Following a shock backflip on the decision to release Brendan Dassey from prison by the US Circuit Court of Appeals, Dassey’s uncle Earl Avery has revealed the heartbreaking details of Dassey’s continued incarceration.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Avery said that Brendan, 27, gave away all his prison possessions except his television in anticipation of his release, which was scheduled to occur on Friday evening.
“He’s given away his food, everything,” Avery said.
“He’s got nothing in prison now. He gave away three-quarters of his stuff.”
Avery added that the entire Avery family is confused and distraught by the decision, which reversed the ruling by a Federal judge to overturn Dassey’s life sentence in August.
The decision to release Dassey came after evidence is produced in the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer, which showed a teenage Dassey appearing to be coerced into an admission of guilt by police.
Once the motion to release Dassey was filed, however, the Department of Justice quickly filed an appeal to the 7th Circuit court.
“I don’t understand how these judges can have overturned the decision to release him,” Avery told The Daily Mail.
“It’s just so disappointing. We had hoped to have him home for Thanksgiving, but now that’s not going to happen.”
Supporters have rallied around Brendan Dassey in the wake of the news, calling the decision “an absolute joke”.
Dassey became a figure of sympathy for many Making a Murderer viewers after footage of Dassey’s own attorneys pressuring him into a confession was revealed.
With a mental age of only nine years old, it was clear that Dassey did not understand the implications of his own admission.
The video shows Brendan confessing to helping his uncle Steven Avery brutally murder Thereas Halbach, then asking detectives if he is able to return to school because he has an assignment due.
Brendan’s family are now concerned about the implications of the shock decision to his mental health.
“He has done really well while he was locked up and this could affect him badly,” Avery said.
Listen to The Binge discussing Brendan Dassey and Making a Murderer.