Fans of the hit Netflix documentary "Making a Murderer" took to Twitter on Wednesday for a Q&A session with filmmakers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi. The directors revealed details of the Steven Avery case, defended the exclusion of certain pieces of evidence, spoke out about Avery's ex-fiancée Jodi Stachowski, and said the documentary might have never been completed if the state of Wisconsin had its way.
"Making a Murderer" followed the case of Avery, a Manitowoc County resident who was convicted of the 2005 murder of area photographer Teresa Halbach, and Avery maintains his innocence. A fan tweeted to the filmmakers through the official "Making a Murderer" Twitter account and asked about the challenges they faced while filming the documentary.
"There were many challenges," the filmmakers responded. "One was when the State of Wisconsin tried to subpoena our footage. We had to hire a lawyer and file a motion to quash the subpoena which we won. If State had won they would have effectively shut down the production."
Stachowski recently said she only participated in the "Making a Murderer" documentary because she was forced by producers, as previously reported by HNGN. A fan asked Demos and Ricciardi to comment on Stachowski's claim.
"We had her permission to use all the footage," the filmmakers wrote. "It's not true that she asked us not to be part of the documentary."
Wisconsin law enforcement officials have come forward with pieces of evidence that Ricciardi and Demos left out of "Making a Murderer," as previously reported by HNGN, which included alleged DNA evidence in the form of Avery's sweat that was found under the hood of Halbach's car. Ricciardi and Demos defended the omission of that particular piece of evidence.
"The question is how it got there," the filmmakers explained. "A crime lab expert testified that he went under the hood after handling other evidence and did not change his gloves. The defense argued there was the potential for contamination. The alternative argument was planting. It was disputed evidence and neither side was presented in the series with respect to this less significant evidence."
Read highlights from the full Twitter "Ask Me Anything" here.
