But they were not the most senior department on the scene. Here's a snapshot of the worldwideoutrage directed at Hermann: 1. The Hermann brothers (from MCSD) were unofficial suspects in Ricky's death, and they were even investigated by the DOJ regarding those allegations. After darkness fell tower lights were set up to ensure they collected all the remains, which were then transported and planted in Steven's burn pit (by Bushman, Lenk or Colborn). At the time of Teresa's death, two Hermann brothers were steadily climbing the ranks. And then, when all was well within the department, the fickle finger of fate pointed at Steven Avery, leading to his exoneration in 2003, the filing of his 36,000,000 lawsuit in 2004, Teresa's death in 2005, Steven's arrest and ultimately his second wrongful conviction in 2007. I used to think of cranes when I heard the name Manitowoc, not. Zellner's techniques were detailed heavily in Season 2, but there's much more to the story. I truly feel sorry for the residents of your county who will be judged according to the actions of a few. Kocourek helped smooth things over after both Petersen and Bushman were involved with serious collisions in their squad cars in the 1980's. Manitowoc County Drug Disposal Program is accepting unused and/or expired medications, over-the-counter medications, prescription medications and pet medications at no charge. Does Wisconsin know what JUSTICE is? This was the third day police were on the Avery property without anything being found inculpating Steven. Manitowoc County is now officially on the map for having the most corrupt (law enforcement officers) in the nation, congrats. Its unfortunate the word Manitowoc is causing some such grief, but again, these are people feeling that way from watching a television show, he said. Once he is released from prison, he probably needs to move far away from Wisconsin for his own mental health and well-being. Petersen is also on record casually discussing how murdering Steven Avery would be preferable to framing him, a remarkable statement about an extrajudicial killing from the County's top law enforcement officer - a statement both the defense and filmmakers said deeply troubled them. And now, thanks to MAM, Kocourek's crooked legacy will forever be tied to Steven Avery's name: Sheriff Kocourek was instrumental in Steven Averys 1985 wrongful arrest and conviction. Bushman knew the Hermann family well enough to list the Hermann father as a reference on his application to MCSD (Pg. It's enough to convince me the case needs to be reviewed. But I am equally as certain that what I did see, and hear, was more than enough to not only show a preponderance of reasonable doubt, but to convince me that Manitowoc County is replete with corruption. As far as I can tell, it started with the Hermann father joining the department in 1962, all while remaining president of Cleveland Auto Salvage. Both Petersen and Bushman were hired by MCSD with no prior experience in law enforcement, and both ended up being involved in serious collisions with their squad cars, collisions that were quickly swept under the rug by Sheriff Kocourek. Years later, Kocourek, Bushman and Petersen would all play critical roles in the 1985 wrongful arrest and conviction of Steven Avery, the 1999 Ricky H vehicular homicide case, and the 2005 Teresa Halbach case. Please know that your judicial system looks like you all are unethical, immoral and corrupt. That will be determined in federal court, I hope Hopefully you run a more honest and transparent ship than did the prior sheriff. Only two days after the death County officials held a press conference during which it was announced Petersen was absolved of any wrong doing or negligence regarding the loss of life. Again, once you know the events of November 7 - November 11, this theory presents itself fully formed. As such, it's no wonder both Petersen and Bushman became Kocourek's loyal underlings, helping him and the department out in 1985 (re: Penny) in 1999 (re: Ricky) and in 2005 (re: Teresa). As we can see from above ^ it seems as though Kocourek went to great lengths to avoid investigating the incident or mentioning it anywhere in department filings. When this shit happens over decades what you're left with is not exactly the crme de la crop. I used to think of cranes when I heard the name Manitowoc, not. The wildly popular "Making a Murderer" documentary. I'm pretty sure at some point, Steven Avery's conviction will be overturned. To be sure, I am not saying Mr. Avery was innocent, but, there was clear and convincing evidence, to me, of a massive amount of reasonable doubt which means he is innocent in this country. Of course IMO the decision to back away from the case was only for the benefit of the public's perception. ADRC of the Lakeshore ; Crime Stoppers ; Foster Care Program 150, 154) is that one of the Hermann brothers struck and killed Ricky and then kept on driving to the familys Salvage Yard in southern Manitowoc County where they crushed and then buried the vehicle responsible for causing Rickys death. What did that man ever do to you people? Ferak is not a fan of either, but specifically notes that Kocourek's legacy with the Sheriffs Department was one synonymous with crookedness and corruption (Pg. Sheriff Petersen was still doing whatever he could to help cover up the truth from behind the scenes such as when he threatened Coroner Kakatsch with arrest if she tried to access the scene of Teresa's mutilation, as was required of her by statute. At this time, no further follow-up will need to be done.". The suit was settledafter the homicide case was filed against Avery. You are unbelievable. If she draws some stinkers, then her efforts to exonerate Steven Avery might be prolonged. ", 14. Maybe she would have survived if she had been rushed to a hospital instead of run over by Petersen. In 1981 Petersen was speeding over the limit during a foggy night and ran over a young woman (Gina) who had just been in a minor motorcycle collision with her two male companions. Although Petersens hire wasn't influenced by the Hermann family, we know his rise within the department was. Making a Murderer fans will remember Ken Kratz as the special prosecutor brought in by Manitowoc County officials who convicted Steven Avery of Teresa Halbach's 2005 . Justice is no longer served to all impartially, but abused and obstructed at will. Her DNA was found on a bullet from Avery's gun. He pointed to the portrayal of Manitowoc County Sheriff's Sgt. Only loyalists are hired and promoted and well meaning officers either burn out or are forced out. From Zellner's investigative instincts to Avery's current standing in the court system to a detailed analysis of the accusations against former prosecutor Ken Kratz, Ferak covers a variety of new angles in the book and expands on the key points that make the case so polarizing. Ferak's theory is not exactly new to us on TTM, but it's nevertheless toubling to think about. Why? ", 2. 86): Ferak included an excerpt from a Wisconsin State Patrol Incident Report, which states: Manitowoc County Sgt. "I had recently fell into a large sum of money and was thinking of moving to your county, but after what I saw concerning your departments cover-up and framing Steven Avery and his nephew, I was seriously taken aback. The County Steven was suing? Plight of the Accused 63m Steven is back in jail, charged with murder, but there are troubling questions about how he was arrested and why. For those who don't know, by November 2005 the Wisconsin DOJ had conducted TWO separate criminal investigations of MCSD for potential misconduct in office, once in 2003 (re: Steven, detailed in MAM season 1) and once in 2004 (re: Ricky Hotchstetler, detailed in Part Three, coming soon). Okay then. It wasn't long before members of the community were whispering about a police cover-up, and this included Ricky's mother and father, who both had troubling run-ins with the department after their son's death. After arriving at the hit and run scene Officer Bushman quickly called the older Hermann brother, an off-duty Lieutenant, and asked that he come to the scene. Manitowoc County Board Chairman Jim Brey, in an email sent in December, urged fellow county board membersto rally behind thesheriff's department, which was the target of angrymessages from people across the world. We are all a bit desensitized, I think, when it comes to theories surrounding Kuss road. Obligatory: any factual inaccuracies in the post are mine, not Feraks. Steven's lawsuit directly contradicted Attorney General Lautenschlager's report on the 1985 case, the report issued after the first criminal investigation of MCSD in 2003. Part Two (How to Make Evidence Disappear) will focus on Bushman, the Hermann brothers, and the Ricky Hotchstetler hit and run vehicular homicide case. The Coroner at the time in 1981 (Mxxxx Cummings) claims Gina died from a head injury sustained in the crash of the motorcycles, and immediately goes on to say: A squad car later collided with the wreckage and the victim offering no further thoughts on the incident. But we are dealing with the state of Wisconsin, a place I lived and worked at two different times in my life, and for that reason, I would say it's 50-50. The series seems to have convinced much of its audiencethat twoManitowoc Countymen currently sitting in prison for the murder of a young photographer may, in fact, be innocent and the local legal system corrupt. 151). "It's kind of sad that (the city) is getting that kind of publicity right now," saidKendra Cordova, 27, whoworks at an olive oil shop downtown. Although I don't believe Petersen is the sharpest knife in the drawer, it appears he at least knew to learn from Kocourek's mistakes re: the 1985 case. In 1999 the Hermann brothers (the ones who worked at MCSD) became unofficial suspects in a vehicular homicide of Ricky Hotchstetler, a case for which Sheriff Kocourek named Bushman as lead investigator. "As the father of a Down syndrome age 16 daughter, I know how easy it is to manipulate a mentally challenged person by promising what they want at a precise moment. The Hermann boys was saved, largely thanks to Bushman, although everyone helped, including then Sheriff Kocourek, who downright refused assistance from the Wisconsin State Patrol's Technical Crash Reconstruction Experts (Pg. A review of the department's many different negligent driving incidents prior to Ricky, as well as an examination of how, post Ricky's death, his mother eventually caught the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department in a bold faced lie regarding their investigative efforts into her son's hit and run. They were just sitting out in the open since October 31! The facts are obvious that your department had something to do with this and a cover-up looks to be very clear. He was hired immediately. Ferak reveals that way back in 1978 the Hermann father helped elect Kocourek as Sheriff of the MCSD (Pg. Although he is not a very widely discussed figure, the Hermann father certainly left his mark on the department, and was directly responsible for creating the holy trinity of corruption, made up of Kocourek, Petersen and Bushman, very prominent figures in the Penny B, Ricky H and Teresa H cases, and extremely consequential figures to Steven Avery. Amazing! As for Bushman, he was involved in a questionable single car collision in Sept of 1989. As you might have guessed, Kocourek didn't push Bushman to conduct an investigation that would result in a member of the Hermann family, a member of his own department, being indicted for felony vehicular homicide. I hope that detective Lenk and Goulburn (sic) rot in hell as it is almost certain that they are behind this corruption and lies I hope use (sic) all cant sleep at night and justice comes your way. She said she'll finish the series but didn't have an opinion on whether the men are innocent or not. And like others, she expressed concerns that the series and the international reaction are re-opening wounds for Halbach's family. If the Avery case was in the state of Nebraska, the state of Iowa and the state of Illinois, I would have to say there would be a 98 percent chance Zellner would be successful in winning a new trial or getting Steven Avery's conviction overturned, primarily based on the Brady violation allegations she has raised. 79 of his book Ferak says, "PETERSEN and BUSHMAN would both ascend into top level leadership positions - tokens of gratitude for their unwavering loyalty and ability to follow orders from Sheriff Kocourek.". Keep in mind, Ferak attempts to draw a correlation between Bushman's conduct during Ricky's case compared to his conduct during Teresa's case. I could also him taking an interest in auto racing, perhaps he would sponsor his own racing team for NASCAR. People are seeing our community presented in a bad light by this show and its pretty unfair to the people who live here, said Jason Ring, president of the bureau. ", 3. IMO the theory that Bushman and Hermann worked together to swap out evidence of the striking vehicle in the Ricky H case is made credible by their own actions. Keep up the good work! For decades now, the Hermann family has had an enormous amount of influence within the Sheriff's department and also the community. A civil lawsuit victory for Steven Avery was undoubtedly a loss for not only Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, but the DOJ and Attorney General as well. If Petersen was willing to go that far God only knows what else happened that hasn't yet come to light. It seems Kocourek did everything he could to sweep this under the rug, and quickly: It was determined an inquest into the young womans death was not necessary. 77). 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