Jerry Buting and Dean Strang had no idea what they’d let themselves in for when they agreed to be part of Netflix documentary, Making A Murderer.

Coming on board as the defence attorneys for Steven Avery, a man accused of the murder of young photographer Teresa Halbach, the filming was already underway – and the pair agreed to take part provided it didn’t have an affect on the subsequent case, or effect the attorney/client privilege they’re bound by law to uphold.

It’s pretty fair to say that that the resulting series catapulted Avery’s murder trial into the public eye in a way that nobody saw coming, becoming a runaway hit, spawning a second series, and sending the two lawyers into cult status for true crime aficionados everywhere.



But while the film-makers were able to embrace the series’ success on the outside, Avery, now 56, is currently serving life without parole in Wisconsin’s prison system – found guilty of the crime he may not have even committed.


Unfortunately for him, while the show has definitely brought some much-needed attention to the case, it could’ve also ensured he would now never get a fair trial for the crimes he may or may not have committed.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Jerry Buting explained: ‘I think were it not for Making a Murderer people may not have even heard about Steven Avery. He may not have got Kathleen Zellner to represent him, but on the other hand has it called some of the State of Wisconsin officials to “circle the wagon”, to get more defensive and dig in their heels, and not give an inch because it would make them look even worse.

‘There’s two sides to that, it’s a double-edged sword.’

Buting and Strang now tour the world discussing the potential need for justice reform (Picture: WireImage)

Steven had already been in jail for 18 years when he was exonerated from a sexual assault and attempted murder charge thanks to DNA testing. Less than two years later, amid a $36million lawsuit with his local Wisconsin county, Manitowoc county, he was back in jail for the murder of Teresa Halbach.

Already tainted within the eyes of the law, with key evidence found around his home, including her car in his salvage yard, and a confession by his nephew Brendan Dassey, Avery was back behind bars for the rest of his life – but has always maintained his innocence.

Buting and Strang tried and failed to bring around a not guilty verdict under the defence that Dassey, who was 17 at the time, was coerced into confessing, and that police may have planted the evidence that secured Avery’s conviction – including bone fragments in a fire pit.

‘It was difficult to raise the defence that we did, largely based on police misconduct, and potentially planting of evidence,’ Buting explained.

‘Nowadays people are more sensitized to the possibility, even though it was going on back then, many of the public didn’t know about it, and couldn’t accept that it was a reality, so I think that there are, and that’s maybe one of the reasons why the state is fighting as hard as they are not to have the case retried. In a climate where people are now maybe not as trusting, just because somebody’s wearing a badge, what they say in court.’

Steven was charged with life without parole for the murder of Teresa Halbach (Picture: Netflix)

Thankfully, Wisconsin is one of 13 states in the US that has abolished the death penalty, with life without parole being the highest sentence available since 1853. But it still means that Avery risks spending the rest of his life in prison, for a crime he potentially didn’t commit, but was sentenced for.



Denied a retrial in October 2017, both Avery, his legal team, and the documentary team have been met with a barrage of obstacles since as they maintain the Manitowoc County’s innocence.

When possible human remains that could rule out the possibility Teresa was killed and burned on the Avery estate, their motion to submit for the test was denied.

Retired Wisconsin Police Chief Andrew Colborn sued the filmmakers, Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, for defamation – claiming that the second batch of MAM episodes insinuated he was involved in the cover up.

However, the show’s continued fascination over whether or not he is guilty has sent fans into action to help uncover new evidence for the case – including a witness who claims to have interacted with Colborn telling him about Teresa’s car, spotted away from Avery’s Savage Yard, after the crime took place.

‘There’s a witness who was discovered after the trial, who says that he saw what appeared to be Teresa Halbach’s RAV4 down the road, sort’ve off the road on the side road, not too far from the Avery Salvage Yard,’ Buting explained.

‘He then drove down the road and went into a gas station to fill up and her [Teresa’s] missing person’s posters were pasted up all over the place, including one of her standing next to her own car.

‘He said “Hey that’s the RAV4 I just saw” and he went inside and told a Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Sargeant who happened to be Andrew Colborn – the man who we pointed out during the trial had that mysterious licence plate call-in, which sounded to us like he was actually looking at the car when he’s calling in the licence plates.’


So why does it matter? The lawyer added: ‘The car hadn’t even been discovered yet officially, so what’s he doing looking at a vehicle a day or two before it’s found?’

‘That witness that Jerry was describing, was never disclosed to us. It should’ve been, but was not, and his information was clearly exculpatory. It’s really as a result of the efforts Jerry’s talking about that that’s even come to light now,’ Strang added.

Strang and Buting argued that Avery had been set up to be the killer of Teresa Halbach (Picture: Netflix)

In February this year, they were given a break – and the case was allowed to return to circuit court under the eyes of legendary defence attorney, Kathleen Zellner.

So, can he really get the fair trial he needs, with the public already being so muddied with the amount of evidence and forethought available to them now? Especially when jury members are supposed to remain impartial to the evidence presented to them inside the court?

‘It’s a really good question and I think, in many ways, the publicity would present exactly the same fair trial and challenges that it did back in 2006-2007,’ Strang said. ‘That is to say, potential jurors would come to the case with preconceptions about guilt or innocence, and more importantly about facts.

‘They may be very wrong, some of their factual beliefs, but that’s an unavoidable problem and one I suspect Steven Avery would welcome if you asked him today.

‘Would he like to face that problem in a retrial? I think probably he would.’


‘I think it was the right decision from the court of appeals to send him back,’ Buting added. ‘They don’t expressly say that there should be a hearing but I think it’s pretty clearly implied that there will probably be some sort of evidence based hearing in the trial court where issues [come out].’

In the meantime, Jerry and Dean are touring the world to shed new insider light on the case, and what this means not just for the Avery case, but for the American justice system as a whole.

As Strang explained: ‘Jerry and I have talked about this and we both think that we’ve got an obligation to use the extended moment of public interest in how courts actually function and malfunction to discuss the broader systemic issues.

‘People are interested in this case, or that case, or the next case, and it seems to me as lawyers which now between us, after over 70 years of combined experience in criminal work, we’ve got an obligation to say, if that bothers you, or you’re concerned about that, understand it’s not one case.

‘It’s in fact not one county or one country – many of these are near universal problems, that every system of trying to administer criminal justice encounters.’

More: Tickets Disabled woman says ticket sellers won't let her use gift vouchers to buy accessible seats How to get tickets for My Chemical Romance's UK gigs, the cost and when they went on sale Glastonbury ticket ballot 2020: How to register and get tickets in the draw How much are Celine Dion tickets and when are they on sale?

For part of this, they will be appearing at London’s True Crime In Conversation event at the beginning of June, alongside Brendan Dassey’s lawyers for the first time in the 12 years since the original conviction.

Buting told us: ‘This is really the first time anywhere, where the four of us, not just Dean and I but both Brendan Dassey’s close conviction lawyers, will actually all be together at the same event speaking, and even though we didn’t represent Brendan Dassey, we were intimately involved with all the facts and all of what happened in this case.

‘It’ll be really interesting to share the stage with those other two and I’m excited to be able to do that.’

True Crime In Conversation will be hosted at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on 8 June. You can buy tickets here.

Making A Murderer is available in full on Netflix now.

Got a showbiz story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.

MORE: Steven Avery wins the right to appeal as Making A Murderer case is sent back to Circuit Court

MORE: Steven Avery denied motion to use new DNA testing on ‘possible human remains’ in Making A Murderer case