‘Making a Murderer’ teen asks high court review

WASHINGTON — The teenager in the video sits slouched on a loveseat wearing a black longsleeved shirt, cargo pants and white sneakers, his hands folded but fidgeting in his lap. Eyes downcast, he answers questions from investigators interrogating him. Slowly, with a lot of prodding, he admits he joined his uncle in raping and murdering a young woman before burning her body in a bonfire.

But 16-year-old Brendan Dassey’s confession — seen by viewers nationwide as part of the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” — should never have been used to convict him, his lawyers said, and they’re hoping the Supreme Court agrees to take his case. They said the Wisconsin teen, who has been called a “slow learner” and “borderline intellectually disabled,” was pressured into a false confession.

“This case is emblematic of this larger problem of false confessions and coerced confessions,” said Laura Nirider, a Northwestern University law professor who has been one of Dassey’s lawyers for a decade. “I think there’s widespread interest in the problem and widespread recognition that something needs to be done.”

The Supreme Court’s justices will have their first opportunity to discuss taking Dassey’s case in a closed-door meeting today. If they won’t hear it, that news could come as early as Monday. If the court does agree to hear the case, arguments would be in the fall.