Doug Schneider

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

ESPN documentary 'Fantastic Lies,' about Duke lacrosse case, bears similarities to Steven Avery case

Another day, another somewhat gushy story about Steven Avery's former defense attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting.

But when you get beyond the silliness about Strang's hair — "does he use ALL the conditioner in Wisconsin?" — their latest interview in Rolling Stone has some substance to it.

One example: Strang discussing the statement from Avery's new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, that she likely will argue that the defense in Avery's trial was ineffective.

"She’s doing what she should be doing here, which is looking at everything, including us," Strang says of Zellner. "When it’s late in the process of trying to challenge an appeal, the route most acceptable to courts when they think someone ought to get a new trial is to blame the defense lawyers.

"She understands that, we understand that. It’s always hard to get a conviction reversed and often the most acceptable reason for granting relief from a court is to blame the defense lawyers. That’s not Kathleen Zellner’s fault."

The two are in the midst of a speaking tour that will take then to major cities across the U.S., and some in Canada.

Avery and his then 16-year-old nephew, Brendan Dassey, were convicted of murder in the 2005 killing of photographer Teresa Halbach. The case became the basis for the wildly popular Netflix documentary, "Making a Murderer."

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Timeline: History of the Steven Avery case

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

If you can't get enough of the justice-system-stacked-against-the-defendant narrative, you'll want to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Fantastic Lies," (watch the trailer here) which details the spectacular failures of the North Carolina district attorney who prosecuted three Duke University lacrosse players accused of raping a woman at a house party.

Decider.com draws a parallel between that since-disbarred DA, Mike Nifong, and Avery prosecutor Ken Kratz, but also points out some significant differences between the defendants. The Duke players were well-educated East Coast children of privilege, while Avery and Dassey are anything but.

"Instead of a lower class, non-white person standing as the victim, our sympathy goes to the upper-class, educated, white men and their unstable accuser, who was backed into a corner and the police force used to advance their own narrative," Decider's Kayla Cobb observes. "The whole thing watches like the flipped script of an ’80s sports movie, and after watching, you’ll have a hard time deciding which DA you hate more — Making a Murderer’s Ken Kratz or Fantastic Lies’ Nifong."

"Fantastic Lies" has been airing on ESPN. It's also now available via Netflix.

Meanwhile, Bustle has assembled a bit of an update on Dassey's recent time in prison, visits from family, many pen-pals — and efforts to appeal his conviction.

The story doesn't break much new ground, but does include several photos of Dassey during visits from mom Barbara Tadych and other family members.

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