10 True Crime Documentaries That Got Cases Reopened

Quite simply the Godfather of true crime documentaries, Netflix’s 2015 powerhouse, Making a Murderer, covered the arrest, trial and eventual conviction of Wisconsin man Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey. The pair were convicted of the murder of Theresa Halbach in 2007 and the circumstances around this fate were iffy to say the least.

The documentary suggests a plethora of poor practices on the side of the police when it came to securing a conviction for Avery and Dassey. These included, but are not limited to, tampering with evidence, planting evidence, false testimony and coercing a confession from Dassey, who had learning difficulties.

Viewers were led to believe there was just NO WAY Avery and Dassey could have committed this crime, with mountains of evidence supporting their pleas of innocence. However, accusations were made post-release that the documentary had been biased and ignored strong evidence in favour of the prosecution.

Regardless, the public outcry was deafening after the first season aired and both Avery and Dassey have been on a rollercoaster of legal appeals since. Dassey was the closest to being released, with a federal judge overturning his conviction due to his questionable confession, but this decision was appealed successfully by the state and both men remain in prison, fighting for their freedom and continuing to protest their innocence.