Andy Thompson

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

“Making a Murderer” — a series on the legal odyssey of convicted killer Steven Avery — has been applauded by millions of viewers worldwide, but don’t count Marc Klaas among the admirers.

“This is nothing more than a re-victimization of (Teresa Halbach’s) family,” said Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was kidnapped during a slumber party at a California home and killed in 1993.

Klaas is a national commentator on child advocacy issues and established the KlassKids Foundation to honor the memory of his daughter.

Klaas told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that he hasn’t seen the 10-part Netflix docu-series, and doesn’t intend to. But he’s aware of the sentiment that Avery was framed for the murder, and sees the whole thing as a slap in the face for the Halbachs.

“For this series to be so lauded must be horrible for this lady’s family and friends,” Klaas said.

“Making a Murderer” was released in mid-December and quickly established itself as a popular docu-series. It chronicles the story of Avery, a Manitowoc County man who was wrongfully imprisoned in 1985 in a rape case. He served 18 years behind bars before being freed in 2003 by DNA evidence that proved he was innocent.

Avery then filed a $36 million lawsuit, but before the case went to trial, he was arrested in 2005 for Halbach’s murder. A jury convicted Avery in 2007 of Halbach’s death and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Avery case was largely out of the public’s view until the Netflix series aired roughly five months ago. It prompted a groundswell of support for Avery and intense criticism of law enforcement, who were accused by many viewers of unjustly targeting him for Halbach’s death.

The Halbach family hasn’t made any public statements since the release of “Making a Murderer,” but Klaas said that’s not unusual because families don’t always grieve publicly.

“People approach it in different way," Klaas said. "We decided to approach it in a public way. We decided we had to be as open as we could and share what we went through. (I decided) that my daughter wasn’t going to be another statistic.”

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Klaas isn’t personally acquainted with the Halbachs, but he understands the intensity of the loss they are feeling over Teresa’s murder.

“You don’t get over it,” Klaas said. “When your child gets murdered, you join a club you never wanted to belong to and can never get out of. It is like having the future cut out from you.”

Klaas said the KlaasKids Foundation has been “extremely therapeutic” in coping with Polly’s loss

“We are psychologically in better shape,” he said. “We wanted to do something in Polly’s name to make a difference. I think of her daily. She will never be forgotten.”

Klaas said the Halbachs deserve the understanding and the support of the public.

“They didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “Avery did something wrong.”

Andy Thompson: 920-996-7270, or awthompson@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @Thompson_AW