Doug Schneider

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Buting hopes Kathleen Zellner 'can succeed where we were not able to' in defending Steven Avery

Lawyers Strang and Buting to speak in five Australian cities in November; tickets on sale Tuesday

The lawyers who represented Steven Avery at his murder trial are making news around the world this week as they continue their speaking tour, discussing the Avery case and talking about the "Making a Murderer" documentary.

In an interview with Salon, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting talked about Strang's upcoming TV show, Buting's book deal — and a possible second season of "Making a Murderer."

To wit:

Buting: "We don’t know if there really will be a second season of “Making a Murderer” and we wouldn’t have any control if they would even want us in it."

Strang: "I don’t know what part of the story would include us at this point. At some point we’re just going to get back to practicing law full-time and continue to do right by our clients rather than a lot of traveling and speaking."

Buting: "That is my career that I’ve spent 35 years doing, defending people accused of crimes. I enjoy it, I enjoy advocating for them in court, but I am open to whatever paths are opened up to me. This is one I felt was an opportunity that we had to take to try to have a bigger conversation about things."

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Timeline: History of the Steven Avery case

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

Making a Murderah

In advance of the lawyers' appearance in Red Sox country on Saturday, Buting spoke with the Boston Globe about the motivation behind the speaking tour, the possibility that the case will prompt reforms in the criminal-justice system and his thoughts about Avery's new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner.

"She’s got an excellent reputation of having championed, successfully, a number of other exonerations, and so Dean and I are hopeful that she’ll be able to do the same for Steven Avery, that she’ll succeed where we were not able to," Buting said. "The one thing about the climate now that we’re more hopeful about is that the public is more attuned to his potential innocence.

"People are watching it and saying, 'I don’t know whether he’s guilty or innocent, but he didn’t get a fair trial.' We didn’t have that. Everyone was very heavily biased against us when we tried that case."

A jury convicted Avery of murdering photographer Teresa Halbach, who had gone to Avery's Manitowoc County salvage yard to photograph a car he wanted to sell. Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, then 16, also was convicted of Halbach's murder. Both are in state prison; Avery is serving a life sentence.

Tickets for the Strang/Buting appearance cost up to $95. The "cheap seats" cost $49.50.

Australian for justice

Can't make it to Boston this weekend? Enjoy long-distance travel? Dates have been announced for five appearances by Strang and Buting in Australia this fall.

The lawyers will speak in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. (The link also includes a video interview with film-makers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi.)

Better hurry, though, if you'd like to see the pair speak in The Land Down Under. Tickets go on sale Tuesday.

Examining the evidence

Rolling Stone, meanwhile, is taking a look at a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story in which forensic scientists discuss some of the evidence used to convict Avery. The newspaper has convened a panel of four experts to write about the case; their March article found "striking examples of problems" with evidence.

The current Rolling Stone piece focuses on two: Inadequate validation and contextual bias.

"Ultimately, the experts write, the failures in forensic analysis exhibited in the Avery case are not unique," the magazine concludes. "The popularity of 'Making A Murderer' has helped to illustrate how essential it is that such problems be addressed.

"When the liberty of a human being is on the line, the scientific evidence on which we rely must be as valid and unbiased as possible."



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