Twitter users appearing to belong to the Internet hacktivist group "Anonymous" announced earlier this week that they plan to leak information that would support the case of Steven Avery, subject of the Netflix series "Making a Murderer."
Avery wasconvicted of sexual assault in 1985 and served 18 years in prison. He was later exonerated and released in 2003 thanks to DNA testing. Avery was then accused and convicted for the murder of photographer Teresa Hallbach in Wisconsin 2005. He and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were sentenced to life in prison for first-degree intentional homicide and sexual assault.
"Making a Murder" focuses on the complications surrounding the case, and offers there may be more to the case than originally thought.
The series has clearly made an impact on some potential Anonymous users. On Sunday, a Twitter user claiming to be a part of the hacking group said he will be releasing photographs and phone records that support the case of Avery and Dassey.
Andrew Colburn By Tuesday We Will Have The Evidence Gathering List What Was Photographed #MakingAMurderer Planter! pic.twitter.com/j0MZMrvqRy
— 0Hour1 ? (@0Hour1) December 27, 2015
We will be releasing phone Records #Anonymous #MakingAMurderer Between James Lenk & Andrew Colborn On Nov 3rd 2005 pic.twitter.com/Bors7rBcru
— OPAVERYDASSEY (@OPAVERYDASSEY) December 28, 2015
Andrew Colborn and James Lenk are both members of the Mantiowoc County Sheriff's Department that investigated the Hallbach murder.
Anonymous is a loose collection of vigilante hackers that claim to work for justice in their work. Following the Paris Terrorist attacks in November, the group declared Cyber War on ISIS, hoping to remove its recruiters from social media. The group also allegedly released the names of thousands of possible KKK members in November, sparking privacy concerns.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
