Making A Murderer: Where Are They Now?

It has been almost five years since the acclaimed true-crime docuseries Making a Murderer premiered on Netflix. Since then, the world has continued to turn and plenty has changed. It could not have been predicted that the next few years would bring the election of Donald Trump, or the beginnings of Brexit, or a major global pandemic. Yet, for Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, one thing remains static: they are incarcerated for their alleged involvement in the murder of Teresa Halbach, without an end in sight.

That is not to say that there haven’t been any recent developments regarding their convictions. Making a Murderer’s second season explored how their fight for freedom resumed post-conviction, and it remains an ongoing fight today. Although the last few years have been difficult for the two men and their families, glimmers of hope in the shape of new evidence, appeals and petitions continue to emerge, altering the nature of their challenges over and over again.

So, since directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos last updated us in 2018, what exactly has been happening with these cases? From the convicted to their legal teams, the documentary's main players have headed in many differing, and often fascinating, directions. Let's take a look at where those at the centre of the Making a Murderer story are today...

If anybody came out of Making a Murderer looking good, it was Steven Avery’s former lawyers Dean Strang and Jerry Buting. Upon the documentary’s release, the two men were propelled from the position of middle-aged legal professionals to international heartthrobs overnight. Although they were replaced after their client’s conviction, they remain supportive of Avery’s continued fight for freedom.

Buting has been keeping particularly busy since Avery’s trial. In 2017, he published a book entitled Illusion of Justice: Inside Making a Murderer and America's Broken System. Soon after, it was picked up by ABC, who are planning to turn it into a television series. After both men completed their joint world tour, Buting decided to hit the public speaking circuit again, this time teaming up with David Rudolf, who is best known as the defence lawyer from The Staircase. These endeavours have not, however, distracted Buting from his legal career. Among others, he currently represents Todd Kendhammer, who is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife and covering it up by staging a car accident. Buting maintains that Kendhammer is innocent, and he is working tirelessly to prove it.

Like Buting, Strang has ingratiated himself into the literary scene. Most recently, he released the snappily titled Keep the Wretches in Order: America’s Biggest Mass Trial, the Rise of the Justice Department, and the Fall of the IWW. For the most part, he spends his time lecturing while continuing to work as a lawyer.