought national attention -- even obsession -- to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and the Avery family.
Steven Avery
Avery was convicted in 1985 in the rape of jogger Penny Beerntsen on a beach near her home in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. After serving 18 years in prison he was exonerated based on DNA evidence connecting the attack to another man.
Avery was released in 2003 and filed a lawsuit against Manitowoc County for wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
Brendan Dassey
Two years later, he was arrested in the death of Halbach, a young photographer whose charred remains were found on his family's auto salvage yard.
The Netflix docuseries shows how prosecutors laid out their case: Halbach's Toyota RAV4 (which had blood in it, including Avery's) was found on the Avery family's lot. Avery's DNA was found on the hood of the vehicle. Tissue and bone fragments that matched Halbach's DNA profile were found outside Avery's mobile home. Avery's then-16-year-old nephew, Brendan Dassey, confessed to authorities that he had assisted his uncle in raping and killing her. Avery was accused of burning Halbach's body after she was killed.
Steven Avery and Teresa Halbach
The docuseries shows how the defense made the case that officers investigating Avery had a conflict of interest and stayed involved after they were ordered to hand over the investigation to a neighboring county. When key pieces of evidence were found by Manitowoc County officers involved in Avery's first case, the defense implied the evidence could have been planted. The defense suggested Avery was framed for the murder of Teresa Halbach amid the pending multi-million lawsuit he filed against Manitowoc County following his exoneration.
It featured his attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerome Buting -- two attorneys Avery is now speaking out very strongly against, for the first time.
"They would have the suspect if they did there job!!" Avery says in a handwritten letter sent to In Touch Weekly.
In the letter, Avery blames Strang and Buting, saying:
"Dean and Jerry didn't do no investigation on this case. If they did I would not be in prison."
Strang and Buting were featured heavily in the Netflix series.
Dean Strang in "Making A Murderer"
The docuseries draws into question the way in which Avery and Dassey were convicted. The letter to In Touch Weekly is the first time Avery is publicly placing blame on the defense.
In a statement to FOX6 News, Strang and Buting responded to Avery's letter, saying:
"Because he was in jail before his trial, too, Steven could not know immediately all of the investigative steps we took on his behalf and all of the details of our decision-making on issues committed to his lawyers` judgment."
Dean Strang in "Making A Murderer"
Strang and Buting admit that if they were in Avery's shoes, they too would perhaps be frustrated.
Avery's frustration is evident in the letter:
"Lawyers should be responsible for their wrong doing!!! The state should take there license for good."
Strang and Buting said this does raise some concern, saying:
"We remain deeply concerned with Steven Avery`s efforts to pursue freedom through the courts. We think that we understand, and we certainly sympathize with his frustration. After all, we believe that a wrongfully convicted man is in prison, where he has been for more than half of his life."
Strang and Buting's complete joint statement is as follows:
Although his trial has been over for almost a decade, we remain deeply concerned with Steven Avery’s efforts to pursue freedom through the courts. We think that we understand, and we certainly sympathize with, his frustration. After all, we believe that a wrongfully convicted man is in prison, where he has been for more than half of his life.
Because he was in jail before his trial, too, Steven could not know immediately all of the investigative steps we took on his behalf and all of the details of our decision-making on issues committed to his lawyers’ judgment, although we shared everything necessary with him and more. If we were in his shoes, the difficulty of staying immediately involved with all of a lawyer’s efforts would frustrate us, too.
Although Steven has retained new counsel, we will continue to raise awareness of his case and Brendan Dassey’s, and continue to address the systemic problems in our criminal justice system that lead to other wrongful or unreliable convictions. These problems include the effect of class, race or ethnicity, the callous underfunding of indigent defense, the experience of juveniles and those with intellectual impairments, the impact of pretrial publicity on the presumption of innocence, and the obstacles to justice in post-conviction proceedings.
We also will continue to offer whatever information Mr. Avery’s new lawyers may want or need from us.
Avery property
Meanwhile, there is another season of "Making A Murderer" in the works, which will allegedly offer exclusive access to Avery's new attorney, Kathleen Zellner.
FOX6 News reached out to Zellner for comment Thursday, July 28th but we have not heard back.
Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey
Avery in January filed an appeal on his own behalf -- and said he wants to be released from prison while the Wisconsin Court of Appeals considers his latest challenge to his 2007 murder conviction.
The state has opposed Avery's motion for release.
Meanwhile, Zellner in January said she is teaming up with the Midwest Innocence Project in this case.
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