'Making a Murderer' Subject's Conviction Overturned

On Friday, a judge overturned Brendan Dassey's 2006 conviction in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, People magazine reports.

Dassey is the nephew of Stephen Avery. He and Avery were the subjects of the controversial Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer," which documented Halbach's murder and the questionable convictions of both Dassey and Avery. Viewers debated whether the men, who were both convicted, were railroaded.

The producers of "Making a Murderer," Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, issued the following statement to People: "Today there was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work. As we have done for the past 10 years, we will continue to document the story as it unfolds, and follow it wherever it may lead."

In March 2006, Dassey told investigators he had helped his uncle rape and murder Halbach, but he later recanted his confession. In exonerating him, a judge ruled Dassey had been promised prosecutorial leniency in exchange for his cooperation. The ruling reads, in part: "Crucial details evolved through repeated leading and suggestive questioning and generally stopped changing only after the investigators, in some manner, indicated to Dassey that he finally gave the answer they were looking for."

Dassey later told his mom that investigators had gotten "in my head."