Brendan Dassey Lawyers Petition For His Release

Prosecutors Will Seek To Uphold Dassey Conviction

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In this April 16, 2007, photo, Brendan Dassey appears in court at the Manitowoc County Courthouse
In this April 16, 2007, photo, Brendan Dassey appears in court at the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Manitowoc, Wis. Dan Powers/AP Photo

Attorneys for a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” have petitioned for his release now that a federal appeals court has ruled that his confession was coerced.

Lawyers for Brendan Dassey filed papers Friday saying Thursday’s decision by a three-judge appeals panel leaves no reason for further delays.

The court gave Wisconsin prosecutors until 5 p.m. Monday to file a response.

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Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach’s death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach. Dassey was 16 then and suffered from cognitive problems. He’s now 27.

Prosecutors say they’ll seek to reverse the decision.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said the state will take whatever steps are necessary to keep Dassey behind bars. He plans to ask the full Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to review Thursday’s 2-1 split decision from a three-judge appeals panel.

Avery is pursuing his own appeal.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated at 4:06 p.m. Friday, June 23, 2017, to include information about the release petition filed Friday.