Doug Schneider

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Avery's current attorney continues offensive against some of the police who investigated the killing

Kratz client gets eight years in prison for possession with intent to deliver 16.5 grams of heroin

She's watched 'Making a Murderer' six times, provided 150 pages of documents to Steven Avery's defense lawyer, and plans to travel to Manitowoc from her home in southwestern Minnesota next month for a rally in support of the convicted killer she's come to believe is innocent.

It's probably no surprise, then, that Krystyne Frandson of Hawley, Minn., uses "obsessed" to describe her interest in the case of Avery, one of two men convicted in the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.

"I hope he’s freed, and I hope to hell (the people who sent him to prison) pay, and I hope to God that they provide him with the mental health services that he’s going to need,” she told Forum News Service for a lengthy interview published this weekend by TwinCities.com.

Frandson, 45, said she got interested in the case after watching the series and connecting with a woman on Facebook who believed someone other than Avery and Dassey had murdered Halbach. She said she empathizes with Dassey because he was arrested and aggressively interrogated when he was 16 — just two years older than the age of one of her six children, who has Asperger's Syndrome.

A number of people who watched the "Making a Murderer" documentary say they believe that Avery was framed for the crime, and that investigators planted Halbach's car key in his bedroom. Police and prosecutors have denied planting evidence.

Frandson plans to be in Manitowoc June 11 for a rally in support of Avery and Dassey. Similar rallies are planned in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.

Maybe, could be, possibly …

A speculative headline in MStarsNews is providing echo-chamber-esque fodder for other websites … which then engage in more speculation.

"Brendan Dassey May Be Released By Netflix Season 2 Premiere?" has prompted Morning Ledger to report "you’ll be interested to know there are reports of a possible Brendan Dassey prison release," and Bustle to suggest, "A New Development Could Come At Any Time."

Considering the use of "could" and "at any time," the latter seems a safe bet.

Halbach 'revictimization'

Finally, a story from the victim's perspective.

A victims' advocate whose daughter was murdered in the 1990s tells my colleague Andy Thompson that the series serves as "nothing more than a re-victimization of" Halbach's family, a decade after they lost their daughter, then had to endure the ordeal of lengthy trials that received extensive media coverage.

"For this series to be so lauded must be horrible for this lady’s family and friends,” said Marc Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was kidnapped from a slumber party at a California home and killed.

Zellner attacks Colborn

Meanwhile in Twitter-land, Avery's current attorney continues her offensive against some of the police who investigated Halbach's killing.

Kathleen Zellner launched a volley of tweets late last week at Andrew Colborn, who was a sergeant with the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office during the investigation. Speculation about planted evidence centers on Colborn and now-retired Lt. James Lenk — claims Colborn and other sheriff's officials have denied.

Zellner, though, isn't buyin' what they're selling.

"After spending hours in SA's tiny bedroom key suddenly appears. Colborn testifies "Damn how did I miss that." LOL!!!!!!!!! #MakingAMurderer," she tweeted.

Later she added, "Btw Colborn was planning his run for Manitowoc Sheriff when that damn key suddenly appeared ...what a piece of luck" and "Colborn: key was "a very important piece of evidence."That's why his report NEVER mentions finding key …#fakeittillyoumakeit."

BrAngelina, TomKat … Butang ?

And the beat goes on for Avery's former attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, as they continue their North American "Conversation on Justice."

Their talk in Durham, N.C., earned accolades as "particularly timely" from Triangle Arts and Entertainment, with the Netflix series labeled a must-watch.

"You absolutely must find time to watch ' Making a Murderer ,' the reviewer writes. "There is a thrill in every episode, even for non-lawyers. If you haven’t seen the series, immediately put it in your Netflix queue and find a way to share your thoughts in this national conversation. Let’s keep the conversation going."

The piece also accidentally coins a new term: "Butang." Whether that takes its place with "BrAngelina" and "TomKat" in the entertainment publications remains to be seen.

But an appearance scheduled Saturday in Houston didn't go as well. Actually, it didn't go at all.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the show was scotched because of "a scheduling conflict." That conflict, it seems, was that the appearance was scheduled at a time when few people had purchased tickets.

Daily newsletter: Sign up for 'Making a Murderer' updates

Timeline: History of the Steven Avery case

Related: “Making a Murderer” coverage, archived stories and more

And finally …

People who came away from "Making a Murderer" with a dislike of prosecutor Ken Kratz will be happy to know that a client he defended earlier this month got a good verbal spanking from a judge, along with a stiff sentence for trafficking heroin.

The Duluth News Tribune reported that Marshawn Terrell Johnson of Chicago was sentenced to eight years in prison for possession with intent to deliver 16.5 grams of heroin with a street market value of more than $2,000 as a party to a crime.

"Mr. Johnson needs to get the message he cannot come into our community and sell drugs," Douglas County Circuit Court Judge Kelly Thimm said during a sentencing hearing. "We are not going to tolerate drug dealers from Chicago coming up and selling it here."

dschneid@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @PGDougSchneider