For viewers of the Netflix series Making A Murderer, Steven Avery's family could be kind of hard to follow at times. Although Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey have become well known throughout the nation, understanding how everyone else was connected is more complicated. The Wisconsin family was a close-knit one, with several members living on the property that was also home to the Avery salvage yard business. They're still close, too. Avery and Dassey's parents, siblings, uncles, nieces, and beyond have all spoken out in support of the two, who were convicted in the murder of Teresa Halbach 9 years ago — Dassey on March 17, 2007, and Avery on March 18, 2007.
Both Avery and Dassey's lawyers continue to work on the cases, with Avery's lawyer likely trying the tack of police misconduct by the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department (which adamantly denies any wrongdoing), and Dassey's lawyers focusing on the possibility of a false confession, though the sheriff's department has claimed the confession followed standard procedure. And the family is behind them 100 percent.
To help you put a face to a name, here's a look at how the Avery family is connected, what the family members are up to nowadays, and what they've said about Making A Murderer — along with an update on the lawyers and law enforcement officials who were involved with the cases as well.
Steven Avery
Steven is still serving his life sentence without parole at Waupun Correctional Institution, though he maintains his innocence and has filed an appeal.
Brendan Dassey
Brendan, now 26, won't be eligible for parole until 2048. His legal team continues to seek a new trial.
Steven Avery's Parents
Dolores Avery
Steven’s mother, Brendan’s grandmother
Dolores has raised several theories about what really happened and said she thinks Steven will get a new trial. He calls her a couple of times per week.
Allan Avery
Steven’s father, Brendan’s grandfather
Allan has stayed quiet for the most part, other than comparing Steven in prison to a rabbit locked in a cage. Dolores said, “'Allan is OK, but he hates what's going on with Manitowoc County. They are so crooked.”
Steven Avery's Relationships
Lori Dassey
Steven’s ex-wife, Brendan’s former aunt/current stepmother
Formerly Lori Mathieson, she has since remarried Peter Dassey, Brendan’s father, and works at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. She has not publicly commented on the series but was reportedly upset her family photos were included.
Jodi Stachowski
Steven’s former fiancée
Jodi now says she believes Steven is guilty and claims he physically abused her, which Steven denies.
Sandy Greenman
Steven’s former fiancée
Engaged after Steven was convicted of murder, their romantic involvement is over, as Sandy said that Steven refused to convert to Christianity for her, but she continues to maintain his innocence.
Steven Avery's Children
Steven Avery Jr.
Steven’s son, Brendan’s cousin
Steven Jr. spoke out with his brother, Bill, about his father and cousin, saying “I think him and Brendan deserve a fair trial.” Steven Jr. claims he and his brother had a difficult time finding jobs because of their last name.
Bill Avery
Steven’s son, Brendan’s cousin
Bill said he believes Steven is innocent, but claims his father had “anger issues” and is like a stranger to him.
Rachel Avery
Steven’s daughter, Brendan’s cousin
Rachel has not spoken out on her father and cousin’s cases.
Jennifer Avery
Steven’s daughter, Brendan’s cousin
Jennifer has not spoken about the Netflix series.
Brendan Dassey's Parents
Peter Dassey
Brendan’s father, Steven’s former brother-in-law
Brendan’s dad is living a quiet life married to Lori, Steven’s ex-wife. Though he was featured in the documentary, he has not spoken out about Making A Murderer.
Barb Tadych
Brendan’s mother, Steven’s sister
Formerly Barb Janda, she maintains her son's innocence and is now married to Scott Tadych, who she was dating at the time of the documentary.
Scott Tadych
Brendan’s stepfather, Steven’s brother-in-law
Scott has kept a low profile through the years save for a 2009 postconviction filing by Steven alleging that he or Bobby Dassey could’ve been the ones who killed Teresa Halbach, which they deny.
Brendan Dassey's Siblings
Bobby Dassey
Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew
Bobby is living a private life with his family. He was mentioned in Steven’s 2009 postconviction filing, which alleged that he and Scott Tadych could’ve been involved in a cover-up to frame Avery. They adamantly deny the allegation.
Blaine Dassey
Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew
Blaine, who was briefly featured in testimony in the series, is active on social media but has not spoken publicly about the case.
Bryan Dassey
Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew
Bryan, who was not featured in the Netflix series, has continued to stay out of the spotlight since it aired.
Brad Dassey
Brendan’s half-brother
Brad is a computer technician living in Wisconsin. He wrote a rap about Brendan and Steven’s convictions called “They Didn’t Do It.”
Steven Avery's Brothers
Chuck Avery
Steven’s brother, Brendan’s uncle
Since the documentary aired, Chuck has been active on social media but has not granted any interviews regarding the series.
Earl Avery
Steven’s brother, Brendan’s uncle
Earl recently reunited with his brother after a decade of not speaking. He said he doesn’t hold a grudge against Steven and hopes for a new trial.
Steven Avery's Nieces / Brendan Dassey's Cousins
Carla Chase
Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin
Carla acts as the Avery family spokeswoman, maintaining a Twitter account and often posting new information online via @averydassey.
Kayla Avery
Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin
Kayla is active on social media, but has not spoken to the media about the cases.
Brittany Avery
Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin
Brittany was not featured in the documentary and has not spoken out on the series.
Steven Avery's Defense
Reesa Evans
Steven’s first public defender
Reesa had her law license suspended for two years for allegedly fabricating a letter to a client. She appears to still be in contact with the documentary filmmakers and attended its premiere.
Dean Strang & Jerry Buting
Steven’s former defense lawyers
Both Dean and Jerry have conducted multiple interviews discussing the Avery case, and while neither of is absolutely convinced of Steven’s innocence, they still have severe doubts about his guilt.
Kathleen Zellner & Tricia Bushnell
Steven’s current defense lawyers
Kathleen and Tricia are taking Steven’s case seriously. So seriously, in fact, that Kathleen reportedly bought a Toyota RAV4 like Teresa Halbach’s in order to do her own tests.
Brendan Dassey's Defense
Len Kachinsky
Brendan’s first public defender
Len continues to work as a defense attorney, and while he concedes that he could’ve handled Brendan’s case differently, he maintains that he fulfilled his legal duties.
Mark Fremgen & Ray Edelstein
Brendan’s later court-appointed lawyers
Mark is currently serving as the circuit court commissioner in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, while Ray is practicing law at a private firm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Steven Drizin & Laura Nirider
Brendan’s current defense lawyers
Steven and Laura are with the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth and have been working on Brendan’s case. They are focused specifically on the possibility of a false confession.
Prosecution & Law Enforcement
Ken Kratz
Former district attorney for Calumet County and special prosecutor
Ken had his career derailed in 2009, when he admitted he’d sent sexually explicit text messages to a domestic violence victim he was representing. He said he believes Steven is “exactly where he needs to be” and plans to write a book on the case.
Mark Wiegert
Former Calumet County Sheriff's Department detective
Mark still works for the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department as a lieutenant in the Jail, Investigations, and Schools section.
James Lenk
Former Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department lieutenant
James only briefly commented on the docuseries, saying the court transcripts are all he needs to defend himself. He has apparently retired from law enforcement and is living in Arizona.
Andrew Colborn
Former Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department sergeant
Andrew has maintained the guilt of both Steven and Brendan. In an email sent to USA Today, he warned that "If Steven Avery is ever freed, he may just become your neighbor, and he may want to bring his nephew with him."
Tom Fassbender
Lead investigator for the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation
Along with Mark Wiegert, Tom received an award in 2008 from the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators for his work on the Teresa Halbach case.
Although the family has mostly moved on with their lives, they still haven't let go of trying to help Avery and Dassey get released from prison. The case of Making A Murderer left an impact on their lives, as well as the nation, and from the past to the future, they're there every step of the way.
Images: Dawn Foster for Bustle
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