title:  ‘Making A Murderer’ Prosecutor Ken Kratz Finds Sickening New Way To Profit From The Avery Case
text: This article contains spoilersThe District Attorney responsible for the questionable 2005 convictions of Steven Avery and his 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach has found a new and sickening way to profit from his actions: He is going to write a book.Ken Kratz became infamous after the release of Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer. Produced over 10 years by film makers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, the 10-part series details the harrowing plight of Steven Avery and his young nephew.First, Avery is falsely convicted of the rape of a woman and spends 18 years in jail before new DNA evidence clears him of the crime.Then, just two years after his release, and when he is on the verge of a $36 million settlement with the Manitowoc Sheriff s Department for their role in the false conviction and the failure of subsequent appeals, he is arrested for another murder. 25-year old Auto-Trader photographer Teresa Halbach disappears after an appointment at Avery s salvage yard, weeks later her car, and burned remains are found on Steven Avery s property.Despite the overwhelming physical evidence, questions linger in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Is the Sheriff s department framing him again? As the defense team start examining the evidence, it becomes clear that all is not right with this  evidence .But just as the prosecution s case is beginning to unravel, they obtain a confession from Avery s 16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey. Katz holds a press conference which he opens like the title sequence of The Twilight Zone, warning viewers under 15 years of age to leave the room. He launches into a harrowing and explicit description of Teresa Halbach s murder.It later emerges that teenager s confession  was obtained after hours of interrogation, during which he had no attorney or legal guardian present. Much of the testimony appears to be fed to him by the investigating officers, and it is clear that Dassey (with an IQ of just 70) has very little idea of what is happening. Essentially, a false confession wrangled out of a mentally-disabled teenager.Regardless, Kratz milked the (later retracted) confession for all it was worth, holding no fewer than seven pre-trial press conferences in which he implicated Dassey and Avery in the crime.Legal experts have blasted Kratz for these tactics, which effectively ruled out any possibility of a fair trial for Avery and Dassey. Ben Kempinen, University of Wisconsin Law School clinical professor of law and director of the Prosecution Project, told the Post Crescent: To me, those press conferences would suggest a colorable violation of the (bar association) trial publicity rule. The risks of prejudice are magnified in smaller communities because of the pervasive nature of the publicity and the likelihood that virtually the entire community will have strong feelings about the case. The Avery case appeared to have captured the attention of the Fox Valley market   and you cannot un-ring that bell. Avery s lawyers filed a motion on this basis, asking the Judge to dismiss the charges against their client due to inflammatory and highly prejudicial  pre-trial publicity. However, Manitowoc County Circuit Judge Patrick Willis rejected the motion, ruling there was no legal precedent for such  drastic  action.Both Avery and Dassey were convicted in 2005, and have remained in jail ever since. It is hoped that the popular outrage mobilized by the doc-series will add new weight to their appeals process.Meanwhile, Ken Kratz was later caught up in a scandal of his own making. In 2009, married 55-year old Kratz was prosecuting a domestic abuse case on behalf of 26-year-old victim Stephanie Van Groll. However, Van Groll was forced to turn to police after receiving more than 30 sexually explicit texts from Kratz during the course of the prosecution. According to Radar, Kratz began with sexually suggestive messages: I know this is wrong. I am such an honest guy, and straight shooter but I have to know more about you  Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contact with an older married elected DA the riskier the better? However, when Van Groll refused to engage with his fantasies, he turned nasty, fast. Below are three of the many texts he sent her after she ignored his advances. Hey..Miss Communication, what s the sticking point? Your low-self esteem and you fear you can t play in my big sandbox?[sic] You may look good at first glance, but women that are blonde, 6ft tall, legs and great bodies don t like to be shown off or to please their men! [sic]  he wrote on Oct. 21. I m the atty. I have the $350,000 house. I have the 6-figure career. You may be the tall, young, hot nymph, but I am the prize Van Groll told police she was terrified. Kratz hinted he would throw her entire case out of court if she continued to refuse his advances, leaving her at the mercy of her violent partner.A year later, Kratz was divorced, and forced out of office over the scandal. Van Groll later filed a case of sexual harassment which was settled out of court in 2013.Now, Kratz is seeking to weasel his way out of the shadows with a book about the case, telling Action 2 news that he is Finally grateful to tell the whole story. Given Kratz s track record, we expect he is more grateful for the opportunity to cash in on the global attention generated by the success of the docu-series.If new evidence cannot be found, Steven Avery will remain in jail for the rest of his life, and Brendan Dassey is not eligible for parole until the year 2048. The fact that Kratz is still looking for ways to milk this injustice confirms what we suspected   this is a man without shame.Featured Image via Netflix/Post Crescent