there are "click here" links that i didn't copy/paste but the article itself isn't blocked by a paywall or anything so if you're interested in reading the petition or hearing the audio, click the link below
https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Making-a-Murderer-Brendan-Dasseys-attorneys-ask-for-clemency-561965921.html
WISCONSIN (WBAY) - Attorneys for Brendan Dassey are asking Wisconsin's governor to grant clemency to the man convicted in the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.
Dassey attorneys Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. to discuss the clemency request. Action 2 News will be there and carry it live online and on Facebook.
The case that shocked Northeast Wisconsin 14 years ago has since garnered international attention with the Netflix docu-series Making A Murderer.
On Oct. 31, 2015, freelance photographer Teresa Halbach disappeared after a trip to photograph a vehicle at the Avery Salvage Yard in Manitowoc County. Investigators say they found her remains in a burn pit on the Avery property. Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were arrested and charged with Halbach's murder.
In 2007, a jury found Dassey guilty of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. One of the key elements of the prosecution was a confession Dassey gave to detectives. Dassey's current legal team and critics claim Dassey's confession was coerced.
Dassey was 16 at the time of the killing of Teresa Halbach. His attorneys argue investigators used improper techniques while interrogating a juvenile with a low IQ. They say investigators made false promises to Dassey that he'd be released if he told them about the killing.
Dassey's legal team tells CBS News that they are petitioning Gov. Tony Evers to grant Dassey clemency. Dassey, now 29, appealed his conviction up to the United States Supreme Court. The high court declined to take up the case.
"Brendan Dassey was a sixteen-year-old, intellectually disabled child when he was taken from his school and subjected to a uniquely and profoundly flawed legal process. That process rightly sought justice for Teresa Halbach, but it wrongly took a confused child’s freedom in payment for her loss. Such a debt can never be justly repaid with the currency of innocence," reads the clemency petition.
CLICK HERE to view the full petition.
"This is his best shot, and the moment is now," says Laura Nirider, attorney for Brendan Dassey. "The moment is now for Brendan to come home."
Dassey spoke about the confession in the newly released Wrongful Conviction podcast. CLICK HERE to listen.
"I just wanted it all over with," said Dassey. "So, I said whatever they wanted to hear, you know?"
In April, Dassey sent a letter to Gov. Evers asking to go home. CLICK HERE to read the full letter.
"I am writing to ask for a pardon because I am innocent and want to go home. If I would get to go home, I would like to get a job involving video games. I would like to help take care of my mom and one day have a son and a daughter of my own," Dassey writes. "I would name my daughter Grace and my son Mizar which is the name of a star in the big dipper."
Dassey is currently serving out his life sentence at Oshkosh Correctional Institution.
Action 2 News has reached out to Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Justice for comment.
Dassey's uncle, Steven Avery, was also convicted of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. He continues to appeal his conviction. CLICK HERE for the latest developments.
Action 2 News has been following this story since Teresa Halbach disappeared in 2005. We will keep you updated on any developments in this case.
Breaking News: Convicted murderer Brendan Dassey’s attorney is going to file a petition with @GovEvers, asking for executive clemency to reduce his life sentence, for the murder of Teresa Halbach. We’ll talk to his attorney at 10 this morning. Stay with @WBAY for the latest.
— Brittany Schmidt (@BritSchmidtNews) October 2, 2019