Brendan Dassey: Guilty of Teresa Halbach's rape, torture, and murder?

[Tippy Lynn]

So tell me one piece of evidence that supports the states case against them? Where’s a spot of blood in the trailer?
You really think finding a key on the 6th search or whatever it was doesn’t hint at planting? Searching a small barrel three times before they find bones?

Come on..

^^^This!!

 

[Turbocharged]

I truly don’t think the kid did it. Either way, Fassbender’s “Interview” was coercion. My girlfriend and I wrote Brandon; he professed his innocence in the letter (for what that’s worth).

I remember his trial at the end he said I didn’t do anything and I believe that
A young kid like that if he would have done the things he confessed to would not have been able to function like a normal person-I never understood why they even started questioning him-was it just what his cousin said he was acting nervous?

 

[missy1974]

I remember his trial at the end he said I didn’t do anything and I believe that
A young kid like that if he would have done the things he confessed to would not have been able to function like a normal person-I never understood why they even started questioning him-was it just what his cousin said he was acting nervous?

It did start with a cousin... well, that's what LE says lol I think it was a bit of that and a bit of an "easy target" type thing. But JMO.

 

[chickeyd]

Hi - newbie here, but I follow the Dassey case for a couple of reasons. First, I'm (nearly) local. Within 90 minutes of Manitowoc. Second, I work with children and young adults with special needs and I understand young adults like Brendan Dassey.

His new lawyer is very vocal and active on Twitter. Her handle is @LauraNirider.

Dassey's appeal to Govenor Evers for clemency was denied on 12/21/19. Wasn't even trying to get his conviction overturned, just get the poor young man out of prison. Brendan isn't eligible for parole until 2048. He will be 59 years old.

You've all debated this before. Brendan's confession doesn't match the evidence. His IQ and demeanor make him susceptible to "confession to please." This is a gross miscarriage of justice.

 

[Dylansmom08]

I just started watching this series and getting familiar with the case. So far I haven't seen or heard anything that would lead me to believe that Brendan Dassey had anything to do with this crime. As a mother of a special needs son I can clearly pick up on the fact that Brendan lacked the mental ability to defend himself to the detectives. He was led to belive that if he told them what they wanted to hear he would be in no trouble and he believed them because he didn't know any better. I think the detectives used his disablities against him and that to me is beyond horrible.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Part 2 of the documentary convinced me that neither defendant had anything to do with the murder. I feel for the victim's family, and also for the defendants' family. Injustice all the way around on this one. MOO

 

[KH420]

You know, from what I've seen on so many other documentaries other people who claim they're innocent seem to get a retrial when new evidence is found. But this case... there is tons of evidence to prove that Brendan and Steven are innocent. And this judge keeps denying a new trial. The crappy justice system is bound and determined to keep these 2 innocent men in prison. I have no faith in our justice system because of this. Brendan was coerced into confessing with out his lawyer presant. This should have been thrown out immediately.

 

[Laura Mountford]

You know, from what I've seen on so many other documentaries other people who claim they're innocent seem to get a retrial when new evidence is found. But this case... there is tons of evidence to prove that Brendan and Steven are innocent. And this judge keeps denying a new trial. The crappy justice system is bound and determined to keep these 2 innocent men in prison. I have no faith in our justice system because of this. Brendan was coerced into confessing with out his lawyer presant. This should have been thrown out immediately.

The fact that they won't even consider a new trial is so suspicious in and of itself. I get that these things cost time and money but many people have been granted a re-trial with far less proof of their innocence so why can't the Avery's? Every time they knock back their re-trials or appeals they are showing they have something to hide and they are all corrupt.
Boils my blood.

 

[Laura Mountford]

I just started watching this series and getting familiar with the case. So far I haven't seen or heard anything that would lead me to believe that Brendan Dassey had anything to do with this crime. As a mother of a special needs son I can clearly pick up on the fact that Brendan lacked the mental ability to defend himself to the detectives. He was led to belive that if he told them what they wanted to hear he would be in no trouble and he believed them because he didn't know any better. I think the detectives used his disablities against him and that to me is beyond horrible.

As a support worker for people with disabilities and learning difficulties I agree fully with this. Almost every single person I support, I'm almost certain would have done the exact same thing as Brendan in that situation.

 

[Kyoto_Toko]

You know, from what I've seen on so many other documentaries other people who claim they're innocent seem to get a retrial when new evidence is found. But this case... there is tons of evidence to prove that Brendan and Steven are innocent. And this judge keeps denying a new trial. The crappy justice system is bound and determined to keep these 2 innocent men in prison. I have no faith in our justice system because of this. Brendan was coerced into confessing with out his lawyer presant. This should have been thrown out immediately.

Yes, I definitely feel Brendan's confession was coerced and then the prosecution lied about it in court. They said that Brendan told them about his uncle doing something under the hood and that is why they swabbed the hood latch for DNA. But I could've sworn when the show played that part of the interview, it was the investigator that mentioned it after Brendan guessed multiple times. Why did they stop and believe him regarding the hood and not the other parts of the car that he mentioned? It really felt like they knew what they were looking for and led Brendan into the narrative they wanted or needed. I didn't get the feeling that Brendan's confession was real.

 

[wilkeysau]

If you have not already, I recommend reading the transcripts of his police interviews and watching the ones which are available. He knows things he couldn't possibly know unless he had been there.

That said, his attorney's investigator's "interview" was egregiously out of line. And the attorney should have been with Brendan instead of leaving him alone with police.

Very true - hence my vote…can’t say ‘not guilty.full stop’

I don’t believe he was an ‘accomplice’, I do after reading all transcripts end to end know that there’s a lot more than what Making a Murderer parts 1 and 2 showed to the public. A lot more.

This boy was coerced, but only into admitting to something (I believe) he didn’t directly do - but I believe he was there to know some of the details that were not coerced, and I believe that good old uncle Steve really did do it (but not in the way it was presented in the docuseries…

 

[Kiki Rodriguez]

Part of the 5th Ammendment protects us from being coerced into self-incrimination. Why is the Dassey "confession" not a direct violation of this protection?

 

[Kiki Rodriguez]

^^^This!!

Part of the 5th Ammendment protects us from being coerced into self-incrimination. Why is the Dassey "confession" not a direct violation of this protection?

This is silly of me, but I think I figured out my own question.
1. If Barb gave Wiegert and Fassbender permission to interview her son, a minor, without a lawyer present AND
2. Brendan was Mirandized, AND
3. Brendan did not ask for an attorney, THEN...

He essentially waived his right to NOT be coerced into self-incrimination. Is that right?

Additionally, what was really said in the conversation between Barb and investigators regarding whether or not Brendan could be questioned? She says she denied their request for an interview/interrogation. They say they had permission. If they got permission for Brendan's first interview, which was no big deal, does that permission transfer to subsequent interviews? Or are they supposed to seek permission each time a minor is questioned?
Did investigators deceive Barb and Brendan by making it seem like it was no big deal? Did they say that it would only be a few minutes? Did they say he'd be going back to school that day? The answers are not in the documentary, but do they exist elsewhere?

 

[Kiki Rodriguez]

It did start with a cousin... well, that's what LE says lol I think it was a bit of that and a bit of an "easy target" type thing. But JMO.

I remember being involved in a stressful situation that I brought on myself when I was about 14. It was nothing like this, of course, but my need to stir the pot, cause drama, and seem important got people in trouble that did not deserve it. In hindsight I think I acted like a piece of , and I feel guilty. I'm just saying I can relate to the young girl who told investigators to look at Brendan, who had allegedly lost weight and was crying all the time. She came clean at trial, but prosecutors said she was lying on the stand in order to protect her family. I wonder if the mental health community has done research about this tendency for girls to embellish, cause drama, and act petty at that age? An expert witness could help to show that she lied to investigators at first but was telling the truth at trial.

 

[fanged1]

Since the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal for Brendan Dassey’s case, former attorneys of Steven Avery are asking Governor Evers to grant Dassey clemency.

Lawyers pen letter in support of ‘Making A Murderer’ subject

 

[Kecharaeq2]

Additionally, what was really said in the conversation between Barb and investigators regarding whether or not Brendan could be questioned? She says she denied their request for an interview/interrogation. They say they had permission.

Keep in mind that for the very set of interviews, Brendan was being talked to as a witness, not a suspect. I believe the law in WI says that a victim or witness may be interviewed without a parent present. By the end of those interviews, he had already implicated himself as an accomplice by saying he helped with the bonfire and that he saw toes in the fire. From what I remember from a podcast by Brendan’s lawyer, they first interviewed Brendan’s in an office at Brendan’s school. Brendan’s mother was told that he was just being interviewed as a witness. She also didn’t hear about the interview until after it had started. I’m not sure how they were able to keep her out of subsequent interviews.

 

[DrQ]

IMO This is a sticky one. It is truly a comedy of errors on both sides. We always have to keep in mind that a documentary often presents a specific side. The other documentary ID Front Page with Dateline presented an alternative theory. Did the law enforcement do a poor and damming job on his case? Oh yes. Was Brendan conned into participating in a cover up and disposal of Halbach's (who many rarely focus on and is the true victim) body? Most definitely a possibility. The burn pit. Questionable. Planted bones. Who would have been able to plant them? How did they get there? When were they put there? Who most likely has be best opportunity to be at the fire pit? The same goes for Halbach's car. The major issue is the facts. The mishandling of evidence, the lies from both sides, the questionable history between Steve's family and law enforcement, and dragging Brendan in from both Steve and law enforcement. For Brendan, knowing right from wrong and having intent are vague. I'm not sure that can be said for Steve. He may not be a IQ genius but his is cunning, sly, and wily. I never want anyone wrongly convicted and Steve was once before. Reasonable doubt and circumstance based cases are just that. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, look at O J and Anthony both acquitted and no ne else arrested. If this is the case for Steve, we have to ask ourselves who is the killer? As a forensic psychologist, I am not emotionally driven at all. I need facts. My gut says he is probably where he should be. Brendan probably not. Steve had a heavy influence over him. He may very well be the second victim. Nasty case all the way around.

 

[Kecharaeq2]

If this is the case for Steve, we have to ask ourselves who is the killer? As a forensic psychologist, I am not emotionally driven at all. I need facts. My gut says he is probably where he should be. Brendan probably not.

I tend to agree with you on Steve. While LEO’s did seem to be targeting him to some degree, it’s still hard to believe that everything was planted just to frame him. Brendan I have a soft spot for. I think what finally got me firmly on his side was a interview with Brendan on the Wrongful Convictions Podcast. At the end, Laura asked him if there was anything else he wanted to tell the listeners he paused for a second then said; ‘I like Pokémon’. It’s such a child-like response.
Granted, there are plenty of children who have done horrendous things but I’ve watched the unedited interrogations available on YouTube. What I see is a scared kid who told the truth at first, but who buckled under the pressure of the police investigators who didn’t want to believe him.

 

[GoBuckeyes]

I tend to agree with you on Steve. While LEO’s did seem to be targeting him to some degree, it’s still hard to believe that everything was planted just to frame him. Brendan I have a soft spot for. I think what finally got me firmly on his side was a interview with Brendan on the Wrongful Convictions Podcast. At the end, Laura asked him if there was anything else he wanted to tell the listeners he paused for a second then said; ‘I like Pokémon’. It’s such a child-like response.
Granted, there are plenty of children who have done horrendous things but I’ve watched the unedited interrogations available on YouTube. What I see is a scared kid who told the truth at first, but who buckled under the pressure of the police investigators who didn’t want to believe him.

It's not difficult at all for me to believe that they were both framed. To me, it's obvious and conclusive. These 2 are both innocent, imoo.

 

[DrQ]

IMO It's definitely a shame if/when investigations go awry for poor evidence gathering and/or the appearance of biased work. It limits the ability to gather the facts to draw conclusions based on accurate evidence. Innocent people can be in jail and bad people can be free. In thinking with my head and not my heart, when they find some one else to lay this crime on, I will say I'm sorry that Steve paid the price again. However, until that time, he is most likely where he should be. Brendan is the other victim in this case. The police can be blamed all we want for him going to prison. However, he would probably not be there if Steve had not conned him into whatever it was that was going on. Evidence gathering and evidence found can be presented multiple ways. I will say again. It makes me sad for Steve to be presented as a victim when the real victim is rarely mentioned. This young lady had her whole life ahead of her. I'm just saying... if it isn't Steve then who? It wouldn't surprise me if he conned Brendan in order to implicate him. It may have been a plan that failed.