Hofstra hosted a conversation on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with popular defense attorney Dean Strang, who is known for appearing on the hit Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer.” The show follows the trial of one of Strang’s former clients, Steven Avery, who was charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach.
Ellen Yaroshefsky, a prestigious law professor at Hofstra, interviewed Strang, bringing attention to the issue of false accusations that occur within court systems. Strang and Defense Attorney Jerry Buting represented Avery, who was sentenced to life without parole in 2007.
“From the perspective of someone who watched the hit Netflix series ‘Making a Murderer’ and from an aspiring attorney, I truly enjoyed Strang’s conversation with Yaroshefsky. It could not go unnoticed how well-versed and poised Strang was,” said Deandra Denton, a freshman sociology major.
Throughout the interview, the audience listened as Strang shared important evidence in the Avery case, like the mysterious key found in the seventh search of Avery’s room and the scattering of the victim’s burnt bones. While confined to only relaying information that would not violate the rights of his client, Strang shared as much information with the audience as he could.
Just a few years before Halbach’s death, Avery was released from prison after serving 18 years of a wrongful 32 year sentence. After being cleared by DNA evidence, Avery filed a civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County, Manitowoc County’s District Attorney and the sheriff. In December of 2005, the lawsuit was settled for $400,000, right before Avery was charged with Halbach’s murder. He is currently serving a life sentence without possibility of parole for first degree murder.
At the end of the interview, Strang revealed his disappointment when he was speaking about Avery’s life sentence. “It’s like he is just waiting for the biological end: death … he is awaiting a slow death sentence.”
Strang shared that he always believed that Avery did not commit the murder. He implied that he will carry the loss of Avery’s case with him for the rest of his career.
“Professor Yaroshefsky and Mr. Strang are at the top of their respective fields within the law, and the conversation between the two of them was engaging, challenging and provocative,” said law professor James Sample.
Strang and Buting finished their Conversation of Justice Tour at the end of August 2016. The tour consisted of the two defense lawyers speaking about the Avery case and its implications on our current criminal justice system. By addressing the faults of the justice system, Strang and Buting are attempting to promote awareness and spark a need for change in America.
Strang said, “I have been struck too, by the sophistication that many people demonstrate, especially on the question of innocence. What we do to or for the guilty and the probably guilty matters even more in defining who we are as a nation and a culture.”