Brendan Dassey, one of the subjects of the hit Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer, now reportedly has a clear path to freedom. A Wisconsin judge denied the state's motion to halt Dassey's release Wednesday, WISC-TVreported. Dassey must now be released "no later than" 8 p.m. local time Friday.
"The court finds that reconsideration of these arguments yields the same conclusion," U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin wrote in his ruling. According to Duffin, the state had "largely reargued" the same points already presented to (and ultimately rejected by) the court in regards to the death of Teresa Halbach. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is now expected to file an "emergency motion" to stay the court's order to release Dassey:
The state's denied motion cited Dassey as a "serious public safety issue," TMZreported Tuesday. Though Dassey's initial conviction was overturned in August, the state reportedly argues that an involuntary confession "doesn't mean Brendan didn’t actually commit the murder."
Steven Avery, Dassey's uncle, is currently in prison for the 2005 Halbach murder. Avery's post-Making a Murderer legal team is now pushing for new tests in an effort to prove some evidence had been planted at his residence. "It may not be successful," Kathleen Zellner told the New York Times in August, "but I believe if even one bit of evidence is planted, the conviction is going to be vacated."
