‘Amanda Knox’ Review: Gripping True-Crime Doc Separates Facts From Hype
New interviews with convicted/exonerated American produce a sobering, illuminating, yet still mysterious true-crime tale
Robert Abele | September 27, 2016 @ 7:27 PM
Last Updated: September 28, 2016 @ 8:23 AM
Framed against a grey backdrop, facing the camera directly, the interviewees in the true-crime documentary “Amanda Knox” — which include the subject herself — could be sitting for portraits at Sears. Some, oddly enough, even manage the occasional photo-friendly smile. They just come at different times in their personal narratives.
For Knox, it’s when she describes being newly in love in Italy; in other words, life before being painted as a bloodthirsty, sexually deviant American college student who collaborated with her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito in the murder her British roommate Meredith Kercher in 2007. For tabloid journalist Nick Pisa, his smile represents life after helping paint Knox as said orgiastic murderer, front page bylines goosing his career to prideful heights.
Therein lies the burning strength of this substantive, even-handed and eye-opening film from Rod Blackhurst (“Here Alone”) and Brian McGinn (“Chef’s Table”), premiering in theaters and on Netflix September 30: for a crime to grab headlines around the world — as the grisly, opaque, and bizarre story of Knox’s ordeal did — parts have to be played and, in some cases, those roles must be vigorously sold.
Knox herself calmly tells us the rundown of her situation at the beginning of the film; you either believe she’s a psychopath, or you see her as the persecuted innocent who could easily be any of us given the circumstances. It’s an undeniably chilling prospect either way, and Blackhurst and McGinn do a vise-tightening job with the unpacking the facts as we now know them, as we never knew them (including rarely seen court documents and police video), and as they were originally distorted beyond all reason.
It all amounts to a categorically fair hearing for someone who was neither the perfect suspect (due to a shoddy investigation and to physical evidence that mostly pointed to someone else) nor the ideally presented victim of wrongful prosecution (thanks to a chilly vibe post-arrest that unfairly branded Knox). The mere fact that Italy’s justice system convicted her twice, and exonerated her twice, says wonders about the murk of perception and facts at work, and “Amanda Knox” delivers its own justice by covering all the complexities of its ever-fascinating true crime tale.
The personality throughline here is fraught with cause and effect — how a rosy-cheeked Seattle teenager who only wanted to spend time with her shy Italian beau was flayed in public for being a sexual person, and how the vilified figure referred to as “Foxy Knoxy” in lurid coverage of the murder became the lonely-looking, exonerated-but-hardened woman captured by the filmmakers back home.
The mining of Knox’s MySpace page (where “Foxy Knoxy” came from) became an early instance of a social media footprint infecting the narrative of a case. It’s persuasively juxtaposed with how the actual evidence was used and abused in the buildup toward presenting Knox as everything short of a supernatural she-beast.
If you’re in the “she’s innocent” camp (and it’s safe to say the filmmakers lean that way), the story has two antagonists — prosecutor Giuliano Mignini and reporter Pisa, of Britain’s Daily Mail — and it’s to the film’s benefit that they’re onscreen giving their side of things. One of the movie’s strengths is how its original interviews are small in number yet stick to the central players, which keeps the focus from drifting off into talking-head land.
Mignini offers up a handful of deductive head-scratchers, like his on-the-spot judgment that a murder victim covered with a sheet indicated a female perpetrator. His poetic confidence in his psychological acuity (“we are all between good and evil”) suggests he finds a theory first, then ignores the facts that don’t support it.
Pisa, meanwhile, is a real piece of work, a breezy opportunist who brags about his cozy relationship with the prosecution, yet gets defensive about how little time there was to scrutinize every bizarre theory they gave the media before he needed to beat the competition with a new headline. At times he sounds more like his readership — entertained by the theories, shocked at the twists and turns — than the steward who’s supposed to vet this stuff for actual information.
Though there’s no new interview with the Kercher family, it’s heartbreaking to see footage of Meredith’s mother telling a reporter she hasn’t received any closure from it all. Meanwhile, the beautifully shot vistas of hilltop Perugia in “Amanda Knox” are in some ways an apt visual metaphor for the other trajectory of this case: the lure of a picturesque, ancient country leading to the treatment of a young woman that can only be described as medieval.
'Making a Murderer' Part 2: 37 Updates Since the Series' Debut (Photos)
After nearly three years, "Making a Murderer Part 2" is here. Before you dive back into Netflix's true-crime phenomenon, here's a look back at how the original docuseries changed the lives of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.
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Making a Murderer Premieres
The documentary was released on Netflix Dec. 18, 2015. It has since received an approval rating of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Ken Kratz Bashed on Yelp
A week after "Making a Murderer" premiered, fans took to Yelp to warn potential new clients against hiring Steven Avery's prosecutor.
A White House Petition circulated shortly after the series' release, seeking pardons of both Avery and Dassey. It required 100,000 signatures before Jan. 19 to reach eligibility for an official White House review.
Although the White House Petition to pardon Avery reached the requisite number of signatures, President Barack Obama was constitutionally barred from taking action, because Avery was convicted in state court.
In January of 2016, people protested outside the Manitowoc County Courthouse where Avery and Dassey were convicted.
Supporters traveled from as far as Texas, Florida and Oregon. The event was live-streamed on Periscope, drawing hundreds of people online, many from outside the U.S.
Also in January 2016, Avery and Dassey launched a fundraising website through their family in an attempt to raise money to mount another defense effort.
Avery's Ex-Fiancee Calls Him a "Monster,' 'Not Innocent'
Avery's ex-fiancée Jodi Stachowski said he is a “monster” and that “he’s not innocent” in the murder of Halbach in a January 2016 interview with HLN’s Nancy Grace.
Stachowski said she once “ate two boxes of rat poison just so I could go to the hospital to get away from him and ask them to get the police to help me.”
Bomb Threat at Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department
On Feb. 3, 2016, a bomb threat was called into the Sheriff's Department. Authorities say that the caller claimed “there were bombs in the building” and that he was “getting justice” for Steven Avery.
In February 2016, TheWrap obtained transcripts from a May 13, 2006 interview, in which Dassey told police that Avery sometimes tried to grab his penis “through the pants.” In a phone call later that day to his mother, Barb Tadych, Dassey said he told police that Avery “would grab me somewhere where I was uncomfortable.”
Steven Avery Jr. Doesn't Know If His Father Is Guilty
Avery’s son had “no idea” whether his father is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach, for which he’s currently serving life in prison.
“I have no idea,” Steven Avery Jr. told Crime Watch Daily in an interview. “I mean … only one person can answer that and that is Teresa. But she can’t answer it no more.”
Ken Kratz, Michael Griesbach Publish Tell-All Books
Avery prosecutor Ken Kratz and Michael Griesbach, the assistant district attorney responsible for helping Avery get out of jail in his first case, both wrote tell-all books chronicling the case and its representation in "Making a Murderer."
Kathleen Zellner Says There Are "a Couple" New Suspects
In an in-depth profile published in March 2016 by Newsweek, Zellner said that she has found “a couple” of suspects, both of whom are men who knew Halbach.
“We have a couple,” Zellner, who specializes in wrongful convictions, said. “I’d say there’s one, leading the pack by a lot. But I don’t want to scare him off, I don’t want him to run.”
Kratz told Dr. Drew that he had suicidal thoughts after “this whole thing kind of blew up,” referring to the Avery Case and an Associated Press report exposing racy texts he sent to a 25-year-old woman while Kratz was prosecuting her ex-boyfriend.
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Prison Emails Are Released
In June 2016, USA Today obtained more than 1,900 pages of emails after the publication requested the documents under state open records laws. The paper asked for emails sent or received by staff that pertained to Avery, Dassey or “Making a Murderer.”
In July 2016, it was announced that “Making a Murderer” is set to return to Netflix with new episodes that are already in production.
The Season 2 installments will follow up with Avery and co-defendant Dassey as their respective investigative and legal teams challenge their convictions.
In August 2016, Dassey had his conviction overturned.
Federal magistrate judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey’s writ for a petition of habeas corpus, finding that his imprisonment was unlawful because his confession to the murder of Teresa Halbach was involuntary.
In reaching that decision, Duffin wrote that the “misconduct” of Len Kachinsky, Dassey’s court-appointed attorney, was “indefensible.”
On Aug. 27, 2016, Zellner filed a motion demanding physical evidence from the murder of Teresa Halbach for further scientific testing that she claims didn’t exist during the trial.
In the filing, Zellner revealed that “Mr. Avery has already completed a series of tests that will conclusively establish his innocence” and that she intends to reveal the identity of an alternate suspect once she has the test results.
On Sept. 2, 2016, Zellner tweeted a picture of a man she helped exonerate in a murder case, who held a sign saying "It is over." A spokesperson from the Wisconsin DOJ denied all media speculation about the fate of Dassey.
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State Will Appeal Dassey's Overturned Conviction
The state of Wisconsin said they would appeal Dassey's overturned conviction, saying that his confession "was voluntary and the investigators did not use constitutionally impermissible tactics."
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Avery Gets Engaged
On Sept. 24, 2016, news broke that Avery is engaged to be married. The lucky lady is Lynn Hartman, identified as a legal secretary — which might come in handy — from Las Vegas. The couple reportedly dated for eight months, but only met in person once.
Steven Avery Project
Nevermind, Avery Is NOT Engaged
On Oct. 1, 2016 came the news that Avery has dumped Hartman because he believes she “is a golddigger,” Avery’s friend Sandra Greenman wrote on Facebook.
Brendan Dassey Will Be Released
On Nov. 14, 2016, a judge ordered Dassey’s supervised release, pending possible retrial.
According to court documents obtained by TheWrap, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey’s motion for release -- conditional upon his supervision by the U.S. Probation Office. Dassey will not be allowed to obtain a passport and can only travel in the court’s Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is not allowed to possess a weapon or any controlled substances.
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Wisconsin DOJ Files Emergency Motion
On Nov. 15, 2016, Attorney General Brad Schimel filed an emergency motion to stay Dassey’s release.
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Dassey Will Be Home for Thanksgiving
Dassey appeared headed home for Thanksgiving 2016 after the judge in his case rejected the state’s latest motion.
According to a Wisconsin Department of Justice release obtained by TheWrap, Dassey will be discharged from prison no later than Friday at 8 p.m. Attorney General Brad Schimel plans to file an emergency motion on Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit seeking a stay of this release order.
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Nope, He Won't Be Home For Thanksgiving
On Nov. 17, 2016, the judge ordered that Dassey remain in prison pending an appeal of his overturned conviction, Attorney General Brad Schimel said.
“Moments ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted the State of Wisconsin’s motion to stay U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin’s order to release Mr. Brendan Dassey. Mr. Dassey will remain in prison pending the outcome of the appeal,” Schimel’s office said in a release.
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Fellow Inmate Says Avery Confessed to the Murder
Joseph Evans, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, alleged in a nine-page letter published on the Rockford Advocate that Avery described raping and killing Halbach.
“He said he put the knife to Teresa’s throat as he guided her to his bedroom,” Evans wrote. “Steven said Teresa was crying and begging him not to kill her.”
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Zellner Alleges Teresa Halbach May Have Been Killed by Ex-Boyfriend
In June 2017, Zellner filed a 1,200-page notice for post conviction relief in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, in which she alleged that Teresa Halbach’s ex-boyfriend may have killed her.
The ex-boyfriend, Ryan Hillegas, has not responded to requests for comment.
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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ruling That Dassey’s Confession Was Coerced
In June 2017, a federal appeals court upheld the ruling that Dassey’s conviction was coerced and he should be released from prison.
The majority of the three-judge panel agreed with Judge William Duffin’s August ruling that Dassey’s confession of the murder of Teresa Halbach was involuntary and that investigators violated Dassey’s rights.
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State Requests Rehearing in Dassey's Case
In July 2017, the Wisconsin Department of Justice requested a rehearing by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit after the federal appeals court said his conviction was coerced.
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Avery Denied New Trial
In October 2018, Avery was denied a new trial by a Wisconsin judge.
Judge Angela Sutkiewicz ruled that Avery had failed “to establish any grounds that would trigger the right to a new trial in the interests of justice.”
Zellner then told TheWrap that she would be filing a motion to vacate the judge’s order and that she plans to conduct further testing and amend his petition with new witness affidavits.
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Judge Rejects Avery's Bid For New Trial, Again
In November 2017, Avery's request for a new trial was rejected by Judge Sutkiewicz again.
According to the Post-Crescent, the ruling comes after Zellner appealed her filings to a higher court.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Brendan Dassey's Case
In June 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear Brendan Dassey’s murder case. As is typical for such denials, no reason was given for passing on the appeal.
Facebook
Avery Denied a Trial, Again
In September 2018, Avery was denied a new trial by Sheboygan County Circuit Court judge Angela Sutkiewicz.
According to the Post-Crescent, Avery's attorneys sought to supplement the record with a CD they argued contains "exculpatory, material evidence" that was reportedly only disclosed to them in April. Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, argued that the state failed to disclose the disc and violated his right to a fair trial, therefore arguing for a new trial.
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Netflix Will Release a Second Season
Netflix officially announced a season season in September 2018. "Making a Murderer Part 2" will hit Netflix globally on Oct. 19.
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Catch up before you dive back into the lives of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey
After nearly three years, "Making a Murderer Part 2" is here. Before you dive back into Netflix's true-crime phenomenon, here's a look back at how the original docuseries changed the lives of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who were convicted for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.
Netflix
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