‘MAKING A MURDERER’: COULD BRENDAN DASSEY SOON BE FREED?

Kashmira Gander, NewsWeek •

"Getting a review at all, meanwhile, is “exceedingly difficult”, Marsha Levick, the deputy director and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center told Newsweek. Yet, she is hopeful that Dassey’s case will be reassessed.

“The videotapes don’t lie—the abusive, coercive and suggestive tactics employed by law enforcement during his interrogation are literally in plain sight, revealing how effective they were in getting Brendan to say what they wanted him to say,” she said.

“His lack of understanding is equally evident. It has been nearly 40 years since the [Supreme Court] reviewed the voluntariness of a child’s confession. Brendan’s case illustrates the urgent need to bring the law of voluntariness in line with research. This is not about making new law—but about properly enforcing existing principles to reflect current understanding.”"