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A 'Making A Murderer' Family Tree

by Celia Darrough

For viewers of the Netflix series Making A Murderer, Steven Avery's family could be kind of hard to follow at times. Although Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey have become well known throughout the nation, understanding how everyone else was connected is more complicated. The Wisconsin family was a close-knit one, with several members living on the property that was also home to the Avery salvage yard business. They're still close, too. Avery and Dassey's parents, siblings, uncles, nieces, and beyond have all spoken out in support of the two, who were convicted in the murder of Teresa Halbach 9 years ago — Dassey on March 17, 2007, and Avery on March 18, 2007.

Both Avery and Dassey's lawyers continue to work on the cases, with Avery's lawyer likely trying the tack of police misconduct by the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department (which adamantly denies any wrongdoing), and Dassey's lawyers focusing on the possibility of a false confession, though the sheriff's department has claimed the confession followed standard procedure. And the family is behind them 100 percent.

To help you put a face to a name, here's a look at how the Avery family is connected, what the family members are up to nowadays, and what they've said about Making A Murderer — along with an update on the lawyers and law enforcement officials who were involved with the cases as well.

Steven Avery

Steven is still serving his life sentence without parole at Waupun Correctional Institution, though he maintains his innocence and has filed an appeal.

Brendan Dassey

Brendan, now 26, won't be eligible for parole until 2048. His legal team continues to seek a new trial.

Steven Avery's Parents

Dolores Avery

Steven’s mother, Brendan’s grandmother

Dolores has raised several theories about what really happened and said she thinks Steven will get a new trial. He calls her a couple of times per week.

Allan Avery

Steven’s father, Brendan’s grandfather

Allan has stayed quiet for the most part, other than comparing Steven in prison to a rabbit locked in a cage. Dolores said, “'Allan is OK, but he hates what's going on with Manitowoc County. They are so crooked.”

Steven Avery's Relationships

Lori Dassey

Steven’s ex-wife, Brendan’s former aunt/current stepmother

Formerly Lori Mathieson, she has since remarried Peter Dassey, Brendan’s father, and works at the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. She has not publicly commented on the series but was reportedly upset her family photos were included.

Jodi Stachowski

Steven’s former fiancée

Jodi now says she believes Steven is guilty and claims he physically abused her, which Steven denies.

Sandy Greenman

Steven’s former fiancée

Engaged after Steven was convicted of murder, their romantic involvement is over, as Sandy said that Steven refused to convert to Christianity for her, but she continues to maintain his innocence.

Steven Avery's Children

Steven Avery Jr.

Steven’s son, Brendan’s cousin

Steven Jr. spoke out with his brother, Bill, about his father and cousin, saying “I think him and Brendan deserve a fair trial.” Steven Jr. claims he and his brother had a difficult time finding jobs because of their last name.

Bill Avery

Steven’s son, Brendan’s cousin

Bill said he believes Steven is innocent, but claims his father had “anger issues” and is like a stranger to him.

Rachel Avery

Steven’s daughter, Brendan’s cousin

Rachel has not spoken out on her father and cousin’s cases.

Jennifer Avery

Steven’s daughter, Brendan’s cousin

Jennifer has not spoken about the Netflix series.

Brendan Dassey's Parents

Peter Dassey

Brendan’s father, Steven’s former brother-in-law

Brendan’s dad is living a quiet life married to Lori, Steven’s ex-wife. Though he was featured in the documentary, he has not spoken out about Making A Murderer.

Barb Tadych

Brendan’s mother, Steven’s sister

Formerly Barb Janda, she maintains her son's innocence and is now married to Scott Tadych, who she was dating at the time of the documentary.

Scott Tadych

Brendan’s stepfather, Steven’s brother-in-law

Scott has kept a low profile through the years save for a 2009 postconviction filing by Steven alleging that he or Bobby Dassey could’ve been the ones who killed Teresa Halbach, which they deny.

Brendan Dassey's Siblings

Bobby Dassey

Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew

Bobby is living a private life with his family. He was mentioned in Steven’s 2009 postconviction filing, which alleged that he and Scott Tadych could’ve been involved in a cover-up to frame Avery. They adamantly deny the allegation.

Blaine Dassey

Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew

Blaine, who was briefly featured in testimony in the series, is active on social media but has not spoken publicly about the case.

Bryan Dassey

Brendan’s brother, Steven’s nephew

Bryan, who was not featured in the Netflix series, has continued to stay out of the spotlight since it aired.

Brad Dassey

Brendan’s half-brother

Brad is a computer technician living in Wisconsin. He wrote a rap about Brendan and Steven’s convictions called “They Didn’t Do It.”

Steven Avery's Brothers

Chuck Avery

Steven’s brother, Brendan’s uncle

Since the documentary aired, Chuck has been active on social media but has not granted any interviews regarding the series.

Earl Avery

Steven’s brother, Brendan’s uncle

Earl recently reunited with his brother after a decade of not speaking. He said he doesn’t hold a grudge against Steven and hopes for a new trial.

Steven Avery's Nieces / Brendan Dassey's Cousins

Carla Chase

Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin

Carla acts as the Avery family spokeswoman, maintaining a Twitter account and often posting new information online via @averydassey.

Kayla Avery

Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin

Kayla is active on social media, but has not spoken to the media about the cases.

Brittany Avery

Steven’s niece, Brendan’s cousin

Brittany was not featured in the documentary and has not spoken out on the series.

Steven Avery's Defense

Reesa Evans

Steven’s first public defender

Reesa had her law license suspended for two years for allegedly fabricating a letter to a client. She appears to still be in contact with the documentary filmmakers and attended its premiere.

Dean Strang & Jerry Buting

Steven’s former defense lawyers

Both Dean and Jerry have conducted multiple interviews discussing the Avery case, and while neither of is absolutely convinced of Steven’s innocence, they still have severe doubts about his guilt.

Kathleen Zellner & Tricia Bushnell

Steven’s current defense lawyers

Kathleen and Tricia are taking Steven’s case seriously. So seriously, in fact, that Kathleen reportedly bought a Toyota RAV4 like Teresa Halbach’s in order to do her own tests.

Brendan Dassey's Defense

Len Kachinsky

Brendan’s first public defender

Len continues to work as a defense attorney, and while he concedes that he could’ve handled Brendan’s case differently, he maintains that he fulfilled his legal duties.

Mark Fremgen & Ray Edelstein

Brendan’s later court-appointed lawyers

Mark is currently serving as the circuit court commissioner in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, while Ray is practicing law at a private firm in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Steven Drizin & Laura Nirider

Brendan’s current defense lawyers

Steven and Laura are with the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth and have been working on Brendan’s case. They are focused specifically on the possibility of a false confession.

Prosecution & Law Enforcement

Ken Kratz

Former district attorney for Calumet County and special prosecutor

Ken had his career derailed in 2009, when he admitted he’d sent sexually explicit text messages to a domestic violence victim he was representing. He said he believes Steven is “exactly where he needs to be” and plans to write a book on the case.

Mark Wiegert

Former Calumet County Sheriff's Department detective

Mark still works for the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department as a lieutenant in the Jail, Investigations, and Schools section.

James Lenk

Former Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department lieutenant

James only briefly commented on the docuseries, saying the court transcripts are all he needs to defend himself. He has apparently retired from law enforcement and is living in Arizona.

Andrew Colborn

Former Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department sergeant

Andrew has maintained the guilt of both Steven and Brendan. In an email sent to USA Today, he warned that "If Steven Avery is ever freed, he may just become your neighbor, and he may want to bring his nephew with him."

Tom Fassbender

Lead investigator for the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation

Along with Mark Wiegert, Tom received an award in 2008 from the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators for his work on the Teresa Halbach case.

Although the family has mostly moved on with their lives, they still haven't let go of trying to help Avery and Dassey get released from prison. The case of Making A Murderer left an impact on their lives, as well as the nation, and from the past to the future, they're there every step of the way.

Images: Dawn Foster for Bustle