Tuesday 8 March 2016

Did Kathleen Zellner Take a Swipe at Steven Avery’s Former Lawyers?


EDIT: Thanks to Twitter's magic delete button, this tweet has now vanished - but the screencaps have already been taken.


image

This is the tweet that got people talking within seconds of its appearance in the Twittersphere early this evening. Although somewhat lacking in total clarity, the general consensus seems to be that Kathleen Zellner, Steven Avery's current lawyer, is sharing Avery's thoughts on the news that his former attorneys, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, are planning a US tour.
Kathleen Zellner has been busting her butt to prove Steven Avery's innocence since she first got involved with his case, and has been extremely vocal, not to mention often cryptic, with her tweets, giving updates on the investigation, and on Avery himself. However, there have been murmurs amongst sceptics that Zellner might be all about the publicity, and claims that her constant "updates" could be viewed as unethical are not uncommon. Today's tweet might have taken those claims up a notch.
Nobody can deny Zellner's record for overturning wrongful convictions. In that area, she's quite the firecracker, and if she can get Steven Avery out, she WILL be a hero. But up until just five days ago, it was still being reported that Strang and Buting were "informally involved in working for Steven." In interviews, Dean Strang said that he and Jerry had even SEEN Steven Avery as recently as December. So why this sudden side swipe by Avery at the two men who fought so hard for him during his trial? And why did Zellner feel the need to share this information with the world?
Just two days ago, Jerry Buting tweeted SUPPORT for Zellner.


image


Regardless of whether people believe Zellner's tweets up until today have been professional, this one may well cross the line - which could explain why it got deleted so fast.
Just for the heck of it, let's take a little look at the way Strang and Buting have conducted themselves.
Remember that moment in Making a Murderer when a reporter asked Dean Strang if Ken Kratz's questioning of Bobby Dassey during the trial equated to misconduct, Strang said, "I'm not here to throw stones." When asked what he thought about Ken Kratz's upcoming book, Strang said, "I think the world needs more books, not fewer, in general." (With perfect grammar too, might I add!). Ken Kratz was the opposition - and yet Strang never once took a single opportunity to criticise him. Zellner herself may not have been the one to make this dig at Strang and Buting - it appears she was acting as a mouthpiece for Steven Avery - but it was entirely her call on whether or not to share it with her 139,000 followers.
Just to reiterate - nobody is questioning Zellner’s track record or her dedication to Steven Avery's case. However, her judgement of what to tweet... well, that one is still up for debate.

EDIT: Since writing this, Kathleen Zellner herself took a shot at Strang and Buting. To say this pissed off their supporters is an understatement, however Dean Strang - once again - showed why he and Jerry are so well-loved by saying this: “That she is criticizing some aspects of the work I did at trial means that she is doing her job.”

You see? It is, in fact, possible to be successful without crapping all over other people. 





No comments:

Post a Comment