‘Making a Murderer’ lawyers Dean Strang and Jerry Buting to visit Ireland

Two lawyers who defended Steven Avery, the man at the centre of the popular ‘Making a Murderer’ documentary series, are to appear in conversation at venues in Cork and Galway this September.

Attorneys Dean Strang and Jerry Buting will participate in a moderated discussion regarding systemic failures in the criminal justice system, as well as the broader implications of the Steven Avery case.

‘Making a Murderer’ is a ten-part series on Netflix that followed Avery’s murder trial. The Wisconsin man spent 18 years in prison for a sexual assault he did not commit.

Having been exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003, Avery was subsequently charged with the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005 and was convicted of the crime in 2007.

The series raised questions around the procedures used in investigating the crime by the Manitowoc County sheriff’s department.

It also highlighted concerns that there may have been a conflict of interest in the case as Avery was engaged in legal action against the same department over the previous conviction, of which he was exonerated.

Petitions seeking a Presidential pardon for Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures.

It prompted a response from the White House which said that the President only has the power to pardon federal, not state, crimes.

“Since Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are both state prisoners, the President cannot pardon them. A pardon in this case would need to be issued at the state level by the appropriate authorities,” the White House said in January.

The attorneys will appear in Cork Opera House, in an event organised by Old Oak/CyprusAvenue and Aiken Promotions, on September 22 in Vicar Street, Dublin on March 24 and the Black Box in Galway on September 25.

Tickets on sale March 31.