The attorney representing an inmate featured in the “Making a Murderer” series is vowing to keep fighting for him after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take his case.
Brendan Dassey’s attorneys contend he’s borderline intellectually disabled and investigators coerced him into falsely confessing that he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach before burning her body in a bonfire in 2005. Dassey was 16 at the time. He was sentenced to life in 2007.
A federal judge overturned Dassey’s conviction in 2016, but the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it. The Supreme Court on Monday decided not to review the case without any explanation, leaving Dassey in prison.
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Dassey’s attorneys wanted his confession thrown out and a new trial.
His attorney, Laura Nirider, said in a statement that investigators lied to Dassey and fed him facts that fit their theory of the crime, confusing him. She promised to continue to fight for Dassey and other children who have been wrongfully convicted due to coercive interrogation tactics.
She could still get Dassey a new trial but she’d have to convince a judge that they have new evidence that warrants one.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel says he’s pleased with the court’s decision. Schimel said he hopes Halbach’s family can find comfort in knowing “this ordeal” has finally ended.
Editor’s note: This story was last updated at 11:16 a.m. Monday, June 25, 2018, with comments from Brad Schimel and Laura Nirider.
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