Wisconsin inmate reportedly confessed to slaying at center of ‘Making a Murderer'

MANITOWOC -- A Wisconsin inmate confessed to the murder of Teresa Halbach, according to the director of an upcoming documentary about the case made famous in the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer.

Shawn Rech, who’s working on a documentary called Convicting a Murderer, said the inmate confessed to killing Halbach, reported Newsweek on Monday, Sept. 23. The inmate’s identity was not immediately known to the public because Wisconsin law enforcement had not had access to the confession as of Tuesday, however, Steven Avery's attorney revealed the identity Tuesday afternoon when she tweeted the confession: Joseph Evans Jr.

Rech told Newsweek that the inmate was not Steven Avery or Brendan Dassey, who’ve both been sentenced for Halbach’s murder while proclaiming their innocence. They’ve spent years trying to clear their names.

Rech spoke with TMZ about the reported confession Tuesday.

Dassey’s case made it to the Supreme Court, which denied him a new trial. Avery continues to go through the appeals process.

Rech told Newsweek the confession “came from a notable convicted murderer from Wisconsin.” If the confession is found to be authentic, it could lead to exoneration for Avery and Dassey.

Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, on Sept. 9 announced a reward of $100,000, offered by a citizen, for the arrest and conviction of the "real killer" of Halbach.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice issued this statement to FOX6 News:

Making a Murderer premiered on Netflix in 2015 and became a national sensation. It looked at evidence in the case as the two tried to prove their innocence. The second season debuted in 2018 and chronicled further efforts of both Avery and Dassey to fight their convictions.

Rech’s Convicting a Murderer is in production, according to IMDB. The series is a sequel of sorts to the original, and is set to be released in 2020, although the streaming platform hasn’t been determined.