When Netflix dropped Making A Murderer in 2015, viewers were riveted. The true crime docuseries examined the controversial case of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, who in 2007 were convicted of the 2005 murder of Theresa Halbach. Now the hotly anticipated ten-episode followup Making A Murderer: Part 2 will be released on Netflix on October 19th.
The trailer introduces us to Avery’s new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, a distinguished post-conviction lawyer who is steadfastly devoted to the release of her client. "I have one goal," Zellner declares in the trailer, "and that’s to overturn the conviction of Steven Avery." Zellner holds the record for most overturned wrongful convictions in the United States, and she may be Avery’s last chance in clearing his name against a murder that he maintains he didn't commit.
As viewers of Making a Murderer remember: Steven Avery served 18 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. In 2003, he was fully exonerated by DNA evidence, and soon filed a lawsuit against the county. Two years later, Avery was arrested yet again and charged with murdering local photographer Teresa Halbach, who disappeared after visiting the Avery family salvage yard. In 2007, Avery and his cousin Brendan Dassey, who confessed to the murder but later recanted, were convicted of the Halbach slaying and sentenced to life in prison.
RELATED: 25 True Crime Documentaries You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now
Why would someone falsely confess to a crime they didn’t commit? That’s the question on the prosecutors’ lips when they talk about Dassey. The first season strongly suggested that Dassey's conviction was coerced, and the trailer for the upcoming season hints at additional evidence of a forced confession, as well as forensic evidence that could help prove Avery's innocence.
Check out the intense trailer below, and try to hold your conclusions for the binge-session that will inevitably commence once the upcoming season airs.
The search for the truth continues October 19, only on Netflix.
Featured still from 'Making a Murderer' via Netflix
