Although it's been a decade since the initial crime occurred, the Netflix documentary series Making A Murderer has brought the murder of Teresa Halbach back into the public eye, and this time on a much larger scale. With all of this information related to the crime accumulated and presented to the world, some people related to the case are coming out and speaking up about their feelings. But, while many viewers are campaigning for Steven Avery's release despite his conviction, it's important not to forget about the victims of the crime, no matter who committed it: Teresa and her family. So, what does Teresa's brother Mike Halbach think of Making A Murderer ?
People that have publicly spoken about the series so far include Steven Avery's attorneys Dean Strang and Jerome Buting, but one voice that has remained silent since the series premiered — despite being a major part of the documentary — has been Teresa's brother Mike Halbach. Bustle reached out for comment, but he has not yet responded. The family did release a joint statement prior to the show's release:
Having just passed the 10-year anniversary of the death of our daughter and sister, Teresa, we are saddened to learn that individuals and corporations continue to create entertainment and to seek profit from our loss. We continue to hope that the story of Teresa’s life brings goodness to the world.
But, they've stayed pretty quiet since then. According to an interview with the filmmakers in Vulture, Mike met with the filmmakers, but declined on behalf of his family to be involved. "We invited the Halbach family to participate in the film, and we had coffee with Mike Halbach, the official spokesperson for the family, to discuss the idea, but they decided not to participate," Laura Ricciardi told Vulture. "So we filmed Mike at all the press conferences that he held, but that was the extent of our interaction with him.
Though he hasn't spoken directly about the documentary since its Dec. 18 release, he has given some hints that it's certainly on his mind. On Dec. 21, a few days after the premiere of Making A Murderer on Netflix, Mike changed his Facebook profile picture to one of him and his sister. The release of the documentary is bringing new light to the case and might be opening some old wounds, so it seems Mike is using his social media to get people to remember that, despite the matter of guilt or innocence on the part of Steve Avery or Brendan Dassey, Teresa Halbach was also a victim of whatever transpired in Manitowoc. What occurred for the Halbach family was undeniably a tragedy, creating a hole that can likely never be filled no matter who is put in prison for her death.
Mike is by no means obligated to make a comment regarding the series, but many viewers are interested in learning if his viewing of the documentary has changed his opinion on Avery and Dassey's convictions like it has for many viewers. But until/unless he chooses to comment on that, it seems the only thing Mike wants the world to know is that he loved his sister, and continues to miss her.
Images: Netflix (2)
