'Making a Murderer': Brendan Dassey's release blocked
Brendan Dassey, whose case featured in the Netflix documentary series 'Making a Murderer', has been blocked from leaving prison by a federal appeals court.
Dassey, 27, was serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder and sexual assault of Teresa Halbach after confessing as a 16-year-old.
But his conviction was overturned in August after a judge ruled that his confession was coerced and on Monday, a US magistrate judge said he should be released by 8pm on Friday, November 18.
However, Wisconsin’s attorney general Brad Schimel lodged an emergency appeal and a three-judge panel agreed on Thursday to block Dassey's release, pending the resolution of the state's appeal.
Dassey's attorneys posted a statement online saying they were "disappointed more than words can say" with the appellate decision but they added: "the fight goes on".
Dassey has been in prison since 2007 over the murder of Halbach after being found guilty along with his uncle, Steven Avery, in separate trials.
The case received global attention after the release of the Netflix documentary series in December 2015 which questioned Dassey's conviction.