Doug Schneider

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kratz is slated to appear May 19 at an event in Rockford with Fox News legal analyst Jeanine Pirro

Jerry Buting talks civil rights, legal ethics and whether 'Making a Murderer' has changed his life

Latest Zellner tweet: 'Brendan Dassey & Melissa Calusinski: both victims of false confessions'

Supporters of convicted killer Steven Avery plan to protest next month when the man who prosecuted him speaks at an event in Illinois.

On Facebook, a group called the Steven Avery Project says it is is gathering support to protest an appearance by former Calumet County District Attorney Kenneth Kratz.

"Hey everyone we need a large showing for this protest and show that there will be no profits or fame to be made from this injustice. … If you can't make it please invite as many friends or family as possible," one of the group's organizers writes.

Kratz is slated to appear May 19 at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford, Ill. He will appear with Fox News legal analyst Jeanine Pirro at a program called "Steven Avery: Guilty as Charged." Tickets, at $47.50 a pop, went on sale April 9.

Kratz continues to come under fire for his conduct before and during his prosecution of Avery and co-defendant Brendan Dassey, Avery's then-16-year-old nephew. Kratz made several statements to media in which he detailed gory, unfounded allegations against Avery and Dassey while they were jailed for the Oct. 31, 2005, disappearance and murder of Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old freelance photographer from Calumet County."

"If I had it all to do over again, I would have simply released the criminal complaint rather than making a verbal statement," Kratz told my colleague John Ferak in January. "Not because I was not allowed to make the comments I did, but due to the criticism I received in the 10 years since."

The case, and Avery's earlier conviction and 18-year prison term for a rape he did not commit, was featured in the 10-part Netflix documentary, "Making a Murderer."

In other recent news related to the principals in "Making a Murderer" …

Former Avery defense attorney Jerry Buting granted a lengthy interview to Junkee.com. Buting, who defended Avery in the Halbach murder case with co-counsel Dean Strang, talked about civil rights, legal ethics, his new-found celebrity and whether "Making a Murderer" has made things different for him in the courtroom.

"Since the documentary has come out, it’s been frustrating for [us] to go into court where we see the same sort of things happening — you want to be like 'wait a minute, haven’t you guys been paying attention?' Judges, especially," he said. "They should be bending over backwards to try and ensure that people think there’s fairness in their courtroom."

Buting also — unintentionally — may have insulted plumbers via his comments about how little Wisconsin pays the lawyers who represent defendants who can't afford to hire their own attorneys.

"In Wisconsin, they pay the lowest hourly rate for attorneys to represent poor people of any place in the country — more so than Mississippi or the Deep South," Buting said. "When plumbers are making two or three times what people who went to law school for three more years make, it’s just tragic."

Current Avery defense attorney Kathleen Zellner, meanwhile, continues to Twitter-hammer away at the notion that the prosecution convicted the right people for Halbach's murder.

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

Zellner's latest tweet likens Dassey to Melissa Calusinski, a northern Illinois day-care worker imprisoned for the 2009 killing of a toddler who was under her supervision. Calusinski told police, during a nine-hour interrogation, that she caused the boy's death; she later recanted.

"Brendan Dassey & Melissa Calusinski: both victims of false confessions," Zellner tweeted Saturday. "Same old song different scripts. #MakingAMurderer @MelissaCJustice."

Finally, Kratz has achieved a new level of fame/infamy: An entry in "Urban Dictionary."

Meet "Kratzy," A type of ignorance where a person refuses to see the truth because they are so invested in the lie. Usually a result of brainwashing by mainstream news media combined with a lust for power. Inspired by lead prosecutor Ken Kratz from the Making a Murderer documentary on Netflix. Be careful! Blind ambition can make you kratzy!

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