If you're looking for the perfect series to binge-watch on Netflix this semester, turn on "Making A Murderer" and get the popcorn ready.

The documentary series produced by Netflix follows the life of Manitowoc County resident Steven Avery. Avery had been the focus of a media frenzy first back in 2003, after DNA evidence had proven to the court that he was innocent of a former rape charge. After being released from prison, Avery received media coverage after filing a $36 million federal lawsuit against his home county in Wisconsin, as well as the county sheriff and the district attorney at the time. Avery and his legal team tried to convince the world that he had been framed for the crime he did not commit, and that those who framed him must be held responsible.

The series does not focus on this particular case, though. "Making A Murderer" really focuses on Steven Avery's most recent criminal case -- the one concerning the death of Teresa Halbach.

Back on Halloween in 2005, Teresa Halbach, a photographer for Auto Trader Magazine, went out to Avery's trailer on his property to take pictures of a van he was planning on selling. Later that night, Halbach disappeared. Steven Avery, the man who just recently was released from prison after serving 18 years for a crime he didn't commit, was the last person to see her alive.

The episodes of "Making A Murderer" thus try to answer the question everyone is debating right now: Is Steven Avery innocent once again?

After watching the series, a number of things presented continue to bother me.

Brendan Dassey's "Confession"

First and arguably the most disturbing thing that really makes any sane viewer doubt the intentions of those prosecuting Steven Avery is the treatment of Brendan Dassey. Dassey is Avery's nephew, who lived down the road from Avery's trailer on the family's salvage yard business. Dassey had told investigators that after returning home from school one day, he went over to Avery's trailer to deliver some mail. As he approached the house, he heard screams. When he entered the home and, later, Avery's bedroom, he claims that he saw Halbach tied to the bed, where both Avery and Dassey raped her before slitting her throat and later shooting her.

The interview investigators had with Dassey made me incredibly uneasy. Brendan Dassey, described by everyone he knew as being a slow learner, a high school sophomore who had even
asked his mother what the word "inconsistent" meant, was manipulated by the investigators. He has an IQ score of somewhere between 69 and 73, which, if lower than 70, is basis for intellectual disorder. The long and difficult-to-watch interview shows Dassey originally state that he had no part in the murder of Halbach, let alone even knew who she was. Then, you can see the investigators ask Dassey repeatedly to "be honest" when he would give an answer that the investigators simply could not work with. In one instance, one of the investigators asks Dassey what Avery did to Halbach's head. He had no idea, and he repeatedly stated that he had never even seen Halbach. Then, the investigators begin to guide Dassey into an answer they want. They ask, "What about her hair, Brendan? Didn't you guys cut it off?" The investigators even promised that they would help Dassey out if he would just tell the truth — or in this case, what they wanted to hear. Finally, after a number of hours of interrogating Dassey with these leading questions, one of the officers appears to have cracked, and asks Brendan if they shot Halbach in the head. This piece of evidence had not been released to the public yet, so it would have been impossible for Dassey to get this image elsewhere; he could not have seen a report of it on the news. However, investigators took this confession and ran with it.

Later, it is proven that the events Dassey confessed to were impossible. There was no blood in the home of Steven Avery, not even in the places where the alleged rape and slitting of the throat allegedly occurred. Avery is not physically capable of completely sterilizing the home and ridding it of all traces of blood. Plus, no rope fibers were found. I’m not saying based on this interview that Dassey and Avery are innocent of the charges brought up against them; however, the interrogation of adolescent Brendan Dassey was handled incorrectly and unjustly.

Plus, through phone recordings and hidden cameras, it is proven that the attorney who was assigned to Avery was not working for Dassey's best interest. He admitted that he believed Dassey was guilty, and even told Dassey to plead guilty in order to eventually get out of prison after a number of years.

Manitowoc County in General

Another thing that is a little unsettling is the fact that the Manitowoc County was ordered to have no part in the investigation of Avery and Dassey…but still did anyways. Avery just was released from prison for a crime he did not commit, and was in the middle of an enormous lawsuit where he argued that law officials framed him for a crime they knew he did not commit. Did the county not have enough money to reimburse Avery if they were found guilty of the charges brought against them? Were the same individuals who originally framed Avery for the rape he didn’t commit also framing him for murder to avoid a ruined reputation? Either way, it’s fishy.

However, after I devoured the series, I was not entirely convinced that Steven Avery was as
innocent as he claimed to be. Parts of Halbach’s body were found in Avery’s fire pit. Evidence, like Halbach’s keys, were found inside his home. Avery was still the last person to see Halbach alive, and her car was found on Avery’s property. There is a lot the documentary leaves unanswered or (after further investigation) leaves out of the camera’s view.

The Bullets

The bullets that were found in the garage were only made to seem like casings in the documentary. In fact, there were bullets recovered, and those bullets could be tied back to Avery’s gun with forensic tests. So, either all of the tests investigators performed were incorrect, or the DA planted evidence.

The Handcuffs

Apparently, Avery did in fact own handcuffs and other restraints, and admitted to owning them. According to Avery, he only bought them to use on his girlfriend…but who knows. It gives some credit to Dassey’s original story.

The Key

Halbach’s car key had DNA evidence on it…and it was not something so easy to plant. Fingerprints would be feasible for someone to plant, but Avery’s sweat was found on the keys that were found in his bedroom. I doubt it is easy for the police to just somehow gain possession of Avery’s sweat, then transfer it to a key piece of evidence.

The Pseudonym

Avery had specifically asked for Halbach to come and take photographs of his van he was selling. He had done business with her before, so this wouldn’t have been too out of the ordinary…except that he had called under a fake name when he asked for her. This was conveniently left out of the documentary. He also called Halbach under the restricted *67 the day she disappeared. If he has nothing to hide, why couldn’t he give his real name when requesting a photographer?

Avery's Past

The documentary also sort of glosses over a number of events in Avery’s past. These events made his character unsavory, so naturally, it’s convenient for the directors to leave this stuff out. Other prisoners claimed that Avery, when he was falsely locked up for his previous case, drew up a torture and murder plan of an imaginary women, down to the last detail. We don’t necessarily know if these are true, and the documentary never addressed these plans. Also, within the documentary, the directors reference a previous animal abuse charge brought up against Avery as merely the unintentional setting of fire to a cat. In fact, evidence proves that Avery actually doused the poor cat in gasoline or lighter fluid then threw it, live, into a fire.

I still don’t know if Steven Avery is guilty or if he is, in fact, innocent like he says he is. However, I can say that the documentary has shed light upon a very corrupt legal system in Wisconsin. The fact that I cannot tell if Steven Avery is guilty or not proves that the evidence presented to the jury was simply not enough to convict him of the charges he was facing. However, that does not mean he is innocent. It merely means the theory of just how Teresa Halbach was killed that was presented in court was not correct.

It is important to remember that there is bias in almost every form of media out there. The directors believe that Avery is innocent, so they’re going to frame their film to agree with their views and their argument. Also, it is incredibly crucial to remember the Halbach family during this time. If Steven Avery is in fact innocent, then the Halbachs do not have any answers to what really happened to their daughter. The fact that this case is repeatedly being brought up must be incredibly difficult for the Halbach family to cope with, and it is important to remember to respect their family in their time of grief.