By KEVIN DEVLIN
I recently watched “Making a Murderer,” the 10-part Netflix documentary about the true crime story of a Wisconsin man, Steven Avery, convicted of the 2005 murder of a young woman. He was previously in prison for 18 years for a sexual assault he never committed and was subsequently released after new evidence surfaced, which proved his innocence. He was in the process of suing the local police department for this miscarriage of justice when he was arrested and subsequently convicted for murder. Boy, talk about luck and talk about timing, hey?
I was under the impression that this story was a two or a three-part documentary, but when I started watching it with my daughter, Deirdre, we were hooked. The case was astounding: a clear case of injustice. His lawyers thought he was framed by local police. Or was it someone who knew the victim and wanted revenge, perhaps a jilted lover?
In The New York Times on Jan. 5, the prosecutor in the case, Ken Kratz, was quoted as saying that the series “really presents misinformation” about the case, and omitted evidence such as sweat allegedly found on the victim’s car and bullets found in the garage. The documentary’s producers and Avery’s defense lawyer, Dean Strang, felt they presented the “most compelling evidence” in the case.
The prosecution, using information obtained by cops by browbeating his intellectually-challenged nephew (who was also accused and convicted), accused Avery of brutally killing and raping this woman in his bedroom. But not one smattering of the victim’s DNA or blood was found in the house or garage. Avery must have been a professional “cleaner” to take care of that arduous task.
By the way, Kratz was a piece of work. In 2010 he was forced to resign from the DA’s office after being accused of sexting domestic abuse clients he was representing. At the time, he reportedly was abusing prescription drugs and seeking treatment for a sex addiction.
The issue of gun control is again on the front burner in Washington. Tightening-up measures shouldn’t be so hard to accomplish. Make everyone living anywhere in America undergo background checks. This should be a no-brainer. If anyone has a felony record or mental health issues, deep-six the application. Some feel there isn’t a gun show loophole, but if there is, close it and make every seller accountable to who, where, and when he sells the guns. Don’t allow those on the no fly list to be able to buy guns. Unfortunately, even when and if they finally get it right, it isn’t going to change much. Terrorists and other bad actors will always find a way to circumvent the rules and find a way to secure guns and then kill and maim others.
And that issue brings me to why Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Republican candidate Donald Trump are so popular. Americans are sick of the political elite continuing their ineffective ways in our nation’s capital. Americans want change.
