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Court orders 'Making a Murderer' inmate Brendan Dassey to stay in prison during appeal

Posted at 2:34 PM, Jun 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-28 17:18:36-04

CHICAGO -- A federal appeals court has ruled that Brendan Dassey, an inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer," will not be released while the State of Wisconsin appeals a ruling that he deserves a fresh trial.

In a filing Wednesday afternoon, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that the motion to lift the stay keeping Dassey in prison be denied. That means he will stay imprisoned while the state continues to appeal a ruling overturning his conviction.

Wisconsin's Department of Justice filed the motion to keep Dassey behind bars on Monday.

Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in 2007 in connection with Teresa Halbach's death. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill her.

A federal judge overturned his conviction last year, ruling investigators coerced Dassey into confessing. A three-judge panel from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that ruling last week, prompting Dassey's attorneys to seek his immediate release.