Is Steven Avery guilty or innocent? Investigation Discovery special looks at the case

Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty premieres Saturday, Jan. 30 at 9/8CT on Investigation Discovery.

RELATED:
• Netflix’s Ted Sarandos calls “Making a Murderer” a “remarkable turn of events”
• Dateline NBC special looks at the Steven Avery case

Odds are, if you have a TV, computer or tablet, you’ve been sucked into the worldwide phenomenon that is Netflix’s original series Making A Murderer. If you haven’t watched it (and maybe even if you have), you probably wish your friends would just … stop … talking … about it. And if you haven’t heard of it at all, well, you’ve won a seriously impressive game of pop-culture dodgeball.

The 10-episode Making a Murderer examined the investigation and murder trials resulting from the gruesome October 31, 2005, death of photographer Teresa Halbach. Following what many view as a wildly suspicious investigation by Manitowoc, Wisconsin, law enforcement agencies, local eccentric Steven Avery was charged with the crime, along with his teenage nephew Brenden Dassey.

That Avery was recently freed from prison after serving 18 years for an assault he didn’t commit — and, thus, was on the cusp of receiving a substantial settlement for the botched case — made some believe he had been railroaded by a vengeful Manitowoc PD.

When Making a Murderer debuted on Netflix in December, it launched a fiery worldwide discussion about whether the pair had received fair trials, whether they were truly guilty — and whether the series’ creators Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi willingly excluded evidence of Avery’s guilt or merely did a brilliant job of pointing out how quickly we can change our minds about someone’s guilt or innocence. And, thus, the precarious nature of the justice system because of it.

Now Investigation Discovery will present new details and new perspective on the Avery convictions in a new special Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty, premiering Saturday, Jan. 30, at 9/8CT. Produced by NBC News’ Emmy Award-winning Peacock Productions and hosted by everyone’s favorite Dateline NBC guy Keith Morrison, Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty reveals the latest intriguing developments in the story, and takes an in-depth look at the evidence, the controversy and the key players in the case. New interviews include:

Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi — Making a Murderer  filmmakers

Jerry Buting — Former defense attorney in Avery Case

Ken Kratz — Former Calumet County DA, prosecutor in the Avery and Dassey cases and perhaps Making a Murderer‘s most hated figure.

Brad Dassey — Brendan Dassey’s half-brother

 Michael Griesbach — author of The Innocent Killer and former Manitowoc County ADA,

Peter Massey — forensic expert, University of New Haven

Tom Kertscher — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter

So tell us — did you watch Making a Murderer? Did you think the series purposefully sought to exonerate Avery or was intended to make viewers think in terms more broad-based than his guilt or innocence. Will you watch Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty? Sound off in the comments section below.

Steven Avery: Innocent or Guilty premieres Saturday, Jan. 30 at 9/8CT on Investigation Discovery.