Brendan Dassey, whose conviction for rape and murder when he was a teenager was documented in the Netflix series Making a Murderer, could be set for release or re-trial after federal judges backed a ruling that he was coerced into confessing.
On Thursday, a panel of three judges ruled against the US prosecutors' appeal over the ruling that his confession was coerced.
The then 16-year-old Dassey was jailed for life in 2007 after he made a confession that he played a part in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.
Her charred remains were found in an incineration barrel and a burn pit on property belonging to his uncle, Steven Avery, in Wisconsin. Avery is currently serving a life sentence for Halbach's murder.
The case caught the public's imagination in Netflix's documentary series Making a Murderer. The programme led to a public outcry including a White House petition urging President Obama to issue a full pardon to Dassey, who is now 27.
Last year, a judge ordered that he be released as he said the confession was coerced and consideration had to be given "to his age, intellectual deficits and the absence of a supportive adult."
The 2016 decision was appealed and he had his release blocked. Yesterday the appeal court agreed that he was coerced.
Dassey is still in prison but he may have a retrial or could be released in 90 days. His lawyers said they were "overjoyed... and...are looking forward to working to secure his release from prison as soon as possible."
Netflix have promised that a second series of Making a Murderer will air at the end of this year. The follow-up episodes of the documentary series will follow Steven Avery's highly controversial case with his new legal representation as they challenge his conviction.
