Steven Avery listens to testimony March 13, 2007, in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton.
An attorney for Steven Avery is challenging the credibility of a Wisconsin inmate who reportedly confessed this month to the murder Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were convicted of and that spawned the "Making a Murderer" documentary.
Filmmakers of a follow-up series to the popular Netflix documentary told Newsweek on Monday that they received a confession from a Wisconsin inmate in the slaying of Theresa Halbach. The report did not identify the inmate, and the filmmakers said they hadn't confirmed its legitimacy.
But Kathleen Zellner, an attorney for Avery, said the confession came from convicted-murderer Joseph Evans, who mailed a letter to news outlet in 2016 claiming Avery had confessed to the slaying, according to a report Wednesday by the news website Patch.
Patch reported that Evans, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 for the murder of his wife, sent a confession letter to Zellner on Sept. 18, and when she read part of the letter by phone to Avery, he laughed out loud at the claim.
Evans said the opposite three years ago, claiming Avery confessed to the murder after they befriended each other in prison, the report said.
Avery and Dassey both claim they are innocent of Halbach’s killing and have spent years fighting for their release. Avery earlier had spent 18 years in prison for a rape that DNA evidence proved later he didn't commit.
The filmmakers said the inmate, who they said is serving time for a different killing, told them he was responsible for Halbach’s death as they worked on “Convicting a Murderer,” which follows the Netflix series “Making a Murderer,” which drew huge ratings.
Newsweek said the filmmakers said the inmate will remain unnamed until Wisconsin law enforcement has access to the confession.
Dassey
"We haven't confirmed the legitimacy of the confession, but seeing as it was given by a notable convicted murderer from Wisconsin, we feel responsible to deliver any and all possible evidence to law enforcement and legal teams," Shawn Rech, director of “Convicting a Murderer,” told Newsweek. "Having been in production for 20 months, we've uncovered an unfathomable amount of information and evidence that is leading us to the truth. Our investigation does not end here."
“Convicting a Murderer” is expected to come out on a to-be-determined streaming platform in 2020, Rech told Newsweek.
Steven Avery cleared of rape
Steven Avery walks out of Stanley Correctional Institution holding the hands of his sister, Barb Janda, left, and daughter, Jennifer Avery, on Sept. 11, 2003. Avery was released after serving 18 years in prison for an assault he didn’t commit.
Avery is cleared, released
Steven Avery, 43, receives a welcome hug from his cousin, Rita Sittman, on his arrival home in Two Rivers after his release from prison Sept. 11, 2003. Avery spent 18 years of a 32-year sentence in prison before a UW-Madison law school group pushed for DNA analysis proving his innocence.
Avery holding great-niece
Steven Avery holds his great-niece, 8-month-old Danielle Avery, who he has never met, as the media interviews him on his arrival home to rural Two Rivers after his release from prison Sept. 11, 2003.
Steven Avery after release
Steven Avery reads a letter from a well-wisher in the kitchen of his parent's home Sept. 25, 2003. Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for sexual assault, was released two weeks earlier, after DNA tests proved his innocence.
Avery at the salvage yard
Steven Avery rests on the handle of a shovel after doing some work at the family salvage yard Sept. 25, 2003, in rural Two Rivers. Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for sexual assault, was released two weeks earlier, after DNA tests proved his innocence.
Steven Avery free man
Steve Avery talks at his family's auto salvage business north of Two Rivers on Dec. 17, 2003.
Steven Avery at the Capitol
Steven Avery, who was wrongly convicted of sexual assault, attends a committee hearing Feb. 17, 2004, at the Capitol with his mother, Dolores Avery. His unidentified accuser read a prepared statement explaining how sorry she is that Avery spent 18 years behind bars.
Avery ice shanty
Steven Avery stands outside of an ice shanty perched on the edge of his younger sister's property in rural Two Rivers on May 7, 2004. People donated nearly $3,000 in a week to help a Wisconsin man living in an ice shanty months after he was freed from prison after serving 18 years for a rape he didn't commit.
Averys at the table
Steven Avery, right, with his parents, Allan and Delores Avery, are shown in the Avery Cabin near Crivitz on Nov. 5, 2005. Brendan Dassey, left, is the nephew of Steven Avery later convicted with his uncle of killing Teresa Halbach.
Missing woman
Teresa Halbach is seen in this undated photo provided by the Halbach family. She was reported missing Nov. 6, 2005.
Avery mugshot
This photo provided by the Calumet County Jail shows Steven Avery in a booking photo Nov. 9, 2005, in Chilton. Investigators searching for a missing woman found burned human remains at a salvage yard owned by Avery's family.
Avery's Salvage Yard
Police officers stand guard at Avery's Salvage Yard near Mishicot on Nov. 10, 2005, about an hour before police announced that they had found bones and blood on the property while searching for Teresa Halbach.
Halbach family supporters
A sign outside the St. John-Sacred Heart School in Sherwood is seen Nov. 11, 2005.
Steven Avery charged
Steven Avery, right, is escorted into a Manitowoc County Courtroom for his preliminary hearing Dec. 6, 2005, in Manitowoc. Avery is charged with killing Teresa Halbach.
Preliminary hearing for Avery
Pamela Sturm, second cousin of victim Teresa Halbach, ponders a question as she testifies at the preliminary hearing of Steven Avery on Dec. 6, 2005, in Manitowoc. Sturm testified that she found Halbach's SUV at the Avery family salvage yard.
Teenage boy to be charged
Calumet County Sheriff Jerry Pagel, right, addresses the media March 1, 2006, in Mishicot regarding developments in the Teresa Halbach homicide investigation, along with Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who is serving as special prosecutor in the case. Pagel and Kratz announced the arrest of a 16-year-old on charges related to the homicide.
Steven Avery trial
Steven Avery, right, listens to testimony while his attorney Dean Strang takes notes during his murder trial in 2007.
License plate
Calumet County Sheriff's Sgt. Mark Wiegert shows the license plates from Teresa Halbach's sport-utility vehicle during testimony in the murder trial of Steven Avery on Feb. 16, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton.
Strang and Colborn
Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang questions Manitowoc County Sheriff's Sgt. Andrew Colborn during Avery's murder trial Feb. 20, 2007, in Chilton.
DNA analyst testifies
Sherry Culhane, a DNA analyst for the Wisconsin State Crime Lab, gives testimony during Steven Avery's murder trial in Chilton on Feb. 23, 2007. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale.
Teresa Halbach's mother
Karen Halbach, mother of Teresa Halbach, walks by a photo of Teresa projected on a screen in the courtroom after giving testimony on Feb. 28, 2007, during Steven Avery's murder trial at the Calumet County Courthouse.
Closing arguments by prosecution
Calumet County District Attorney Kenneth Kratz gives his closing argument in the Steven Avery trial in the courtroom in Chilton on March 14, 2007.
Avery closing arguments
Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang talks to Manitowoc County Circuit Judge Patrick Willis about closing arguments in the Steven Avery trial March 14, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale.
Delores Avery
Delores Avery, mother of Steven Avery, waits for the verdict in her son's murder trial in the Calumet County Courthouse on March 18, 2007, in Chilton.
Halbach murder verdict
Tom Halbach, father of Teresa Halbach, waits in the courtroom for the verdict in the Steven Avery trial at the Calumet County Courthouse on March 18, 2007, in Chilton. Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County.
Avery found guilty
Steven Avery leaves the courtroom in the Calumet County Courthouse on March 18, 2007, in Chilton. Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005, near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County.
Dassey trial begins
Brendan Dassey is led from the Manitowoc County Jail to the Manitowoc County Courthouse April 16, 2007, for the start of his trial.
Brendan Dassey testifies
Brendan Dassey testifies April 23, 2007, at the Manitowoc County Courthouse in Manitowoc. Dassey was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and first-degree sexual assault in the death of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach on Oct. 31, 2005. Dassey was 16 years old at the time.
Halbach family
Karen Halbach, center, surrounded by family members, reacts after hearing the verdict for Brendan Dassey on April 25, 2007, in Manitowoc. A jury found Dassey guilty of raping Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old freelance photographer, and helping his uncle kill her and burn her body.
Steven Avery sentenced
Steven Avery is escorted to the Manitowoc County Courthouse for his sentencing June 1, 2007, in Manitowoc. Avery, convicted of murdering a photographer, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include information from Avery's lawyer.
Jeff Richgels
Online Reporter/Producer for Wisconsin State Journal
