Home The Facts Brendan Dassey’s False Confession

Brendan Dassey’s False Confession

mark-wiegert-tom-fassbender-steve-avery — Lead investigators Mark Wiegart and Tom Fassbender

Brendan Dassey was questioned numerous times by detectives leading up to his arrest. He attracted the attention of investigators because he lived on the same property as his uncle, Steve Avery, who had been arrested for the murder of Teresa Halbach.

Brendan’s first recorded interview was conducted on November 6, 2005. An audio recording is available for that interview below. Brendan’s subsequent interviews were all video taped. These videos clearly show that Brendan was coerced into giving answers to his interrogators. He is often clueless as to what the detectives are talking about, and waits for them to feed him information about the crime. Brendan was an intellectually challenged teenage boy being questioned about a horrific rape and murder, with no parent or lawyer present. When Brendan dares to question the detectives’ version of events, they repeatedly tell him to stop lying. To add further pressure, they tell him that his mother wants him to cooperate. Whenever Brendan confirms something the detectives say, they use it to coax him on. They tell him repeatedly that they already know the truth, and if he confirms what they already know, they will leave him alone. They lie to Brendan, claiming that they are there to help him and that he will not get into any trouble, just as long as he tells them what they want to hear.

After “confessing” to rape and murder, Brendan asks detectives how much longer the questioning will take because he has a school project to turn in during his afternoon period. At that moment in time, Brendan actually thinks he will be able to go back to school. It is disturbingly clear that Brendan did not understand the seriousness of the situation he was in. The interrogators, which can be viewed in the videos below, took advantage of a 16-year-old boy with a cognitive impairment. It is shameful that Brendan Dassey’s interrogation was allowed to be used at trial. Without Brendan’s false confession, there is absolutely no case against him. The process of determining whether or not to grant Brendan Dassey a new trial starts and ends with his coerced false confession.