Is freedom a reliable benchmark in appreciating life’s grandeur?
Yes and No.
Absolute liberty enables one to perform his activities of daily living without restrictions. He can set his own rules and stylishly design his future. However, too much independence sometimes leads to abuse and can endanger one’s life.
When Teresa Halbach was murdered in 2007, Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were “almost killed” as big chunks of their lives were spent in jail. They were convicted of homicide that tragically ended their supposedly brighter future and Halbach’s.
When Netflix launched a documentary “Making a Murderer,” the show earned millions of international viewers due to the controversial revelations of the case. What appealed more to the audience is the promising facts of freedom to the subjects - Avery and Dassey.
Steven Avery And His Pending Freedom
The latest updates on the status of Avery’s case hinted his innocence and strong chances of getting out from jail. A reported agreement will commence anytime soon conduct an independent scientific testing on several important evidence.
The legal arrangement was filed on Wednesday with Angela Sutkiewicz, the special judge appointed to monitor Avery's appeal.
Kathleen Zellner, Avery’s lawyer, who specializes in wrongful convictions couldn’t be relieved of the planned examinations. She appreciated the signed agreement and described the legal action of the judge as "helpful in expediting these tests."
Evidence to be tested includes a 1996 blood sample of Avery, a spare key of Halbach's car found in Avery's bedroom, and the swab from the hood latch of Halbach's vehicle that generated a DNA profile for Avery.
The former attorneys of Avery were notably “excited” on his acquittal. According to Jerry Buting, “Probably over 100 scientists all over the world between the two of us contacted us [after the documentary] and said ‘Hey, you know there’s new tests you can do. Some of it was just, oh our ability to detect (chemical preservative) EDTA, chemical tests have been refined but some of the more interesting ones were these scientists with things like radiocarbon dating and DNA ageing where you can actually look at somebody’s sample of blood maybe a month or a year ago and distinguish it from their blood right now.”
Dean Strang explained that the new methods can prove that the blood found in the victim's car may pre-date the murder.
"If it turns out that the blood in the Toyota is older than the car itself — is 10 years older than the time at which it's found... then that's also good at getting us to the truth and it also will mean not only a new trial I think for Steven Avery but the likelihood that he walks free.”
Brendan Dassey And His Delayed Liberty
Dassey was tried as an accomplice to the rape and murder of Halbach. In August, his conviction was overturned by US Magistrate Judge William Duffin. In the hope of being freed, a disappointing move hindered his stepping out of bars.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel filed a motion on Tuesday seeking a stay of the magistrate judge’s decision to release Dassey pending the appeal of his 2007 conviction.
"We believe the magistrate judge's decision that Brendan Dassey's confession was coerced by investigators, and that no reasonable court could have concluded otherwise, is wrong on the facts and wrong on the law," Schimel said.
It looks like freedom is carefully selected to those who deserve it; in the right time and in the right place. Avery and Dassey might have to wait for the nth time. Should their innocence prevail, then one can say that their freedom has been kept from them for so long.
