Summary: Fans of Making a Murderer wage war on the Yelp page of Ken Kratz, the former district attorney who prosecuted the show’s case.
Fans of Netflix’s documentary, Making a Murderer, are looking for justice—and they’re using Yelp to get it.
The documentary debuted earlier this month on the streaming service, and it focuses on the conviction of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. The two men were found guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach. Previously, Avery served 18 years for a sexual assault. He was later exonerated of that crime.
Avery and Dassey’s trial was led by former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz, who now has a law practice in West Bend, Wisconsin. Angry Making a Murderer viewers have turned to Yelp to skewer Kratz, who is portrayed in the Netflix series as prosecuting men who were framed by corrupt local police.
Yelp has been working diligently to clean up the reviews, which violate its terms of service. As of today, anyone who clicks on the page will find the notice below:
Avery has maintained his innocence, and his lawyers claimed that the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s department framed him and coerced a confession. Prosecutors denied this charge.
Avery and Dassey received life sentences for Halbach’s murder.
On Yelp, reviewers called Kratz “dishonest,” “horrible,” and “evil.” One user even referenced a sex scandal that ultimately led to Kratz resigning from his position as district attorney in 2010.
“Scum of the Earth. A sleazy, corrupt, disgusting excuse for a human being! Your conduct is appalling and karma is taking its justified toll on you now! Burn in hell!” one review said.
Kratz told Fox 11 that the documentary was biased and that he had declined to participate in the project.
“Anytime you edit 18 months’ worth of information and only include the statements or pieces that support your particular conclusion, that conclusion should be reached,” Kratz said. “I believe there to be 80 to 90 percent of the physical evidence, the forensic evidence, that ties Steven Avery to this murder never to have been presented in this documentary.”
Manitowoc County’s Sheriff Robert Hermann said he also heard that the series was skewed in favor of the defense. He has not seen the program, but you can watch the first episode for free online (see below.)
Source: http://www.people.com/article/lawyer-from-making-a-murderer-under-siege-on-yelp