Okay—this kind of question has been asked, literally, hundreds of times, between TTM and the original MaM board—and the stated approach of this board is that we do not have to engage in these endless arguments with people who continue to revisit the idea that Steven Avery is guilty. There are other subreddits for this, and one dedicated exclusively to discussion of the topic of guilt....
However, your question reminded me of something I’ve meant to say in the past, but have never gotten around to. This is a classic “Emperor’s New Clothes” situation. When so many people insist that the man walking right in front of you, stark naked, is fully clothed in resplendent finery, you begin to question what you are seeing with your own eyes.
The reason you are experiencing so much dissonance, is that this situation is nonsensical—that is, it literally makes no sense. The evidence was overwhelming from the start, and over this last year was greatly increased, that Manitowoc framed an innocent man. Again. This is what you are seeing with your own eyes. Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos thoughtfully and skillfully assembled an amazing documentary, that walked us through the story. You watched it yourself, and you know how amazing it was. Hey—it swept the Emmy’s in the documentary category this year.
Stop a minute and take this last point in. It swept the Emmy’s. That’s a rare thing. Being selected for an Emmy is rare enough, but the odds of shutting out the competition are possibly incalculable.
It swept the Emmy’s in the DOCUMENTARY category. It is absolutely a documentary. It’s not an advocacy piece, or someone’s attempt to trick the audience. It is a stone cold, straight up, damn fine documentary. People who tell you otherwise—they’re like the foolish people insisting that the emperor is wearing his new clothes. And in truth, this kind of thing happens more often than it should. For all kinds of reasons, people pretend not to see what’s there, or pretend to see what’s not there.
In community settings, whether you’re talking Manitowoc or Reddit, group dynamics can influence how individuals perceive things. When a majority adopts a false perception, everyone feels pressured to conform to this view. They choose to believe, based on the group’s approval, rather than on the actual evidence before them.
In the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” a child blurts out that the emperor is naked, and breaks the spell everyone is under. I think we need that here, because this has gone on long enough. I just want to shake everyone awake.
This is a situation where the truth and what people are claiming to be true are two completely different things, and they can’t both be right. But the facts, the evidence, the experts, and every decent person who has ever touched this case, all line up on one side—Steven Avery did not murder Teresa Halbach.
Why did two juries return with guilty verdicts? Well, you already know the answer to that one, don’t you? A need to conform, fear of local authorities, a desperate desire to believe in the pillars of their community—each person on those juries had their own reasons. There are ways to explain their actions, but this does not mean their reasoning was sound or their conclusions valid.
Don’t ask the group—ask yourself: what do you see? Don’t torture yourself by attending to these endless petty arguments people keep throwing up, to sow doubt and confusion. See with your own eyes.
Then start again. What have you seen, and what do you know? Give yourself permission to answer your own questions. It might be too much to confront other people, but at least tell yourself the truth.