Sunday, September 25, 2016

Convicting Avery (Prometheus Books, 2017)

How often is Wisconsin criminal law and procedure front and center on the national stage? Probably once, and that is thanks to the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer. But of course, a ten-hour documentary about three criminal cases (two for Avery and one for Dassey) doesn't allow much time to explore the laws and procedures behind the convictions. Therefore, I wrote a book titled Convicting Avery: The Bizarre Laws and Broken System behind "Making a Murderer." It is being published by Prometheus Books and will hit the shelves on April 4, 2017. As the title makes clear, the book will expose the numerous flaws in Wisconsin's criminal justice system that contributed to the three convictions. In the meantime, if you're one of the few people in the world yet to see Making a Murderer, watch it now on Netflix. And if you're looking for up-to-the minute links, news, and commentary on Avery and Dassey, check out the Tick Tock Manitowoc group on Reddit. Finally, for my first two books, check out my amazon author page.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Convicting Dassey: Five Easy Steps to a False Confession

Check out my newest Wisconsin Law Journal column on Brendan Dassey's confession -- a confession that was obviously false and now determined to be "involuntary" by the federal district court.  

Friday, September 9, 2016

Henry Fool on Politics and Other-Acts Evidence

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late.  I've been busy writing a law review article on other-acts evidence, and I also find myself spending far more time than expected watching and reading about this ongoing train wreck otherwise known as the presidential race.  (With private servers, political donations, and now "Trump University" lawsuits, there's just so much of substance to take in.)  And both of these things -- other-acts evidence and politics -- remind me of Henry Fool.  With regard to politics, Henry was rather dismissive of the process: "When noble minds shrink from the task of leadership, scoundrels will rush in to fill the void."  And as for other-acts evidence, Henry had firsthand knowledge of its life-long impact: "So my word is not enough; my promise worthless; the fact that I have served my time nothing but the emblem of my continuing guilt."  For more of Henry's wisdom, check out Henry FoolFay Grim, and now part three of the trilogy, Ned Rifle.  And of course, please enjoy the mesmerizing, ongoing media debate about whether Hillary or Trump is the lesser of the two evils, and should therefore be elected president.