By: Lexy | 11-04-2018 | News
Photo credit: Netflix | Making a Murder 2

Making A Murderer 2 Introduces Steven Avery’s Fierce New Lawyer Kathleen Zellner

If you watched Making a Murderer, you may have been left feeling like, this can’t be the end of this story. I watched it and I was left feeling so sad for Brendan, and it really struck a nerve at just how corrupt our justice system can be, and all for a “win”.

The Prosecutor, Ken Kratz is rogue, in my opinion. There were so many things he did wrong and he was ‘playing’ with someone’s life. This isn’t a game. If his case was ironclad then why did the police have to feed the information to Brendan? When you have the truth you don’t have to make up anything, you don’t have to suppress information so that the defendant’s counsel doesn’t know about it. You don’t have to keep people away from the site that would have every right to be in the investigation. What are you hiding and why?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The only thing left out of the first season of MaM was evidence this sweaty, sexting disgraced prosecutor concealed from SA’s trial team…btw that evidence is in MaM2 E8,9,10 ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/lifeafterten?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lifeafterten</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/michellemalkin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michellemalkin</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/EFMoriarty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EFMoriarty</a>⁩ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakingAMurderer2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakingAMurderer2</a> <a href="https://t.co/FeGon9eomT">pic.twitter.com/FeGon9eomT</a></p>&mdash; Kathleen Zellner (@ZellnerLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZellnerLaw/status/1056683271734677511?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I’ll add one more <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newsweek.com/steven-avery-lawyer-says-prosecutor-sexual-misconduct-undermines-conviction-490010%3famp=1"> comment about Kratz </a> and leave it at that. After leaving the DA’s office, Kratz began work as a defense attorney and has said he was addicted to sex and pain pills when he sent Van Groll texts like “I’m the attorney. I have the $350.000 house… You may be the tall, young, hot nymph, but I am the prize!” The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended his law license for four months and ordered him to pay $23,904 to cover the cost of his disciplinary proceeding. But I digress.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Would expect the sweaty, sexting disgraced ex-prosecutor Kratz to be trying to get gullible journalists to report on old discredited allegations against SA that trial judge refused. <a href="https://twitter.com/lifeafterten?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lifeafterten</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/michellemalkin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michellemalkin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SameOldGarbage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SameOldGarbage</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Makingamurderer2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Makingamurderer2</a></p>&mdash; Kathleen Zellner (@ZellnerLaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZellnerLaw/status/1058467731299803136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I&#39;m blown away on how bad the sheriff&#39;s office dropped the ball along with the shady tactics used by Ken Kratz. Here in Ohio our justice system does not operate like that of Wisconsin. As a deputy sheriff myself, I support you 100%. Keep at it!</p>&mdash; Scott (@ScottVershum) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottVershum/status/1057438739662864384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The documentary makers are now bringing Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey’s case back into the spotlight with an all-new season. In Making a Murderer Part 2, Avery has a new attorney, Kathleen Zellner.

<div style="width:100%;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;"><iframe width="360" height="202" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OTESOZbXlvA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

I had a chance to watch most of the Documentary and let me just say, Kathleen Zellner is truly remarkable. Zellner does not just take Avery’s word that he is innocent. She puts him through every possible test and he never backs away from anything she asks of him.

I was really impressed. Zellner is a Chicago-based attorney, and according to her firm’s website, she has a very impressive track record. As a wrongful conviction specialist, Zellner’s firm has had <a href="http://www.kathleentzellner.com/wrongful-conviction/"> nineteen </a> defendants exonerated, and is now working on Avery’s appeal.

“The deeper we dig into the Avery conviction, the more evidence we uncover of his innocence,” Zellner <a href="http://www.kathleentzellner.com/steven-avery"> wrote in a statement </a> for her firm. “It does not matter how long it takes, what it costs or what obstacles we have to overcome — our efforts to win Mr. Avery’s freedom will never stop.”

According to the profile on her firm’s blog, Zellner was born in Midland, Texas and was the second-oldest of eight children. Her mother, Winifred, was a pediatric nurse and her father, Owen, was a geologist who used rocks and geology to inspire her to turn small clues into a larger narrative. Zellner initially studied English and History at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, where she would find herself crafting literary arguments — pulling together puzzle pieces to support her interpretations of the books she was assigned. This is also where she met her husband, Robert Zellner, a Ph.D. student in econometrics, whose job brought her to Chicago.

Zellner decided to turn her puzzle-solving insight into a career and graduated from Northern Illinois University’s College of Law in 1981. She started her law career by clerking for a 2nd District Appellate Court justice and eventually opened her own practice in 1991. With her law and trial partner, Doug Johnson, Zellner began tackling appeals cases and exonerated her first client, Joseph Burrows, in 1994.

Zellner has gone on to overturn numerous cases and has earned the respect and admiration of the judges she has presented in front of.

Cook County Circuit Judge Thomas L. Hogan called Zellner “one of the finest lawyers” to try a case in front of him, and U.S. District Judge John W. Darrah said she would be a “poster child” for the evidence and trial advocacy courses he teaches at John Marshall Law School.

I remember the case of <a href="https://www.chicagolawyermagazine.com/elements/pages/print.aspx?printpath=/Archives/2014/12/Kathleen-Zellner&classname=tera.gn3article"> Ryan Ferguson </a>.

"Ryan, pack your s—,” the sergeant said.

Ryan Ferguson didn’t know where he was headed when he heard those words in his cell at a Missouri prison.

Maybe another facility. Maybe another cell. His best guess was solitary confinement.

Ferguson put his clothes and belongings into a cart he rolled in front of him. He passed through a door to a point where he was typically handcuffed. This time, no handcuffs.

Then, he went to another room where he saw Kathleen Zellner, 10 feet and two panes of plexiglass away from him.

Unable to talk to Zellner, Ferguson raised his hands, looking for guidance.

She picked up a light-blue jail pamphlet on the importance of parenting. She flipped it over, scribbled something and pressed it to the pane.

“It is over.”

“When Kathleen tells you it’s over,” Ferguson said, “it’s over.”

After 3,533 days of custody, Ferguson was freed on Nov. 12, 2013. What Zellner called Ferguson’s “Kafkaesque nightmare turned into a reality” began March 10, 2004, when police started questioning him about a 2001 murder in his hometown, Columbia, Mo. He always proclaimed his innocence, but after being convicted of second-degree murder and robbery, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Now, Kathleen Zellner has taken on Steven Avery's case.

Netflix’s Making a Murderer Part 2 premiered on Friday, October 19th.

Zellner says she knows who killed Teresa Halbach.

The series debuted in 2015 and follows the trial and conviction of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey; for the murder of Teresa Halbach over a decade earlier.

Making a Murderer 2 introduces Avery’s new lawyer Kathleen Zellner.

Zellner says she was inspired to take on the case after watching the first season of the show. Zellner has one of the highest success rates for overturning wrongful convictions in the United States.

She has overturned the convictions of nineteen men so far, including Joseph Burrows who was sentenced to death for the murder of farmer William E. Dulan. Zellner overturned the sentencing after convincing the real killer to confess.

BBC is one of the show’s creators. BBC’s Moira Demos said, “Kathleen is not a lawyer who works from behind a desk.

“She goes to the crime scene, she gets her hands on the evidence, she does experiments with world-renowned scientific experts,” she continued. “What is fascinating about her process is that it is very unconventional and yet very scientific.”

“Kathleen was incredibly gracious,” adds fellow Making a Murderer creator Laura Ricciardi. “What is interesting about her and Steven’s backstory is that for a number of years Steven was pursuing Kathleen, they knew about her incredible track record.

“She has a very vibrant practice, she was very busy with other cases, years later one of her clients who she exonerated brought her attention to the show,” she continued. “She said that when she saw Steven Avery’s reaction to the verdict at his trial, that really won her over and made her decide to take the case.”

Zellner says she has “one goal and that’s to overturn the conviction of Steven Avery.”

“It does not matter how long it takes, what it costs or what obstacles we have to overcome – our efforts to win Mr. Avery’s freedom will never stop,” she adds. Zellner believes she knows who killed Halbach – and it’s not Avery.

“If you are guilty, I will do a way better job of finding out you are guilty than any prosecutor could,” she adds during the show. “You would have to be an idiot to hire me and be proved guilty.”

“On this day 13 years ago, Steven claims he saw a vehicle near his trailer before his blood disappeared from his bathroom sink. He has since signed an affidavit claiming that the taillights he saw matched Bobby Dassey’s SUV.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On this day 13 years ago, Steven claims he saw a vehicle near his trailer before his blood disappeared from his bathroom sink. He has since signed an affidavit claiming that the taillights he saw matched Bobby Dassey’s SUV. <a href="https://t.co/mAnIWI5qD3">pic.twitter.com/mAnIWI5qD3</a></p>&mdash; Making A Murderer (@MakingAMurderer) <a href="https://twitter.com/MakingAMurderer/status/1058767246267273218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Police dogs originally tracked Teresa's remains to the Manitowoc gravel site. Kathleen contends that something happened to Teresa prior to her remains being found on the Avery property.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Police dogs originally tracked Teresa&#39;s remains to the Manitowoc gravel site. Kathleen contends that something happened to Teresa prior to her remains being found on the Avery property. <a href="https://t.co/RTdZKnFeYW">pic.twitter.com/RTdZKnFeYW</a></p>&mdash; Making A Murderer (@MakingAMurderer) <a href="https://twitter.com/MakingAMurderer/status/1058113154503401473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“Kathleen Zellner will challenge everything you think you know about what happened to Teresa Halbach.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kathleen Zellner will challenge everything you think you know about what happened to Teresa Halbach. <a href="https://t.co/KzsnZcLKe3">pic.twitter.com/KzsnZcLKe3</a></p>&mdash; Making A Murderer (@MakingAMurderer) <a href="https://twitter.com/MakingAMurderer/status/1052563632645689345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Related Sources:

https://www.romper.com/p/who-is-kathleen-zellner-making-a-murderer-part-2-introduces-steven-averys-fierce-new-lawyer-12251066; https://www.nme.com/news/tv/making-a-murderer-part-2-lawyer-2392246/amp

<b>By: Lexy </b>

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Thoughts on the above story? Comment below!
9 Comment/s
Anonymous No. 41243 2018-11-04 : 13:43

Keep This up! You should expose more corruption in in the judicial system. Expose the evil cops and prosecutors!

Larry cottle No. 41244 2018-11-04 : 13:52

Wow what a good read.

DA No. 41246 2018-11-04 : 14:23

I watched this right after a friend of mine was convicted to 6 years for a crime that he didn't commit. It only confirmed what I had recently learned through my friends case… Our justice system is SOOO corrupt & it starts at the top & goes right on through to the bottom feeders… Cops. We need to better VET ppl we give power, imo… All the way around. I hope she prooved Avery innocent!

Ned No. 41256 2018-11-04 : 15:55

Prosecutors hang heads on the wall. They don't care about guilt or innocence. They care about their record.

Anonymous No. 41283 2018-11-04 : 23:17

Great article.

The Sword of Truth No. 41311 2018-11-05 : 04:01

We must not be afraid to wield the sword to purge the deceivers.

Corruption runs deep & can be hard to root out. They use blackmail & involvement in initiations that can turn once good meaning people evil.

Sad & Sick is the state of things, yet the tide has changed & righteous people will avail. These rings of power hungry people in power will keep getting broken down.

Though much corruption still remains rampant.

Small example… Dig into Yuba City California… Sheriff`s S.W.A.T. As well as these small town politicians.

Cody No. 41347 2018-11-05 : 10:49

I was not familiar with this story but I will now be following it. What an interesting article about the injustice of our system. Great work and thank you.

Jo No. 41394 2018-11-05 : 19:52

I’ve never heard of this show, but now I want to find it and watch it. She sounds like an amazing lawyer. Thanks for the information.

Jo No. 41248 2018-11-05 : 20:16

I’ve never heard of this show, but now I want to find it and watch it. She sounds like an amazing lawyer. Thanks for the information.

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