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'Making A Murderer' Petitions Gain 230,000 Signatures Calling For Action On Steven Avery

'Making A Murderer' Has Convinced 230,000 People To Take Action
George Bowden
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Nearly a quarter of a million people have been spurred into action after watching the captivating Netflix crime documentary 'Making A Murderer'.

Spoiler alert: This article reports the implications of Netflix's 'Making A Murderer'

READ MORE:Your Spoiler-Free Introduction To 'Making A Murderer'

The streaming service's first true-crime feature tells the incredible story of Steven Avery, a Manitowoc, Wisconsin man acquitted of a crime he'd served 18 years in prison for, only to be accused of another two years after his release.

Viewers who've already watched the series, which premiered last month, say it has caused them to lose faith in the police, local government, and America's legal system. And now hundreds of thousands of them have been spurred into action.

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Steven Avery pictured in 1985

Two petitions arguing for Steven Avery's release and pardon had gained over 230,000 total signatures by Monday morning after viewers of 'Making A Murderer' were left convinced by the argument his imprisonment for murder is "an abomination of due process".

Citing the documentary's suggestion of local law enforcement corruption, a Change.org petition argues for the exoneration of Avery "at once by Presidential pardon," and that "Manitowoc County officials complicit in his two false imprisonments should be held accountable".

A further petition on the White House website has gained traction with its demand for a full Presidential pardon for Steven Avery together with Brendan Dassey, Avery's nephew who was also convicted of the murder of Teresa Halbach, a photographer last seen near Avery's family home.

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Former prosecutor Ken Kratz has cast doubt on the documentary

Meanwhile, one of the prosecutors who worked to convict Avery for Halbach's murder has cast doubt on the motives of the filmmakers behind the documentary.

Ken Kratz, who left the profession after a widely-reported sex scandal, has said that Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi's programme amounted to furthering a conspiracy theory.

He told Fox 11 News: “I believe there to be 80 to 90 per cent of the physical evidence, the forensic evidence, that ties Steven Avery to this murder never to have been presented in this documentary."

Reviews for the documentary have heralded it as truly groundbreaking. The Atlantic's Lenika Cruz wrote: "Making a Murderer has the potential to be as popular and thought-provoking as its forebears – and to have real-life repercussions."

Amid the growing calls for a review of the case, Avery continues to serve a life sentence in Wisconsin's Waupun Correctional Institution, while Dassey remains at the state's Green Bay Correctional Institution.

'Making A Murderer' is on Netflix in Britain and the United States - available to stream now.

Making A Murderer: Steven Avery Murder Trial
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** FILE ** Steven Avery looks around a courtroom in the Calumet County Courthouse before the verdict was read in his trial, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit only to be convicted of committing a murder 3½ years after he left prison, said Tuesday, April 17, 2007, he is confident he will again be exonerated. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, Pool, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The hands of Tom Halbach, father of Teresa Halbach, are shown as he waits for the verdict in the Steven Avery murder trial in the Calumet County Courthouse Sunday, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Patrick Ferron, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery looks around a courtroom in the Calumet County Courthouse before the verdict was read in his murder trial Sunday, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty Sunday of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery leaves a courtroom after a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005, near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery enters a courtroom for a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse, Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005, near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Benny Sieu, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery gets a pat on the back from his attorney Jerome Buting as Judge Patrick Willis leaves the courtroom after a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, right, is escorted out of the courtroom for a hearing, Friday, March 16, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. The judge overseeing the trial dismissed one of the 12 jurors Friday, replacing the man with an alternate juror and asking the group to start deliberating again. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Benny Sieu, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, left, exits the courtroom after closing arguments in his trial, Thursday, March 15, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Roland Johnson of Jackson, Wis., a retired tool and die maker, examines a black powder muzzle loader he left in the trailer that he rented to Steven Avery, while being questioned on the witness stand Thursday, March 8, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery and his nephew are accused of murdering Teresa Halbach and burning her body in October 2005. The nephew, Brendan Dassey, is scheduled for trial in April. (AP Photo/Sharon Cekada, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Mike Riddle, Wisconsin State Crime Lab latent fingerprint examiner holds an Air National Guard lanyard that was found in Teresa Halbach's vehicle during his testimony at the Steven Avery murder trial on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Evan Siegle, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Marc LeBeau, chief of the chemistry unit at the FBI lab in Virginia, holds a vial of Steven Avery's blood Tuesday, March 6, 2007, while testifying in Avery's trial in Chilton, Wis. Prosecution witnesses on Tuesday rebutted claims that deputies planted Steven Avery's blood to frame him for the murder of a photographer. (AP Photo/ Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Dean Strang questions Rod Pevytoe, right, special agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation arson bureau during the Avery's murder trial Wednesday, March 7, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Defense attorney Jerome Buting, center, cross-examines Marc LeBeau, right, chief of the chemistry unit at the FBI lab in Virginia, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, as LeBeau testifies in Steven Avery's trial in Chilton, Wis. Prosecution witnesses on Tuesday rebutted claims that deputies planted Steven Avery's blood to frame him for the murder of a photographer. (AP Photo/ Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Marc LeBeau, head of the FBI's chemical analysis unit, testifies during Steven Avery's murder trial, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, is on trial for murder in the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach near his family's auto salvage lot on Oct. 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, left, listens to testimony in the courtroom Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, is on trial for murder in the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach near his family's auto salvage lot on Oct. 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Jerome Buting, left, questions Lynn Zigmunt, Manitowoc County Clerk of Courts, during the Steven Avery homicide trial Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Jerome Buting, right, questions Marc LeBeau, unit chief of the FBI's chemistry unit during testimony in Avery's homicide trial Monday, March 5, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang questions forensic anthropologist Leslie Eisenberg while a animation of a human skeleton is projected on a screen during testimony in the Steven Avery trial on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Jaslyn Gilbert, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A photo of a burn pit at Steven Avery's salvage yard is projected on a screen in Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis., during testimony by State Department of Justice Special agent Tom Sturdivant during Avery's murder trial. Sturdivant testified that he found bone fragments around the burn pit. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/, H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang points to a photo of a burn pit at Steven Avery's salvage yard is projected on a screen in Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis., during testimony by State Department of Justice Special agent Tom Sturdivant during Avery's murder trial. Sturdivant testified that he found bone fragments around the burn pit. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/, H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Karen Halbach, mother of Teresa Halbach, walks by a photo of Teresa projected on a screen in the courtroom after giving testimony during Steven Avery's murder trial in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, and his 17-year-old nephew are accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, on Halloween 2005 and burning her body after she went to Avery's Auto Salvage yard to photograph a van Avery's sister had for sale. The nephew, Brendan Dassey, is scheduled for trial in April. (AP Photo/H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Dean Strang points to a photo showing a CD case that contained blood stains in Teresa Halbach's vehicle while questioning Nick Stahlke, a blood spatter expert with the Wisconsin Crime Laboratory during testimony in Avery's murder trial Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery listens to testimony during his murder trial in Chilton, Wis., Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/ Kirk Wagner, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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