Did ‘Making a Murderer’ get the story wrong?
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Head of Investigation Discovery Henry Schlieff believes important elements of convicted murderer Steven Avery’s story were left out of the 10-hour Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer,” leading many viewers to draw the wrong conclusion about the crime everyone in America seems to be talking about.
Schlieff, who says he passed on the insanely popular series, promises to offer “a more balanced picture” when his true crime network airs its own telling of the facts later this month.
A special edition of “Front Page” hosted by spooky-voiced “Dateline” reporter Keith Morrison began production earlier this week.
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“There is certain evidence or testimony that was not necessarily included in the Netflix series — as long as it is — that I think will give a more balanced picture as to why this second conviction took place,” Schlieff told FOX411.
“I think the audience needs to understand the complete picture,” he said. “When they see it there may be some other questions that arise with respect to guilt or innocence.”
Schlieff is adamant that there is more to this story that needs to be told.
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“Given the research that we are doing along with Keith Morrison hosting it, we believe there are still some other elements to come out.”
“Making a Murderer” has become a cultural phenomenon since it began streaming in mid-December.
Filmed over 10 years, it tells the story of how Avery was arrested and convicted of murder in small town Wisconsin after previously being imprisoned for 18 years for a crime he did not commit.
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Reaction to the film has been strong — mostly from viewers who believe Avery was framed for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005.
A petition was posted on WhiteHouse.gov, asking that President Obama pardon Avery and his nephew Brandon Dassey. It obtained 120,000 and the White House responded.
“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 official White House response explained. The petition was subsequently closed.
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Filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, initially shopped the series to several networks including Investigation Discovery.
“We just didn’t feel it right for us in terms of the length,” Schlieff told FOX411. “I think something like this will work really well for Netflix — holding aside the complete accuracy and all of the context.”