'Making A Murderer' Co-Accused Brendan Dassey's Conviction Overturned

A US court has overturned the conviction of a man found guilty of helping his uncle kill Teresa Halbach in a case profiled in the Netflix documentaryMaking a Murderer.

The US District Court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday overturned Brendan Dassey's conviction and ordered him freed within 90 days unless the case is appealed.

Dassey confessed to helping his uncle Steven Avery carry out the rape and murder of Halbach, but attorneys argued that the confession was coerced.

Magistrate Judge William Duffin said in Friday's ruling that investigators made false promises to Dassey by assuring him "he had nothing to worry about".

"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," Duffin wrote.

The ruling comes after Dassey's appeal was rejected by state courts.

Dassey was 16 when Halbach was killed in 2005 after she went to the Avery family auto salvage yard to photograph some vehicles.

Avery was tried and convicted separately in the homicide.

Read the full report at NZ Herald