‘Making a Murderer’ Prosecutor Defends Verdict, Cites Evidence Ignored by Netflix Series

Former Wiconsin state prosecutor Ken Kratz is claiming the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” intentionally left out some key pieces of evidence that supported the conviction of Steven Avery for the 2005 rape and murder of Teresa Halbach.

The docu-series, which follows Avery as he is released from 18 years in prison after a wrongful conviction for sexual assault only to be charged with a different murder two years later, strongly suggests that Avery was framed for the crime by Wisconsin law enforcement.

Kratz has been receiving a ton of criticism following the debut of the true-crime series, but in an interview Tuesday with People, the lawyer claims the series left out a few incriminating details to make its case more compelling.

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“You don’t want to muddy up a perfectly good conspiracy movie with what actually happened,” he said, “and certainly not provide the audience with the evidence the jury considered to reject that claim.”

Photographer Teresa Halbach disappeared in 2005 following a photo shoot at Avery’s family’s auto shop, which Kratz said was a “trick” by Avery to lure her to the location. According to the prosecutor, phone records show that Avery took steps to disguise who was making the request for a photographer.

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Kratz also told the magazine that some of Avery’s DNA was recovered from Halbach’s car and that couldn’t have been planted there by corrupt police, as the defense alleged. A bullet was also discovered in Avery’s garage that could only have been fired while the gun was in Avery’s possession, he said.

“[Halbach’s murder] was planned weeks ahead of time,” Kratz said. “[Avery] asked for that same girl to be sent. He was ready for her.”