In a heavily divided opinion, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the conviction and thereby approved the abusive interrogation tactics employed against this disabled teen.
A federal appeals court in Chicago narrowly overturned a ruling Friday that could have freed a Wisconsin inmate featured in the “Making a Murderer” series from prison, though one dissenting judge called the case “a profound miscarriage of justice.”
The full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed Brendan Dassey’s claims that investigators tricked him into confessing that he took part in raping and killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after telling detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach.
The 4-to-3 opinion conceded a ruling wasn’t obvious or easy, but said it came down to whether findings by Wisconsin state courts that Dassey wasn’t coerced into confessing were reasonable.
I’ll be honest; I binge watched this series. If I was a law school professor, I would use the series as the basis for an entire class on criminal defense. I nearly threw my laptop across the room watching the episode wherein the statements are obtained. The police behavior was bad; his defense lawyer was atrocious. Without his “coerced” confessions obtained by investigators (and his lawyer!), there would be no evidence to implicate Brandon.
Here is the statement of his attorneys, Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin:
We are profoundly disappointed by the decision of four judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to reverse two prior decisions and deny relief to Brendan Dassey. Like many around the globe, we share the view of the three judges who wrote, in dissent, that today’s ruling represents a “profound miscarriage of justice.” We intend to continue pursuing relief for Brendan, including through a petition for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court.
Today’s ruling contravenes a fundamental and time-honored position of the United States Supreme Court: interrogation tactics that may not be coercive when applied to adults are coercive when applied to children and the mentally impaired. Indeed, when such tactics are applied to vulnerable populations, the risk of false confession grows intolerably. Unfortunately, this time-worn lesson was ignored today by four judges in the case of Brendan Dassey. We at the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth are committed to continuing to fight on behalf of Brendan and others like him to prevent future miscarriages of justice.
The Northeast Innocent Project tweeted:
Another travesty of justice: The 7th Circuit rules against Brendan Dassey. False confessions are a leading cause of wrongful conviction and courts who fail to act in cases like this are failing innocent men and women everywhere.
Dassey’s statement was completely contradicted by any forensics:
https://twitter.com/ZellnerLaw/status/939469573853675520
This matter highlights the danger of exposing juveniles to law enforcement. As I have posted, DO NOT TALK TO POLICE, its is especially true for your children. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD OR TEEN TALK OR BE QUESTIONED BY POLICE.
In Alabama, Section of 12-15-202 of the Alabama Code enumerates the rights of children in this setting: (a) When a child is taken into custody, the person taking the child into custody shall inform the child of all of the following, in language understandable to the child: (1) The reason that the child is being taken into custody, (2) That the child has the right to communicate with his or her parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian whether or not that person is present. If necessary, reasonable means will be provided for the child to do so, (3) The child has the right to communicate with an attorney. If the child does not have an attorney, one will be appointed for him or her. If the child has an attorney who is not present, reasonable means shall be provided for the child to communicate with the attorney. Before the child is questioned about anything concerning the charge on which the child was taken into custody, the person asking the questions shall inform the child of the rights a second time.
In 18 years of practice, I can count on one hand the number of parents who wisely did not let their child speak or be interviewed by law enforcement. However, this past month, one mother refused law enforcement an interview with her teen son; the charges were ultimately dismissed.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: THERE IS NO PARENT-CHILD PRIVILEGE. Anything a child tells a parent can and will be used against them. Therefore a parent could be compelled by court to testify about any statements made by their child to them. Therefore if you get the call, do not talk about the details of the case. Tell your child to remain silent and DEMAND A LAWYER.)
