No ‘Making a Murderer 2’ expected this year

Netflix had suggested Steven Avery docu-series would see sequel in 2017

The second season of “Making a Murderer” looks like a no-go for 2017.

Netflix disclosed earlier this year episodes for the sequel of the hit docuseries were in the works, and likely would be aired before the end of the year.

But a listing of shows coming to Netflix in December doesn’t mention “Making a Murderer.”

Asked by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin whether the sequel will show up on Netflix before the end of this year, spokeswoman Elektra Gray replied via e-mail: “no news on launch date for the next season.”

“Making a Murderer” chronicles the story of Steven Avery, a Manitowoc County resident who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he did not commit.

He was released from prison in 2003, but was convicted, along with his nephew Brendan Dassey, in the 2005 murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach.

The original episodes first appeared on Netflix in December 2015 and generated worldwide debate over the convictions.

The series has been praised by those who believe in the pair’s innocence, but criticized by those who believe it is a one-sided presentation that leaves out details that point strongly toward their guilt.

In January, Netflix vice president Cindy Holland said new chapters in the “Making a Murderer” saga would come when the filmmakers were ready.

Holland did not specify a release date, but she suggested that new content was coming by year’s end.

Since the original series aired two years ago, there have been significant developments in the Avery and Dassey cases.

Dassey’s conviction was overturned, then appealed by the state. The case now rests with the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Depending on the ruling, Dassey could go free, be re-tried or be ordered to fulfill the remainder of his life term.

Avery’s case is before a Wisconsin court of appeals. A circuit judge denied a motion filed by defense attorney Kathleen Zellner to re-try the case.

Zellner has vowed to take her appeal to the ends of the state courts and federal courts, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice has vowed to fight to sustain Avery's conviction.

The “Making a Murderer” producers have conducted interviews for the sequel, but they haven’t divulged how far along the project is, or when it might air.