Steven Avery Lawyer on NBC's 'Dateline': New Forensics Will Clear Him

Kathleen Zellner, whose Downers Grove law firm is taking on the case of Steven Avery, the subject of Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer,” will discuss the case in an interview Friday night on NBC’s “Dateline.”

This will be Zellner’s first TV interview about the case. Her law firm took the case earlier this month. Zellner is regarded as one of the top 10 litigators in the United States, according to the National Law Journal.

In 2003, Avery was released from prison after spending nearly two decades behind bars after a wrongful rape conviction. In 2005, Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were charged in the killing of photographer Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Her bones and belongings were found burned near Avery’s trailer. Both are serving life terms in prison.

The “Making a Murderer” documentary on Netflix has captured nationwide attention and strongly suggests that Avery was convicted on planted evidence.

Zellner told Dateline her legal team will do “everything necessary” to review and retest the evidence. Zellner said she even bought a Toyota RAV4 exactly like the the one driven by Halbach, which was found on Avery’s property. She wants to understand how the vehicle was tested by the original investigators.

“Generally, since 2007, there have been significant advances in forensic testing ... the clearest way to do this is with scientific testing,” Kathleen Zellner told Dateline NBC’s Andrea Canning. “Am I going to tell you exactly what it is? I am not. But it’s been a long time. There was a lot of evidence that wasn’t tested.”

Zellner also said her team has alternative suspects.

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