Here are the things you need to know after sensational twist in Making A Murderer series

HERE’S everything you need to know after the new developments in the Making A Murderer true crime story.

Making a Murderer brought the trial of Steven Avery to worldwide attention.

IT’S been nine months since Netflix debuted its docu-series Making A Murderer, catapulting the true crime story of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey into the public consciousness.

Unless you’ve somehow avoided the mainstream in that time, you’ll know the pair received life sentences in 2006 for their alleged roles in the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach in the US state of Wisconsin. Dassey was just 16 years old at the time.

In a surprising twist in what’s already been a captivating tale, Dassey’s conviction was overturned this week, meaning he could be freed within the next three months.

Here are some things you need to know about the case after this major development:

1. The judge who overturned Dassey’s conviction deemed it ‘illegal’ due to the detectives’ promise of leniency

In explaining his decision, the judge said he had significant doubts about the reliability of Dassey’s confession, as interrogators had promised the teenager leniency if he co-operated with their investigation.

Brendan Dassey was just 16 years old when he was convicted of Teresa Halbach’s murder.

2. Avery and Dassey both have new legal representation

Avery’s former counsel, Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, became household names after the phenomenal success of the Netflix series, but they are no longer handling his case. He’s now represented by a specialist in wrongful convictions, Kathleen Zellner, along with lawyer Tricia Bushnell.

Meanwhile, Dassey’s new lawyer is Laura Nirider, who filed the writ which led to his conviction being quashed. He’s long since parted ways with the two public defenders who handled his case during the murder trial.

3. Legal experts believe prosecutors will appeal the decision to overturn Dassey’s conviction

Prosecutors now have the right to appeal the conviction being overturned — or launch a retrial against Dassey. However, they face major hurdles in doing so as the judge ruled the then-teenager’s confession was involuntary — and it was his confession which formed the centrepiece of the case against him.

Experts say although Dassey could technically be freed within three months, he’s more likely to stay behind bars for another year as the state’s attorney-general will probably appeal last week’s ruling.

Teresa Halbach.

4. There is a second season in the works, but Netflix won’t yet reveal a release date

Netflix has ordered more episodes of the series, and creators Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos are currently in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to start filming — but we still have no idea when the new season will actually hit our screens.

Making A Murderer creators Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos.

5. New claims have surfaced that jurors from Avery’s trial may have felt scared for their lives

At the end of the series, Avery’s lawyer Jerry Buting said of the jury: “I’ve still got my suspicions about whether something improper occurred during the deliberations.”

Since then, at least one juror has come forward to say they believed Avery was not guilty of the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, and only convicted him because “they feared for their safety”.