Judge Orders Release Of 'Making A Murderer' Subject Brendan Dassey

The judge had earlier tossed out Dassey's confession.
Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department/Handout via Reuters

A federal judge has ordered that “Making a Murderer” subject Brendan Dassey be released from prison pending an appeal, in a ruling released Monday.

Dassey was convicted in state court on charges related to the rape and murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in November 2005 in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. He allegedly helped his uncle, Steven Avery, dispose of her body.

But in August, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin overturned Dassey’s conviction, holding that his confession was involuntary under the Fifth Amendment.

At the time he confessed, Dassey was a teenager. He did not have a lawyer or a parent with him. And according to court records, his IQ was around the threshold for intellectual disability.

Brendan Dassey is escorted into court for sentencing in August 2007.
Brendan Dassey is escorted into court for sentencing in August 2007.
Herald Times Reporter/Eric Young via Associated Press

Under the terms of Dassey’s release, he cannot have a gun or any other weapons, possess controlled substances, or obtain a passport. He may travel only within the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

He is also barred from contacting Avery or the family of Halbach.

When Judge Duffin tossed out Dassey’s confession earlier this year, he also said that Dassey would be released within 90 days unless the state chose to retry him. The state has appealed that ruling ― which means the conviction could be reinstated or Dassey could still be retried.

Avery, his uncle, is serving a life sentence for murder.

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