Netflix's Making a Murderer took the nation by storm, and many viewers are hooked on the thrill of trying to solve the case. Fellow Making a Murderer fan Daniel Luke, who describes himself as an ordinary man, is taking it even further: Luke has embarked on a mission to solve Avery's case and prove his alleged innocence. Luke has created a GoFundMe page to financially support his independent investigation and, as of Wednesday afternoon, those in support can get involved by joining his Digg message board, entitled, "The Guy Going to Great Lengths to Prove Steven Avery's Innocence."
Those with burning questions about the case now have another outlet, aside from Reddit, that warmly welcomes interrogation on all things Steven Avery.
On Sunday, The Daily Dot's Jesse Hicks covered Luke's story and his transition from a troubled childhood and shunned adulthood to a quest for redemption and acceptance. Luke has wholly dedicated his time to solving Avery's case, and the term "amateur sleuth" has taken on a whole new meaning. He explained to Hicks that he was fed up by viewers' inaction after watching the series. According to Hicks, he felt as though Avery's redemption could somehow represent his own:
It's almost like it's part performance art; part, you know, like, carnival sideshow ... I don't know what it is. It's just me. Whatever the hell that thing is, it's just me ... I just related to him, because, you know, I strangled my wife.
Luke told Hicks that he's open to talking about his past, which includes a rap sheet with charges of "assault, attempted murder, menacing, burglary, coercion, and mischief," according to The Daily Dot.
After that, he described parallels between himself and Avery and went on to explain that he believes Ryan Hillegas, Teresa Halbach's ex-boyfriend, is the real culprit. (Hillegas has denied all involvement and was cleared by authorities; Avery, of course, was convicted of Halbach's murder.)
Before investigating the hunch, Luke flew to Wisconsin and spoke with the Avery family. According to his account, the family had him escorted from the home. The family responded by saying that they had been receiving relentless phone calls to the house.
Luke has tweeted his frustration about trying to be heard, writing:
It's kind a [sic] weird when you know the truth about something the whole world is confused about and you can't get through.
Nevertheless, Luke believes this could be his chance to prove that he can accomplish something good, according to Hicks. In other words, this is a personal fight for Luke.
I have very complex motives for being here that go well beyond the certainly legitimate motive of finding a killer and all of that stuff. This is a very personal odyssey for me ... I expect to fail, but if I don't, it will be very exciting, and I'll be pleasantly surprised for a change.
Though Luke's endeavors are personal, he encourages other people who are interested in the case to become involved by posting questions on his Digg message board.
