President Obama may have to binge watch all 10 episodes of Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” as a White House petition asking for convicts Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey to be pardoned has reached 113,000 signatures.
The formal WhiteHouse.gov petition, created in December after the premiere of the true crime docuseries, required 100,000 signatures before Jan. 19 to be eligible for an official White House review.
“Making a Murderer” investigates Avery’s troubled history with law enforcement in his native Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. After DNA evidence exonerated Avery from a rape charge that put him behind bars for 18 years, he was convicted on a life prison sentence for allegedly killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005
Dassey, Avery’s nephew, was also convicted for his alleged involvement in the same crime. The series highlights flaws in the investigation and prosecution of the murder cases, as well as convincing evidence that lends credence to Avery’s belief he was framed.
A Change.org petition asking current Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to free Avery currently has more than 308,000 signatures. However, the Huffington Post reports that Walker doesn’t plan to pardon Avery, even if the petition reaches its goal of 500,000 supporters.
“These events took place before Governor Walker took office,” press secretary Laurel Patrick said. “Governor Walker has not watched this documentary. As you may know, early in his administration, Governor Walker made the decision not to issue pardons … Those who feel they have been wrongly convicted can seek to have their convictions overturned by a higher court.”
The White House has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
All ten episodes of “Making a Murderer” are currently available to stream on Netflix.