Court upholds confession by Brendan Dassey of 'Making a Murderer' CNN

 A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the confession given by Brendan Dassey, a key figure in the Netflix "Making a Murderer" series, should not be thrown out.The decision from the US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a federal judge's ruling and means Dassey's life sentence will remain in effect.Dassey, now 28, was convicted in 2007 in the slaying of Wisconsin photographer Teresa Halbach. In 2005, Dassey, then 16, confessed to authorities that he assisted his uncle, Steven Avery, in raping and killing Halbach. Her charred remains were found on Avery family property in Manitowoc County.

'Making a Murderer' teen's release blocked 01:04Dassey later recanted his confession. His lawyers appealed through the state court system and then into the federal system, contending the confession was coerced. Court papers also raised the issue of Dassey's IQ, described as being in the "low to borderline" range.On Friday, the full Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the confession should stand. 

 "Dassey spoke with the interrogators freely, after receiving and understanding Miranda warnings, and with his mother's consent," wrote Judge David Hamilton in the majority opinion.

What to know about 'Making a Murderer' 01:21"The interrogation took place in a comfortable setting, without any physical coercion or intimidation, without even raised voices, and over a relatively brief time. Dassey provided many of the most damning details himself in response to open-ended questions."The three dissenting judges wrote that the decision was "a profound miscarriage of justice.""What occurred here was the interrogation of an intellectually impaired juvenile," Judge Ilana Rovner wrote. "Dassey was subjected to myriad psychologically coercive techniques but the state court did not review his interrogation with the special care required by Supreme Court precedent. His confession was not voluntary and his conviction should not stand, and yet an impaired teenager has been sentenced to life in prison."Dassey's lawyers, Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin, issued a statement saying they were disappointed by the reversal and planned to appeal to the US Supreme Court. 

work source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/us/brendan-dassey-confession-upheld/index.html