Update: The team behind Making a Murderer has released a statement now that one of their subjects has had his conviction overturned. Attorneys for both Dassey and Steven Avery, his uncle, have also made statements.
"Today was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work," Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos said in their statement. "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."
Dassey's attorneys emphasized that more work was needed before they fully celebrated.
"This is right, this is justice," Dassey's attorney Laura Nirider told ABC News. “We are over the moon. We were notified by email and I read this decision on my phone … 91 pages, unbelievable."
Nirider told ABC News that she cried as she read the decision and added that the Dassey family was "grateful, in shock, trying to process this."
Steven Avery's attorneys said that the overturned conviction could also mean good news for their client.
"We are thrilled for Brendan Dassey that his conviction has been overturned," they told E! News. "We fully expected this outcome from an unbiased court that carefully examined his confession. 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."
You can read the court order here.
Original article to follow.
A Wisconsin Federal court overturned the conviction of Brendan Dassey, who was convicted of helping uncle Steven Avery murder Teresa Halbach in a case made famous by Making a Murderer, on Friday, the AP reports.
The U.S. District court judge ordered Dassey freed within 90 days unless he's retried by prosecutors. They have not decided whether or not to refile charges, according to TMZ.
Magistrate Judge William Duffin said that investigators made false promises when they told Dassey "he had nothing to worry about." The judge also called the conduct of Dassey's attorney "indefensible" in his ruling.
"These 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 Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments," Duffin wrote in his decision.
Dassey's appeal had been rejected by state courts, so he took his argument to the Federal level. Dassey was 16 at the time of the killing, and 11 years have passed since then. He confessed to helping uncle Steven Avery at the time.
Making a Murderer will return sometime soon.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Update: Colorado Sexual Assault Survivor Reads Powerful Statement In Court
We're Making It Easy For You To Get Involved In Politics
Donald Trump Clarifies He Believes President Obama Literally Founded ISIS