A retired detective whose testimony formed a crucial part of documentary series Making A Murderer has sued Netflix for defamation, claiming the show falsely insinuated he planted evidence during a murder investigation.
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Andrew Colborn‘s suit, filed on Monday in Wisconsin’s Manitowoc County Circuit Court, alleges directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos “falsely led viewers to the inescapable conclusion that plaintiff and others planted evidence to frame” Steven Avery for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.
Colborn claims that a vial of Avery’s blood – which Avery’s defense attorneys alleged was subject to police tampering in an attempt to frame their client – was actually punctured as part of a routine procedure regarding Avery’s overturned 1985 attempted murder conviction.
The suit alleges “material and significant facts known to the defendants were omitted and distorted.”
Notably, Colborn alleges that key pieces of his testimony were selectively edited to make him appear “nervous and apprehensive,” especially about the discovery of Halbach’s vehicle – a key component of the case against Avery.
The suit states Colborn has suffered mental distress and a loss of income as a direct result of the series.
It’s just the latest turn in a case which has spawned a follow-up, focussing on the post-conviction efforts to overturn the convictions of Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. You can read the full suit, obtained by Variety, right HERE.
