What You Should Know About Netflix’s ‘Making a Murderer’

3. Steven Avery’s Criminal Past Is…Troubling

Okay, so let’s take a quick second to talk about Avery the man. In Making a Murderer, he’s portrayed as a well-meaning simpleton who’s been caught in terrible circumstances. However, a more thorough look at his criminal past is important when trying to understand the prosecution’s proclaimed belief in Avery’s guilt. In 1981, Avery was sentenced to two years for burglary. In 1982, at the age of 20, he pleaded no contest after he poured gasoline and oil on a cat and threw it (still alive) into a fire. In addition, the Manitowoc County police department has several records from several women (his ex-fiance, sister-in-law, and the aforementioned cousin among them) that indicate Avery was sexually abusive and threatening. These women claim they refused to file reports about the incidents because they feared Avery’s vengeance. Said former fiance Jodi Stachowski, “He threatened to kill me and my family and a friend of mine. … I was in a bath and he threatened to throw a blow dryer in there, and he told me that he’d be able to get away with it.”