Over the weekend, a major breakthrough came for Brendan Dassey when Judge William E. Duffin overturned his life sentence.
The judge said Brendan was duped by investigators who promised him “he had nothing to worry about,” before adding the “repeated false promises, when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey’s age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey’s confession involuntary” under the law.
If his case is not appealed, Brendan could walk free within 90 days.
And now, Brendan’s attorneys have released a statement on behalf of the Wisconsin local.
“It has taken a decade but the law is finally bending toward justice in the case of Brendan Dassey.”
“We look forward to taking the appropriate next steps to secure Brendan’s release from prison as soon as possible and are thrilled for him,” his legal reps said.
Steven Avery’s team also responded to the news: “We are thrilled for Brendan Dassey that his conviction has been overturned. We fully expected this outcome from an unbiased court that carefully examined his confession.”
Brendan’s cousin Carla recently uploaded this photo of Brendan with his mother.
“I was just visiting Steven Avery and he is so happy for Brendan. We know when an unbiased court reviews all of the new evidence we have, Steven will have his conviction overturned as well,” a rep said to E! News.*
In 2006, Brendan rose to notoriety as an intellectually-challenged teenager who, along with his uncle Steven Avery, was charged for the murder of local photographer Teresa Holbarch.
At the time of his life sentencing Brendan was a shy, bespectacled adolescent who often struggled to find the right words to explain himself.
Watch: The Avery family react to Brendan Dassey’s overturned conviction. Post continues after the video!
The widely popular Netflix series Making a Murderer focuses on Brendan and Steven’s respective trials as well as the fevered interrogation the 17-year-old received from the police, which led to his eventual confession.
Despite retracting his spoon-fed statements from the authorities and later claiming innocence, Brendan was still found guilty of first-degree murder by the jury.
The creators of the show have also sent their well-wishes to the now 26-year-old.
Steven Avery’s team say he is thrilled for his nephew.
“Today was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work,” a statement for Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos read.
“As we have done for the past 10 years, we will continue to document the story as it unfolds, and follow it wherever it may lead.”
Last month, Netflix confirmed a second season of Making A Murderer was in the works, however an air date has yet to be confirmed. With these huge new developments now coming into play, season two will no doubt focus on Brendan’s potential release.
Brendan, who suffers from learning difficulties, was just 17 when he was convicted for murder.
