By: David J. Bruno
On August 15, 2016, I appeared on Headline News’ “Nancy Grace” with Nancy Grace (@NancyGrace) and Making a Murderer Prosecutor Ken Kratz to debate the recent federal court decision to reverse Branden Dassey’s conviction after finding that Dassey’s statements to law enforcement were involuntary.
As discussed in the appearance, I agreed with the Court’s decision which found that under the totality of the circumstances (Nancy wrongly challenged me on this one!), the confession was involuntary.
“The investigators repeatedly claimed to already know what happened on October 31 and assured Dassey that he had nothing to worry about,” Judge Duffin wrote. “These repeated false promises, when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey’s age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey’s confession involuntary under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.”
The appearance quickly went viral as the video was Nancy’s first public comment on the reversal, the Making a Murderer Prosecutor Ken Kratz participated in the debate, the back and forth was heated.
The legal debate was discussed on the following sites to name a few:
The Huffington Post- Nancy Grace: ‘Nothing Wrong’ With How Police Interrogated Brendan Dassey In ‘Making A Murderer’
Yahoo.com- ‘Making a Murderer’: Nancy Grace Thinks Brendan Dassey Belongs in Prison
PerezHilton.com- Nancy Grace SLAMS Brendan Dassey’s Overturned Conviction — And Gets Promptly Schooled By Lawyer!
Someecards.com- Nancy Grace is mad that Brendan Dassey’s conviction is being overturned.