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Dean Strang Isn't Mad At Avery's New Lawyer

by Lauren Holter

Some of the hype surrounding the Netflix docuseries Making a Murderer may have died down, but Steven Avery's fight for freedom is far from over. The convicted murderer's new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, is working tirelessly to get her client a new trial or even have his conviction overturned so he doesn't have to fulfill his life sentence. One of Avery's beloved defense attorneys in the 10-part series, Dean Strang, isn't mad Zellner could question his defense in the 2007 case, proving his unwavering commitment to justice yet again.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Amelia McDonell-Parry asked Strang about rumors of Zellner's plan to argue that Jerry Buting's and his counsel was ineffective when representing the Wisconsin native, and Strang responded: "She’s doing what she should be doing here, which is looking at everything, including us. When it’s late in the process of trying to challenge an appeal, the route most acceptable to courts when they think someone ought to get a new trial is to blame the defense lawyers. She understands that, we understand that."

He explained that it's extremely difficult to have a conviction overturned, adding that Zellner can't be blamed for the reality that attacking the defense is the usually the best way to do so. Essentially, he thinks Zellner was on the right track.

However, Zellner denied that she's investigating Strang's and Buting's actions in a tweet Thursday that read: "So it's clear we are examining the prosecutorial violations first not the defense attorneys performance."

Although the tweet put some fears to rest, it didn't eliminate the possibility that she could argue Avery's previous lawyers didn't do everything they could have at some point. For viewers who fell in love with Strang's and Buting's strong code of ethics, questioning their methods or intentions would seem preposterous, but Strang realizes that it might be necessary to get a potentially-innocent man out of prison.

Zellner has focused her case on finding new evidence to prove Avery's innocence or ways to show that evidence in the original trial was planted. She consistently updates Avery's supporters on Twitter, claiming that forensics will solve this case and maintaining hope for his eventual release. "All day re-tracing TH steps. No doubt she left Avery property alive. All roads lead to one door & it's not Steven Avery's," she tweeted earlier this month.

Whatever the method, Strang is on board and only wants to see Avery receive a fair trial and sentence — no hard feelings on his end.