Brendan Dassey: A Case Study in Coerced Confessions

By Justin Jones Last updated Nov 16, 2022

This past month, Brendan Dassey was brought back into the public eye when the former attorney for Steven Avery made a clemency request. Brendan Dassey was found guilty of killing Teresa Halbach and sentenced to life in prison.

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Brendan Dassey’s Murder Case

Brendan Dassey is currently incarcerated and has been for a significant portion of his life at this point. The death of freelance photographer Teresa Halbach was the reason he was found guilty of murder. Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey’s uncle, was also prosecuted and convicted of the crime along with his nephew.

When Brendan Dassey was taken into custody in 2005, he was only 16 years old at the time. The year was 2005. This true crime has also found its way into television screens, in the form of a series on Netflix that investigates the events that transpired around the trial. Making a Murderer is the name of the television show.

The crime itself gained publicity all over the world, in addition to the fact that lovers of real crime have followed the series to its success and recognition. In a letter that was sent not too long ago, the former attorney for Steven Avery pleaded for Brendan Dassey to be granted mercy. Tony Evers, the Governor of Wisconsin, was the recipient of the letter.

This comes after other people, including the reality TV star Kim Kardashian, has requested the exact same thing. She has sent a tweet to the Governor of Wisconsin, urging him to read Brendan Dassey’s letter and to issue a pardon to Brendan Dassey. She has provided Brendan Dassey with her public endorsement and support.

Brendan Dassey – The Convicted Felon

Brendan Ray Dassey was born on October 19th, 1989 in Manitowoc County, which is located in the state of Wisconsin, in the United States. When he was 16 years old, he confessed to the murder, mutilation of a corpse, and second-degree sexual assault of a freelance photographer named Teresa Halbach. This is what brought him to the public’s attention.

The act of criminality was carried out on October 31st, 2005.

Brendan’s Early Life

Peter and Barbara Dassey were already parents when they welcomed their son Brendan into the world. Brendan, his three other brothers, and his half-brother were all born in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, which was also the county where his parents were natives.

His brothers’ names are Bryan, Bobby, and Blaine, and he also has a brother named Brad who is his half-brother. Brendan Dassey, who was in the middle of his teens and a student at Mishicot High School, was a sophomore at the time.

It was said that he had an IQ that was on the verge of being considered deficient, which resulted in him having to attend special education classes at Mishicot High School.

There is also the notion that Brendan is more of an introvert. He was a shy young man who most likely had the same characteristics as any other child living in his state. He was disappointed in himself whenever he had to skip out on a WWE live event because he was such a fan of the sport of wrestling and the WWE.

In addition to that, he enjoys animals and playing video games. Before his conviction in 2005, he did not have a previous record of criminal activity and had no connection to the criminal court system in any way.

Relation to Steven Avery

Barbara Tadych, also known as Barbara Dassey, was the sister of Steven Avery. Because of this, Brendan Dassey became his nephew. In the case involving the murder of the freelance photographer, both Steven Avery and his nephew were found guilty and sentenced.

It is important to note that Brendan Dassey’s half-brother, Brad Dassey, has stated that Steven Avery is innocent of the charges against him. He maintains that his uncle is innocent of the crime and blames Barbara Dassey for tampering with the evidence. He also accuses Barbara Dassey of tampering with the evidence.

Brendan Dassey Now

In 2005, Brendan Dassey was just 16 years old when he was found guilty of his crime; therefore, he is now in his early 30s. He dropped out of high school in the midst of his senior year, and as a result, he was unable to finish his education.

In 2019, he penned a letter to the governor of Wisconsin in which he expressed his desire, should he ever have the opportunity to do so, to find employment in the video game business.

In spite of his efforts to secure a pardon, he has been repeatedly turned down. He has a great following that is insisting that he be released, but their efforts have not been successful as of yet.

The Murder of Freelance Photographer, Teresa Halbach

When Teresa Halbach went missing, she was 25 years old, and her parents reported her disappearance as a missing person report. She was given birth in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, on the 22nd of March in 1980, and she grew up in close proximity to her parents in Calumet County.

On October 31, 2005, it was reported that she had been at the Avery Salvage Yard. This was her final known location.

Her vehicle was found partially buried on the Avery property, where it had been hidden. The charred remains of Teresa Halbach were discovered by the County Sheriff after an exhaustive search of the property owned by Avery.

In addition to her skeletal remains, some of her personal things, including her cell phone, car keys, and license plates, were discovered in Steven Avery’s vehicle along with blood matches. Steven Avery was arrested and charged with the kidnapping, mutilation of a corpse, illegal possession of a firearm, and murder of Teresa Halbach as a result of the findings of this investigation.

Brendan Dassey’s Role

During the initial stages of the investigation, Brendan Dassey served as Avery’s alibi. He was the subject of numerous interrogations, many of which it was later discovered to have taken place in the absence of any legal representation or a parent.

His mother gave her consent to such interrogations despite knowing that Dassey would be given promises during the process that would subsequently be revealed to be untrue.

The murder, rape, and mutilation of the photographer’s body were all admitted to by Brendan Dassey in his confession. Brendan admitted that he was involved in the conspiracy while being questioned using so-called “authorized interrogation techniques.”

There was pushback over the unsupervised confession that was obtained from Brendan at such a young age. Even though the methods that were used had prior approval, it is still possible for a child to be coerced into submission in the absence of a guardian or parent.

Brendan Dassey was quite clear and specific in his confession about the part that he played as a co-conspirator in the entire scheme that was being investigated. After some time had passed, a magistrate judge in the United States stated that the confession was “obviously involuntary in the sense of the constitution.”

An appeals court disagreed with this verdict and overturned it. In light of the fact that it had already been reversed, the Supreme Court of the United States, which had previously declined to hear the case on its own, opted to maintain the decision of the appellate court.

The Arrest of Brendan Dassey

On March 1, 2006, charges were brought against Brendan Dassey, and he was taken into custody. The accusations included being complicit in a sexual assault, first-degree murder, and the desecration of a deceased body. Ken Kratz, who was in charge of the prosecution, called a massive news conference to disclose the specifics and charges against the defendant.

The ordeal received extensive coverage in newspapers and on television across the country.

Recantation of His Confession And Present

After some time had passed, Brendan Dassey wrote a letter to the judge presiding over the trial in which he denied having made the confession. As evidence, he cited a book as the source of his inspiration. Additionally, he wrote letters to the Governor of Wisconsin, but his requests were repeatedly denied.

As of today, Brendan Dassey is still in jail.

His legal team has the support of a large number of powerful persons, such as Mr. Seth Waxman, the former Solicitor General of the United States, and his staff. On February 20, 2018, the petition for review was submitted to the Supreme Court.

As a direct result of the events that took place and the conclusions that were drawn, Illinois became the first state in the nation to enact legislation that makes it illegal for police to lie to children when questioning them in order to elicit confessions.