Petitions to pardon subject of Making a Murderer receive more than 150,000 signatures

The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer was released Dec. 18, 2015, and already more than 140,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for President Obama to pardon its subject, Steven Avery.

More than 18,500 have signed a similar White House petition, asking that Obama pardon Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, for their "wrongful conviction in connection to the murder of Teresa Halbach." The petition says that based on evidence presented in Making a Murderer, the "justice system embarrassingly failed both men, completely ruining their entire lives," and that the sheriff's department of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, "used improper methods" to convict them in 2005. If that petition receives 100,000 signatures by Jan. 16, the White House must respond publicly.

The 10-part documentary details how Avery — who was released from prison in 2003 after DNA exonerated him in rape charges — was then accused and convicted of Halbach's murder. He is serving a life sentence. Catherine Garcia

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