USA Today Article on Brendan Dassey's Clemency Petition
April 16, 2022
Brendan Dassey seeks clemency, release from prison in Teresa Halbach case
October 2, 2019
Andy Thompson and Chris Mueller, Appleton Post-Crescent
MADISON, Wis. – The lawyers representing Brendan Dassey, who was featured in Netflix’s docuseries “Making a Murderer” for his conviction in the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, filed a petition Wednesday for executive clemency with Gov. Tony Evers.
The petition asks Evers to consider either a pardon, which would result in Dassey’s release from prison and the restoration of some of his legal rights, or a commutation, which would result in his release or a shortened sentence.
His lawyers focused on his alleged innocence and the “extreme length of his sentence,” according to a copy of the petition obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Dassey, 29, is serving a life sentence and won’t be eligible for parole until 2048, when he will be 59.