Making a Murderer Still - H 2015
Courtesy of NetflixSteven Avery’s ex-fiancee — who claims she asked to be cut out of the recently released, wildly popular Netflix documentary series — believes he is a killer, she told cable channel HLN in a recent interview.
Jodi Stachowski was in a two-year relationship with the Making a Murderer subject when he was accused and then convicted of slaying 25-year-old Teresa Halbach.
And while she appeared to be in his corner in the 10-part series, Stachowski now has a different story.
Avery served 18 years in prison for a sexual assault conviction out of Manitowoc County, Wis., for which he was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003. Then in 2005, Avery was convicted of the murder of Halbach.
During her recent interview, right off the bat, Stachowski said Avery is guilty of the Halbach murder and explained why.
“Because he threatened to kill me and my family and a friend of mine,” Stachowski told interviewer Natisha Lance. Stachowski also said Avery made a comment about being able to “get away” with murdering her.
Although not portrayed in such a light in the Netflix series, Stachowski claims Avery is a violent man and said she once ate two boxes of rat poison so she could go to the hospital and ask for help in an attempt to get away from him.
“He’d beat me all the time, punch me, throw me against the wall. I tried to leave, he smashed the windshield out of my car so I couldn’t leave him,” she said.
Stachowski has no intention of watching the series and said she asked directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos to exclude footage of her from the documentary because “it was all lies.”
“Steven called me and told me that if I didn’t say anything good and nice about him, I’d pay,” she told Lance.
There were only a couple of “good times” in the relationship, which started the day after she met Avery, Stachowski said. The support viewers saw from her in the series was “all an act,” she added.
Stachowski also walked back some comments she said in the Netflix series about Avery on the night authorities say the murder took place, now claiming Avery sounded “funny” on the phone when they spoke.
Avery’s lawyers argued their client was framed by county law enforcement for the Halbach murder. Avery’s lawyers did not accuse law enforcement of killing Halbach, but argued that officers believed so strongly that he carried out the slaying, they planted evidence to ensure a conviction.
Manitowoc County authorities previously said Making a Murderer is skewed to make Avery appear innocent, and that there is evidence of his guilt which was not addressed in the series.
Avery recently filed an appeal claiming his jury was tainted and evidence was mishandled by authorities.
