'Making a Murderer' Creators Visit Miami

By Abbey Gingras

Miami University journalism student

When Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos left behind their lives in New York City in 2005 to create a documentary about Steven Avery in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, they had no idea what their future held.

"We thought we were making a feature film," Demos says. "But we would've had to tell rather than show if we did that."

Demos and Ricciardi's film idea morphed into a series, something that was unusual for the documentary genre at the time. They spoke to a small group of students in Miami's Hall Auditorium recently about the series.

The filmmaking was surrounded by uncertainty, they told the audience, with the duo spending 10 years working on the project without guarantee of success. Eventually, they landed a deal with Netflix that led to international fame and the promise of a second season.

"Making a Murderer" is a 10-episode docu-series that follows the life of Steven Avery and the trials of both Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey for the death of Theresa Halbach. The show raises questions about Avery's and Dassey's guilt as well as the way police and prosecutors handled the investigation and subsequent trials.

From Uncertainty To Obsession

The show was released in full in December 2015, quickly gaining a large fan base that began to obsess over every detail of the investigation. Senior Olivia Vandervoort, who introduced Demos and Ricciardi, likes the show because of its connection to societal issues.

"This is a specific story in a specific place, but it's probably happening elsewhere," she says. "It is a crack through which you can see larger issues. It makes you think twice about our legal system."

Vandervoort, a member of the university lecture series committee, volunteered to participate in this lecture because she wanted to hear more from the show's creators.

"The whole concept of them reading that New York Times article and packing up everything to move to Wisconsin and start filming is amazing," Vandervoort says, referencing how the duo came across Avery's story and the idea for the series.

"They were getting this degree in a field that was pretty uncertain and they didn't have a certain path to a job and they decided to follow their instinct. I think a lot of students can relate to that."

Ricciardi, who attended law school, said the show changed her opinion about the legal system.

"I feel like I grew as a lawyer, a filmmaker and a person throughout this series," she says. "We hope that people take away the importance of asking questions."

Demos agreed, and said that the widespread attention the show received is a positive sign for the future of the justice system.

"It matters that people are tuning in to watch a nonfiction documentary series," she says.

Season Two On The Way

Although Netflix confirmed that the show will be getting a second season, Demos and Ricciardi were tight-lipped about a release date.

"We don't know when it will air," Ricciardi says.

Demos echoed her Monday night: "As soon as we can get it finished."

Season two will likely cover the ongoing plights of both Avery and Dassey who are currently serving life sentences and appealing for new trials. Dassey had his conviction overturned in August, but his release was blocked in November.

Vandervoort is awaiting the new episodes as well.

"It'll be fascinating to see how the decisions come out and things fall together," she says. "I'm excited to watch."

Photo: "Making a Murderer" creators speak to students in a crowded Hall Auditorium; pictured on stage with Miami professor Patti Newberry. -- Photo by Sabik Akand, The Miami Student