INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Steven Avery Update: Former Fiancée Allegedly Fears He May ‘Kill Again’ If Released

By Leigh Egan
Published on: 21:04 PST, Aug 13, 2016

Despite once showing an outpouring of support for her former fiancé, well-documented on the popular Netflix film Making a Murderer, Jodi Stachowski reportedly now fears that Avery will be released from prison and is capable of murder.

Although Stachowski has been relatively quiet since she publicly changed her mind about Avery’s innocence in January, The Guardian reports that she allegedly opened up about the case again after hearing Brendan Dassey’s murder conviction was recently overturned. Dassey was serving a life prison in connection with the 2005 murder of freelance photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery is in prison for Halbach’s murder as well, but Stachowski thinks his release may be next if enough pressure is put on the state of Wisconsin.

Avery’s former fiancée supposedly said that while she’s happy Dassey may soon be released, she still firmly believes that Avery is where he belongs and that he’s guilty of murder.

Yet, if her new accusations are perceived by the public the way her January claims were, the majority of people following the case will likely have difficulties believing Stachowski. Millions of people across the world criticized and accused her of turning on Avery for her own financial gain. The outcome may have been different if Stachowski’s demeanor and actions during the film hadn’t been so convincing.

For instance, before the Avery case grew in popularity, Stachowski risked violating her own probation (from a drinking and driving charge) in order to talk to Avery while he was in jail. She also adamantly defended him when anyone accused him of murder, and eagerly recalled that he couldn’t have killed Halbach because he was talking to her on the phone during the time the murder occurred.

When Avery’s case gained worldwide popularity, however, Stachowski gave an interview to HLN and changed her tune entirely. She claimed the man she used to profess her love to beat and threatened her regularly. She also said he coerced her into defending him while Making a Murderer was being filmed, and that she ate “two boxes of rat poison” to get away from him.

Her drastic change in attitude prompted some people to think she’d been bullied into turning against Avery, especially given that the support he received (and still receives) reflected badly on the state of Wisconsin. Others surmised that Stachowski was only with Avery when she thought he’d win a $33 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County, stemming from a 1985 wrongful rape conviction.

When Avery caught wind of Stachowski’s accusations, he also accused her of being paid off. In a letter to ABC’s WSIN, Avery explained his side.

“How much money Jodi get to talk bad! The real killer is still out there. Who is he stalking now? I am really innocent of this case and that is the truth!!! The truth will set me free!!!!!!!”

Despite Stachowski’s alleged fears, things might be going in the right direction for Avery, at least legally. According to his wrongful conviction lawyer Kathleen Zellner, authorities arrested Dassey for a “made up story,” while they arrested Avery for “made up crime evidence.” The high-profile attorney is expected to present evidence this month that could possibly lead to Avery’s release.

Meanwhile, Dassey’s family members and supporters are celebrating the news of his overturned conviction granted last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin.

“Consequently, the court finds that the confession Dassey gave to the police on March 1, 2006 was so clearly involuntary in a constitutional sense that the court of appeals’ decision to the contrary was an unreasonable application of clearly established federal law.”

Dassey isn’t completely in the clear yet. Prosecutors have 90 days to file an appeal on Duffie’s decision. Most supporters are confident that if the state indeed retries Dassey, the outcome will differ greatly from his 2007 trial.

[Image via Netflix]

Share this article: Steven Avery Update: Former Fiancée Allegedly Fears He May ‘Kill Again’ If Released
Making a Murderer Steven Avery Brendan Dassey
More from Inquisitr