During an exclusive interview with Dr. Phil, Kenneth Petersen, the Manitowoc County Sheriff who arrested Steven Avery for the rape of Penny Beernsten in 1985, admitted that he knew about an important phone call that could have proven the suspect's innocence. However, instead of investigating the call, he and the other sheriffs who also knew about it decided to ignore it.
According to the Huffington Post, Avery was sent to prison for rape charges in 1985. However, he was exonerated in 2003 after it was discovered that he had been wrongfully convicted.
But, about midway during Avery's 18-year stay in jail, Petersen learned of a phone call in 1995 that could have been used to prove that the former was not the rapist. However, Petersen and his colleagues decided not to report the call.
When Dr. Phil asked him regarding his decision to ignore the call, he said that it was not his responsibility to make the report. He noted that the decision was up to the investigative unit which was handling the case at that time.
The shocking revelation made by the arresting officer further fueled the public's growing distrust for the Manitowoc County Sherriff's Department in Wisconsin. Many believe the sheriffs of the law enforcement unit also had a hand in Avery's second imprisonment.
Two years after his exoneration, Avery was involved in a civil lawsuit against the sheriff's department for his wrongful conviction. However, during the depositions, he was arrested by the department for the murder of Teresa Halbach, a photographer in Wisconsin, Newsweek reported. He was convicted in 2007 and is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Avery's lawyers, including his supporters, argue that the now 53-year-old inmate was framed for the second crime by members of the sheriff's department, including Peterson. According to them, this is the law enforcers' way of taking revenge on Avery for suing them.
According to Bustle, Petersen recently made controversial comments regarding the case of Avery. The site noted that while speaking with local reporters, Petersen said that if he and the department wanted to take revenge on Avery, it would have been easier for them to just kill him instead of framing him.
