Making A Murderer lawyer Jerry Buting reveals the hardest episode to watch

HE lived through the court case that’s become a global sensation. Now Steven Avery’s lawyer has revealed the hardest part about watching it all again.

FILE - In this March 13, 2007 file photo, Steven Avery listens to testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery, a convicted killer who is the subject of the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” filed a new appeal seeking his release Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 in an appeals court in Madison, Wi. Avery was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach a decade ago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)

HE lived through the saga that’s become a world fascination, and now one half of the star defence team featured in Making a Murderer has revealed what it’s like to watch it back.

Defence lawyer Jerry Buting, whose role in convicted murderer Steven Avery’s trial is depicted in the cult true-crime Netflix series, said the reaction to the documentary had been “surreal”.

The 10-part series which follows Avery’s trial for the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach, after already serving 18 years in prison for a sexual-assault conviction for which he was exonerated, has earnt the lawyer a huge fan following.

Speaking with 2DAYFM radio duo Rove & Sam for breakfast in his first Australian interview, Buting, who has watched the series and worked closely with the filmmaker throughout the production, revealed which episode was hardest for him to watch.

“Episode eight is emotionally the most difficult one for me to watch,” he told the 2DAYFM pair.

“That’s the one with the verdict and the waiting for the verdict. There were some questions from the jury that aren’t in the documentary that actually made it look like they were looking favourably on the defence but then they came back with the verdict and that was devastating.”

Steven Avery, a convicted killer, is the subject of the Netflix series “Making a Murderer”, but his lawyers are the unlikely stars.

Buting repeated a number of times throughout the interview how “difficult” the now famous case was from himself and his colleague Dean Strang.

“Well the outcome was very difficult as I’m sure you could probably see on the faces of Dean and I at the final press conference,” he said.

“It was a very difficult case, I mean every time the evidence is pointing towards the police frame-up defence is not something you're happy about doing, it's a very difficult kind of a defence, and when you add to that the incredible amount of negative pre-trial publicity.”

Buting was adamant his team “really should have won” the case, and said he was hopeful the renewed global interest in the case could turn things around for Avery, who is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole. His co-accused, cousin Brendan Dassey, was also sentenced to life.

“I think it’s already made a difference,” he said of the global attention the case was now getting.

“As a practical matter, his direct appeals are over, Brendan Dassey’s case is still on appeal in one of the courts in America, but, there is an opportunity to come back if there’s newly discovered evidence.

“What this documentary has done is it’s provoked a lot of people to come forward with information and tips and potential witnesses there are people who have presented information that I think like it would be very useful in a motion for a new trial.”

Steven Avery's defence lawyer, Jerome Buting, said some parts of the series were difficult to watch.

While Buting was confident the series would capture viewers’ attention, he never anticipated he would become a fascination himself. Buting said becoming a sort of freedom-fighting sex symbol was “the most bizarre part of this whole fallout”.

“My 21-year-old daughter is totally creeped out by the idea that her father’s become an internet heart-throb,” he said.

“It’s amusing, it’s flattering, but you know, we have to take that with a grain of salt and an interesting phenomena to say the least.”

- Listen to the audio here.