Conviction tossed for nephew in ‘Making a Murderer’

A judge on Friday overturned the conviction of a Wisconsin man found guilty of helping his uncle kill a woman in a case profiled in the Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer,” ruling that investigators coerced a confession using deceptive tactics.

The filmmakers cast doubt on the legal process used to convict Dassey and his uncle Steven Avery in the death of Teresa Halbach, and their work sparked national interest and conjecture.

“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,” Duffin wrote.

Dassey was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide, second-degree sexual assault and mutilation of a corpse in Halbach’s killing.