‘Making a Murderer’ Filmmakers: Juror Reverses, Now Believes Steven Avery ‘Was Framed’ (Video)
Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos appear on “Today” show to reveal anonymous juror was “fearful for their own safety” during deliberations
Greg Gilman | January 5, 2016 @ 9:06 AM
Last Updated: January 5, 2016 @ 4:01 PM
Netflix
Steven Avery’s case chronicled in “Making a Murderer” keeps getting more interesting.
Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, the filmmakers behind the Netflix docuseries, told NBC’s “Today” on Tuesday that an unidentified juror from Avery’s 2005 murder trial has come forward to admit they believe the convict, who is currently serving life in prison, is innocent.
“(The juror) told us that they believe Steven Avery was not proven guilty,” Ricciardi said. “They believe Steven was framed by law enforcement and that he deserves a new trial, and if he receives a new trial, in their opinion it should take place far away from Wisconsin.”
In a more startling revelation, Demos added that the juror was “fearful for their own safety” at the time if they stood up for their belief that Avery was not responsible for the death of Teresa Halbach.
“They told us really that they were afraid that if they held out for a mistrial that it would be easy to identify which juror had done that and that they were fearful for their own safety,” Demos said.
The juror also described the decision-making process that decided Avery’s fate as “a compromise.”
“That was the actual word the juror used and went on to describe the jurors ultimately trading votes in the jury room and explicitly discussing, ‘If you vote guilty on this count, I will vote not guilty on this count,'” Ricciardi said.
Although Avery was found not guilty on the charge of mutilating a corpse, the jury still decided the man who previously spent 18 years behind bars for a rape he didn’t commit was guilty of murdering Halbach, as well as illegally possessing a firearm.
The “Making a Murderer” creators said they have not been able to verify the claims from the juror they spoke to, because they have not spoken with any other members of the same jury.
“Our through line in the entire series really was a question of how is the American criminal justice system functioning?” Ricciardi said. “Is it delivering on its promises of truth and justice? And we thought Steven Avery would be an amazing window through which to look at the system.”
6 Times Hollywood Shook Up Criminal Justice Before 'Making a Murderer'
"Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey had his conviction overturned by a federal judge on August 12. But it's not the first time a film or documentary has been a factor in a major legal reversal of fortune.
"Gimme Shelter" (1970)
A documentary directed by the Maysles brothers, "Gimme Shelter" started out as a simple concert film about The Rolling Stones, but turned out to be essential documentation of the fights and violence that erupted at the Altamont Free Concert.
Cinema 5
"The Thin Blue Line" (1988)
Errol Morris' documentary depicted Randall Dale Adams, a man serving life in prison for a murder he did not commit. Adams was exonerated and released from prison a year after the movie's release.
Miramax
"Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" (2003-11)
In a series of three documentaries, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky chronicled the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of the West Memphis Three, a trio of teenagers wrongfully accused of murdering three children with Satanic overtones. By the time the final installment aired on HBO, the case had generated enough publicity to with the trio's release from prison.
HBO
"The Invisible War" (2012)
The Oscar-nominated "The Invisible War" documented the culture of widespread sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military, and led to new legislation changing the way those cases are handled.
Cinedigm
"Serial" (2014)
The first season of Sarah Koenig's podcast re-investigated the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. Thanks in part to the attention from "Serial," Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch on June 30 2016, officially vacated Syed’s conviction and life sentence, and ordered a new trial.
The night before the high-profile and highly incriminating series finale aired, real estate heir Robert Durst was arrested in New Orleans and charged with murder. In February, he pleaded guilty to gun charges but still awaits trial in L.A. for the killing of his friend, Susan Berman.
“What the hell did I do?” Durst asked himself while still mic-ed in the final episode. “Killed ’em all, of course.”
The overturning of Brandon Dassey’s murder conviction isn’t the first time a documentary has helped right a legal wrong
"Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey had his conviction overturned by a federal judge on August 12. But it's not the first time a film or documentary has been a factor in a major legal reversal of fortune.