Overview

The shocking Netflix documentary Making a Murderer left millions of viewers wondering how an apparently innocent man could be wrongfully convicted - not just once, but twice. This book explains, in plain English, the numerous flaws in Wisconsin's criminal justice system that led to the wrongful convictions of Steven Avery and his mentally challenged nephew Brendan Dassey. Equally disturbing, it also reveals that similar flaws exist in other jurisdictions of the country. The author, himself a criminal defense attorney in Wisconsin, details the egregious procedures that resulted in the Avery and Dassey convictions. Besides the use by law enforcement of suggestive eyewitness-identification methods and interrogation tactics known to produce false confessions, defense lawyers had their hands tied by a truth-suppressing trial rule. Though they had evidence that someone other than Avery murdered Teresa Halbach, Wisconsin courts rarely permit consideration of such evidence. Perhaps most troubling, the burden of proof in this state is actually much lower than the constitutionally-mandated ""beyond a reasonable doubt"" standard. The author not only discusses the documentary, but he also quotes from and cites Avery's and Dassey's appellate court decisions, appellate court briefs, numerous trial court documents, other cases, law review articles, and scientific studies. This unsettling book will give you facts and insights beyond those presented in the documentary and leave you wondering whether the constitutional right to a fair trial is actually guaranteed where you live.

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9781633882553

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Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF MICHAEL CICCHINI: This book is very eye opening and should be read by anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. It is a concise and well-written work that would make excellent supplemental reading material for virtually any undergraduate or graduate level course related to criminal law or criminal procedure. I strongly recommend this book. Once I opened it, I literally could not stop reading. -- International Criminal Justice Review (reviewing Tried and Convicted )

<i>Convicting Avery</i> is a smart, irreverent analysis of the Avery and Dassey cases from <i>Making a Murderer</i>. It's a fascinating and, at times, deeply disturbing examination of the problems that plague our criminal justice system. --Lawrence White, PhD, false confession expert in <i>Making a Murderer</i>, and professor of psychology at Beloit College <i>Convicting Avery</i> is that rare book that is superbly written by an expert in criminal law, reads like a thriller, and offers much that would surprise even seasoned lawyers. I read it in one sitting. --Matthew Flynn, commercial litigation partner of Quarles and Brady, former chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and author of <i>Pryme Knumber</i> <i>Convicting Avery</i> is disturbing. And this is all the more reason why it is a must-read. Criminal defense lawyer Michael D. Cicchini informs, illuminates, and impels us to take a hard, clear-sighted look at our broken criminal justice system and what it means to our own threatened presumption of innocence. Cicchini takes us concisely and incisively through the widely publicized trials and murder convictions of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, which were given so much notoriety via the Netflix documentary <i>Making a Murderer</i>. But Cicchini's book is no redundant recitation of either the case or the documentary. Nor is it a ponderous, pedantic treatise. It is instead replete with fresh, unsettling truths and insights. <i>Convicting Avery</i> is highly readable and well researched, and leavened with common sense and cutting wit. It's a galvanizing book--expertly and persuasively written. Highly recommended. --Mauricio Mo Hernandez, attorney

PRAISE FOR THE WORK OF MICHAEL CICCHINI: This book is very eye opening and should be read by anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. It is a concise and well-written work that would make excellent supplemental reading material for virtually any undergraduate or graduate level course related to criminal law or criminal procedure. I strongly recommend this book. Once I opened it, I literally could not stop reading. --<i>International Criminal Justice Review </i>(reviewing <i>Tried and Convicted</i>)

Convicting Avery is a smart, irreverent analysis of the Avery and Dassey cases from Making a Murderer. It's a fascinating and, at times, deeply disturbing examination of the problems that plague our criminal justice system. --Lawrence White, PhD, false confession expert in Making a Murderer, and professor of psychology at Beloit College Convicting Avery is that rare book that is superbly written by an expert in criminal law, reads like a thriller, and offers much that would surprise even seasoned lawyers. I read it in one sitting. --Matthew Flynn, commercial litigation partner of Quarles and Brady, former chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and author of Pryme Knumber Convicting Avery is disturbing. And this is all the more reason why it is a must-read. Criminal defense lawyer Michael D. Cicchini informs, illuminates, and impels us to take a hard, clear-sighted look at our broken criminal justice system and what it means to our own threatened presumption of innocence. Cicchini takes us concisely and incisively through the widely publicized trials and murder convictions of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, which were given so much notoriety via the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. But Cicchini's book is no redundant recitation of either the case or the documentary. Nor is it a ponderous, pedantic treatise. It is instead replete with fresh, unsettling truths and insights. Convicting Avery is highly readable and well researched, and leavened with common sense and cutting wit. It's a galvanizing book--expertly and persuasively written. Highly recommended. --Mauricio Mo Hernandez, attorney

Author Information

Michael D. Cicchini, JD, is a criminal defense attorney in Kenosha, Wisconsin; the author of Tried and Convicted- How Police, Prosecutors, and Judges Destroy Our Constitutional Rights; and a coauthor of But They Didn't Read Me My Rights! Myths, Oddities, and Lies about Our Legal System (with Amy Kushner, Ph.D.). He is also a columnist at the Wisconsin Law Journal and a blogger at The Legal Watchdog, and has published articles in several law reviews, including the Fordham Law Review and Northwestern University's Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology.

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