Steven Avery Lawyer Jerry Buting Is Writing A Book

For fans of the Netflix hit docuseries Making a Murderer, there is some fantastic news: Steven Avery's defense attorney Jerry Buting is writing a book about dysfunction within the American criminal justice system, and it's not something to miss. To refresh some memories, Buting is the articulate and occasionally sarcastic defense lawyer who worked in Avery's defense on the Teresa Halbach murder trial, and he may just have a few additional words on the subject. After all, the documentary can really only cover so much ground, so it makes sense that a key member of the defense would wish to represent his side in his own way.

According to the Associated Press, Buting has a deal with HarperCollins Publishers for a book that will make its debut next year. The Harper imprint will publish the book, which will discuss the failings of the American justice system.

Buting's Twitter account frequently links to cases where individuals are wrongly accused of crimes, noting in more than one instance the need for criminal justice reform in the U.S. It is evident that this is Buting's cause of choice, so it is only expected that his book post-Making a Murderer would further delve into his censure of the criminal justice system.

Some of his remarks on Twitter also discuss the need for crime labs to operate independently of police and prosecutors, frequently citing articles for corroboration. This was not coincidentally a major concern in Buting's own defense of Avery, which is featured with some regularity during Making a Murderer.

Buting has made no mention as to whether his book will reference the newly-famous case whatsoever.

Avery, whose family notably owns a salvage-yard in Wisconsin's rural Manitowoc County, served 18 years in prison for a 1985 rape he didn't commit. He was exonerated on new DNA evidence, but was later indicted (in 2005) and is serving time for the murder of Halbach, which prosecution claims occurred at Avery's salvage-yard.

Aspects of the Avery case have recently made news, likely due to the explosion of popularity the docuseries received in 2015 and 2016. Whether Buting's book will reveal any new information of his own regarding his knowledge of evidence in the case is not yet revealed, though he has discussed it in his A Conversation on Justice tour with fellow defense attorney, Dean Strang.

The upcoming book may simply assess the criminal justice system on a macro scale, but one part is certain: it cannot avoid citing Buting's admirable 35-year career fighting for justice in his assessment of the criminal justice system's need for reform.

Images: Netflix