‘Making a Murderer’ Sparks Online Petitions Demanding President Obama Free Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey
”Avery’s unconstitutional mistreatment at the hands of corrupt local law enforcement is completely unacceptable and is an abomination of due process,“ one petition reads
“Making a Murderer” is inspiring thousands of viewers to demand justice for Steven Avery, who is currently serving a life prison sentence for a crime he swears he didn’t commit.
Petitions on both WhiteHouse.org and Change.org are calling on President Obama to pardon Avery from his conviction for the murder of Teresa Halbach.
The Netflix docuseries written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos traces Avery’s stunning bad luck with Wisconsin law enforcement, specifically the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, which first put him in prison for a rape charge he was exonerated for 18 years later, thanks to DNA evidence. But that’s just the beginning of Avery’s troubles, and “Making a Murderer” strongly suggests he was the victim of police corruption, possibly due to a multi-million dollar lawsuit he was pursuing against the department responsible for initially putting him behind bars.
The White House petition, which needs 100,000 signatures for Obama’s administration to address it, only has 1,400 at this time. Change.org, however, has attracted over 35,500 supporters.
“I am outraged with the injustices which have been allowed to compound and left unchecked in the case of Steven Avery of Manitowoc County in Wisconsin, U.S.A.,” Michael Seyedian, who started the Change.org petition, wrote. “Avery’s unconstitutional mistreatment at the hands of corrupt local law enforcement is completely unacceptable and is an abomination of due process. Steven Avery should be exonerated at once by presidential pardon, and the Manitowoc County officials complicit in his two false imprisonments should be held accountable to the highest extent of the U.S. criminal and civil justice systems.”
Seyedian has also launched a petition with over 5,700 signatures, at this moment, to free Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, who was convicted for his alleged involvement in the same case.
“He is being falsely imprisoned for a crime that he was coerced into confessing, as a minor, through deceitful investigatory methods that purposely and maliciously alienated him from his constitutional rights as a United States citizen,” Seyedian wrote.
Ken Kratz, the former Calumet County, Wisconsin district attorney who prosecuted both men, has been targeted by outraged viewers flocking to his private law practice’s Yelp page to leave negative reviews.
“He has a long experience in evidence fabrication, and has the required strategic thought skills to send innocent men to jail for forged crimes,” one Yelp user wrote in a review posted Sunday. “When you think of garbage think of Mr. Kratz, he is the living representation of immorality and indecency that you need by your side to solve any legal issues.”
Kratz has said he was unfairly characterized in the docuseries, and believes the filmmakers ignored up to 90 percent of the physical evidence that links Avery to the homicide.
Netflix in January: What's Coming and What to Watch Before It's Gone (Photos)
What's Coming Jan. 1:"The Rundown" Watch The Rock in one of his first comedic roles in this 2003 gem co-starring Seann William Scott, Christopher Walkin and Rosario Dawson.
More New Arrivals: "How To Change The World" "Journey To Les Mans" "We Need To Talk About Kevin" "Angry Birds Toons" (Season 2) "Ice Age: The Meltdown" "2 Fast 2 Furious" "Smokin' Acres 2: The Assassin's Ball" "Constantine" "Forensic Files: Collection 2" "Loins of Punjab" (Bollywood) "Piku" (Bollywood) "The Good Road" (Bollywood)
Columbia Pictures
What to Watch Before It Leaves Jan. 1: "Rocky" 1-5 With "Creed" in theaters, use Christmas break to marathon most of the movies that came before Sylvester Stallone's third Golden Globe nomination for the franchise.
What's Coming Jan. 4:"Training Day" Watch one half of Denzel Washington's Oscar-winning performances before another lucky leading man takes home one of the most prestigious awards in Hollywood at the 2016 Academy Awards.
Warner Bros.
What to Watch Before It Leaves Jan. 4: "The Nightmare Before Christmas " Why? Because it's one of the most original Christmas movies ever. Or at least it was, when this blurb was written.
Disney
What's Coming Jan. 5:"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"(Season 10) and "New Girl" (Season 4) If you haven't seen either of these hilarious shows yet, watch them from the beginning. If you're a fan who doesn't have cable and are eagerly awaiting the chance to catch up, you're welcome.
FX
What's Coming Jan. 8: "Adult World" Emma Roberts plays a naive college graduate who takes a job at a sex shop while being mentored by an aging poet played by John Cusack.
More New Arrivals: "Tom Segura: Mostly Stories" "Dragons: Race To The Edge"
IFC
What's Coming Jan. 12: "The Ladykillers" Joel and Ethan Cohen ("The Big Lebowski") co-wrote and co-directed this 2004 comedy remake starring Tom Hanks as the leader of a group of idiotic criminals attempting to pull off a heist from the bottom of an old lady's basement.
Buena Vista Pictures
What's Coming Jan 13: "Parks and Recreation" (Season 7) Did you miss the futuristic final season of this NBC comedy starring Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman and a bunch of other funny people? Now's your chance to see how it all ends.
NBC
What to Watch Before It Leaves on Jan. 14: "Beyond Scared Straight!" (Seasons 4-5) Last chance to set your troubled child on the right path by forcing him or her to watch other kids get yelled at by convicts who probably wish this A&E show was available to stream while they were growing up.
A&E
What's Coming Jan. 15: "The Overnight" Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling and Jason Schwartzman star in this critically acclaimed indie comedy that was in theaters this past fall.
More New Arrivals: "Degrassi: The Next Class" (Season 1) "Occupied" "Moonwalkers" "The Last Five Years"
The Orchard
What's Coming Jan. 16: "Hyde Park On Hudson" Bill Murray fan? Check out one of his more charming performances as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The movie didn't get the best reviews, but it's probably more entertaining than that boring Christmas special he made for Netflix.
Focus Features
What's Coming Jan. 17: "Z Nation" (Season 2) Still not tired of zombies? Then Syfy's version of "The Walking Dead" might be up your alley.
What's Coming Jan. 23:"Chelsea Does" This four-part Netflix Original documentary series follows former E! late-night comedian Chelsea Handler on a personal journey through topics including drugs, marriage, racism and Silicon Valley.
What's Coming Jan. 25: "From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series"(Season 2) Fans of the show who are not fans of Robert Rodriguez's El Ray Network can now watch more adventures inspired by his 1996 action-horror movie starring George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino.
El Ray Network
What's Coming Jan. 28:"Frozen Planet" If you enjoyed previous nature documentaries "Blue Planet" and "Planet Earth," then we're willing to bet you'll enjoy watching nature at work in the arctic, too.
BBC America
What's Coming Jan. 31: "Words and Pictures" Valentine's Day will be right around the corner, so not a bad time to nestle up next to your partner and watch this poorly reviewed romantic drama starring Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche.
Roadside Attractions
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Cord-cutters can get excited for the latest seasons of a few great TV comedies, while ”Rocky“ fans should enjoy the first five movies before they’re gone