Steven Avery's defense attorney to speak on flaws in criminal justice system
The documentary series "Making a Murderer" was a huge success when its 10 episodes were seen on Netflix last year.
People were discussing the case of Steven Avery, who served 18 years in a Wisconsin prison and was released after he was fully exonerated by DNA evidence. Two years after his release, Avery became the prime suspect in a sensational murder. He'd served 10 years of the sentence when the documentary series called his conviction into question.
The blockbuster case and the window it provided into the nation's legal system is at the heart of Jerome Buting's new book, "Illusion of Justice: Inside Making a Murderer and America's Broken System."
Buting, Avery's co-defense attorney, had a seat in the center of it all and has written a thoughtful book about that experience and his views on the pitfalls of our legal system.
The book will be discussed at 7 p.m. Monday, March 6, at a Community Christian Church, 1635 Emerson Lane, Naperville. Presented by Anderson's Bookshops, the program will be moderated by retired DuPage County Judge Thomas J. Dudgeon.
Tickets and the featured book are available at Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jackson Ave., Naperville. An admission ticket with a copy of "Illusion of Justice" allows one person to attend the presentation for about $35, followed by the book signing line to meet the author.
Admission-only tickets, $5 each, permit entry to the event to hear Buting's program only. Anderson's Bookshop members will receive their standard discount. Tickets can be purchased in person, online at andersonsbookshop.com or by calling (630) 355-2665.
Interweaving his account of the Steven Avery trial at the heart of "Making a Murderer" with other high-profile cases from his criminal defense career, Buting explains the flaws in America's criminal justice system and lays out a blueprint for reform.
Over his career, Buting has spent hundreds of hours in courtrooms representing defendants in criminal trials.
When he agreed to join Dean Strang as co-counsel for the defense in Steven A. Avery vs. State of Wisconsin, he knew a tough fight lay ahead. But, as he reveals in "Illusion of Justice," no one could have predicted just how tough and twisted that fight would be - or that it would become the center of the documentary "Making a Murderer," which made Avery and Brendan Dassey household names and thrust Buting into the spotlight.
Buting's boots-on-the-ground narrative of Avery's and Dassey's cases becomes a springboard to examine the integrity of law enforcement and justice in the United States.
From his early career as a public defender to his success overturning wrongful convictions working with the Innocence Project, his story provides an expert view into the high-stakes arena of criminal defense law; the difficulties of forensic science; and biased interrogations, coerced or false confessions, faulty eyewitness testimony and official misconduct.
Combining narrative reportage with critical commentary and personal reflection, Buting explores his professional and personal motivations, career-defining cases, and what must happen if our system is to be saved.
"Illusion of Justice" is Buting's first book. His Wisconsin criminal defense law practice is focused primarily on defense of serious and complex criminal offenses, at state and federal levels, trial and appeal.
If you go
What: Jerome Buting with "Illusion of Justice"
When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 6
Where: Community Christian Church, 1645 Emerson Lane, Naperville
Tickets and info: (630) 355-2665 or andersbookshop.com