In First-Ever TV Interview, Tom Fassbender Also Addresses Allegations That Investigators Planted Evidence Against Avery
Broadcast Features Rarely Seen Interrogation Video of Avery, Interviews with Former Prosecutor Ken Kratz and Victim’s Friend Kim Peterson
“Dateline NBC: Return to Manitowoc County: The State of Wisconsin vs. Steven A. Avery” Airs Friday, February 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. CT
February 14, 2017 – In his first-ever television interview, Tom Fassbender, co-lead investigator in the Steven Avery case, responds to allegations that investigators coerced Avery’s nephew Brendan Dassey into making a false confession, telling “Dateline NBC” correspondent Andrea Canning, “We didn’t try to manipulate Brendan. We tried to get at the truth… and I don’t believe that it was a false confession. Are there parts of it that he may have not done, I don’t know.” To watch the exchange, click here. Dassey’s attorney, Laura Nirider, spoke to Canning about the manipulation allegations, saying “Those officers wanted that information in the worst way and they got it in the worst way by feeding it straight to Brendan Dassey.” To watch the preview, click here. The interviews are part of a new, one-hour Dateline, “Return to Manitowoc County: The State of Wisconsin vs. Steven A. Avery,” which airs Friday, February 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. CT. The transcripts of the interviews are included below.
Today, arguments are scheduled in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago after Dassey’s release from prison was blocked by the court in November. Last August, a judge overturned Dassey’s conviction pending an appeal. Dassey and Avery were both convicted of the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach, in a case that made national headlines.
Canning also spoke with Ken Kratz, the former prosecutor of the Avery investigation, who shares new details about the investigation. The broadcast will focus on the latest developments in the case, which Dateline has reported on for more than a decade. The new hour details the latest efforts to free Avery and Dassey, features rarely seen interrogation video and includes interviews with key players in the case, such as: Avery’s ex-fiancée Sandy Greenman, Halbach’s friend Kim Peterson, Avery’s former defense attorney Jerry Buting, Avery’s cousin Kim Ducat, Dassey’s current lawyers Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin, Dassey’s former lawyer Len Kachinsky, and Avery’s defense attorney Kathleen Zellner. The report also includes an interview with MSNBC’s chief legal correspondent Ari Melber.
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ANDREA CANNING: What do you say to those people who’ve made you part of this big discussion about false confessions and who were yelling at their TVs because they didn’t like the job that you did?
TOM FASSBENDER: Just that it’s easy to armchair quarterback… We didn’t try to manipulate Brendan. We tried to get at the truth… and I don’t believe that it was a false confession. Are there parts of it that he may have not done, I don’t know. You know, I just don’t know.
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LAURA NIRIDER: Those officers wanted that information in the worst way and they got it in the worst way by feeding it straight to Brendan Dassey.
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Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history. Now in its 25th season, Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt, featuring correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT , Saturdays at 8p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m., Dateline reaches more than 22 million people every week through its broadcast, and millions more through its social media platforms. David Corvo is the senior executive producer and Liz Cole is the executive producer. Follow “Dateline NBC” on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @datelinenbc.
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Dominique Cuce
NBC News
212-664-6192
dominique.cuce@nbcuni.com
