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Jerry Buting told Daily Star Online he suspected Avery could have been killed by police because it was the "easiest way to get rid of him".

Avery had earlier been wrongfully convicted of rape and attempted murder in 1985, before he was released in 2003 after DNA proved his innocence.

The Making a Murderer star then pursued a lawsuit that could have earned him millions, but was then convicted of the Halbach murder in 2007.

Mr Buting and co-counsel Dean Strang argued to jurors that Manitowoc County Police framed Avery, as detailed by the Netflix hit.

And believing police feared another fightback, Mr Buting moved to make any potential death look suspicious.

Mr Buting told Daily Star Online: "As soon as the verdict came in, they whisked him away out through the little side-door that leads to the jail.

(Image: NETFLIX)

"We had to wait along with his family while the Sheriffs escorted the Halbach family out.

"In the short length of time that it took us to get down to the jail to go and talk to our client, they had already whisked him away in a waiting police car to Manitowoc now that he was convicted.

"I was frankly paranoid he was going to suddenly end up having killed himself, in their theory, that they could have done something and made it look like a suicide.

"Easiest way to get rid of him, they knew he didn't give up the last time.

"So I made a public statement at those press conferences we had every single day, I let the media know what happened and I said they're responsible for him and that he was not in a despondent mood.

"He was disappointed of course, but he was certainly not going to kill himself.

(Image: IRISHDAILYMIRROR) (Image: NETFLIX)

"So if anything happened to him in jail, it kind of put them on notice that it would look very suspicious if something happened to him now."

Mr Buting added: "It was very peculiar that they were ready to whisk him away so quickly."

He continued: "There was no urgency, no rush, no need to take him that day, he had been sitting in jail in the neighbouring county for months.

"I really began to think there was something really nefarious going on here, and that the only way I could try and short-circuit that was to make a public statement that he was not suicidal and that he would appeal and fight this.

"And that now they chose to take him so quickly into their custody, the public is watching them and they should be aware that if anything happens to him they are going to be held responsible."

Manitowoc County Police deny framing Avery for the murder.

Retired detective, Andrew Colborn, sued Netflix and the makers of Making a Murderer for defamation in a case filed last year.

He alleged the series insinuated that he planted evidence to frame Avery.

Avery – who denies murder – became arguably the world’s most famous prisoner thanks to Making a Murderer.

Mr Buting and Mr Strang became stars of Season One as the case riled many viewers around the globe who felt Avery was innocent.

Avery’s nephew Brendan Dassey was also convicted for the Halbach murder.

Since then Avery has been represented by lawyer Kathleen Zellner, whose efforts to appeal the decision were detailed in Making a Murderer Season Two.

He has since been granted a right to appeal, which will be heard in a circuit court where it will be decided if he should be granted re-trial, according to Zellner.

(Image: NETFLIX) (Image: NETFLIX)

And as the world awaits the outcome, Mr Buting has relived the moments after his conviction for the Halbach murder.

Mr Buting, who wrote Illusion of Justice: Inside Making a Murderer and America’s Broken System, told us: "Well I was hugely disappointed, I thought particularly as they had been out so long, four days, that it would have been a hung jury if not an acquittal.

"It was long enough even back then. I knew there were cases where you would think there's no way a jury is going to find someone guilty, and that they come back guilty and the opposite, it's like other cases there will be five minutes guilty, and they come back not guilty.

"So juries are unpredictable that way. But you know, it was sort of surreal, you stand there and it's the worst part of any case when you're waiting for the jury verdict to come back.

"It's nerve racking, you've done everything you can so now you're just waiting."

Daily Star Online has approached Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office for comment.