"Convicting A Murderer": New Doc Series Will Show Steven Avery Case From Prosecution POV
Manitowac County Sheriffâs Dept
Steven Avery
CLEVELAND, OH — Production has commenced on Convicting a Murderer, an eight-part documentary series that will examine the case against Steven Avery in the 2005 Wisconsin murder of Teresa Halbach from the perspective of law enforcement and prosecutors.
In 2015, Making a Murderer, the Netflix series about the Halbach murder and subsequent legal proceedings, proved to a full-blown cultural phenomenon.
Passionate discussions cropped up worldwide as to whether local authorities may have tampered with evidence, concealed facts, and otherwise railroaded Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, into being convicted for killing, dismembering, and disposing of Hallbach.
Since Making’s big splash, criticism has steadily arisen that series creators Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos painted a “one-sided” view of the situation, intended to create sympathy for Avery and Dassey.
Convicted is not affiliated with Netflix or the original show’s team. It’s being helmed by Cleveland-based true crime documentarian Shawn Rech of Transition Films. After announcing Convicted, Rech officially stated:
“When Making a Murderer was produced, many on the law enforcement side of the story could not, or would not, participate in the series, which resulted in a one-sided analysis of the case… This docu-series will examine the case and the allegations of police wrongdoing from a broader perspective. It will also share with viewers the traumatic effects of being found guilty and vilified in the court of public opinion.”
Rech further said that he is interested only in “the truth” and that, “We made no promises as to the outcome.”
In the meantime, Making a Murderer: Season 2, the official Netflix follow-up, is also underway.
Regarding allegations of “creative editing” and tilting the facts to be pro-Avery, Makingcodirector Laura Ricciardi said:
“We’re not prosecutors, we’re not defense attorneys, we do not set out to convict or exonerate anyone…. Of course we left out evidence. There would have been no other way of doing it. We were not putting on a trial, but a film. Of what was omitted, the question is: Was it really significant? The secret is no.”
While not presently affiliated with any network, Shawn Rech reaffirms that Convicting a Murderer has one purpose:
“We’ll present all of the evidence in the Avery case from the perspective of both the prosecution and the defense and see if viewers feel the same way they did two years ago following the first season of Making a Murderer.”
Rech previously helmed the acclaimed 2014 nonfiction film A Murder in the Park, which is credited with helping to free Alstory Simon, an inmate doing 37 years for a double homicide he did not commit.
Later this year, Rech will also release White Boy and Wrong Cat, two other documentaries with the aim to free prisoners that the filmmakers believe were improperly convicted.
At present, A Murder in the Park, interestingly, is available to watch on Netflix.
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Read more: Transition Studios, Cleveland.com, AV Club, Refinery 29, ScreenRant, Slash Film
