Colbert to ‘Making a Murderer’ Filmmakers: Is Steven Avery Guilty?
Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, the documentarians behind the Netflix hit Making a Murderer, dropped by The Late Show Tuesday to discuss the series that has tantalized the nation, whether or not they believe Steven Avery is guilty and what they’d like to document next.
Colbert compliments the filmmakers for creating a decade-in-the-making series that’s compelling without relying on being a whodunit. “We actually like to say it’s more a how-dunit. What we were documenting was the process, and that’s what justice is, it’s a process,” Demos said. “So, can we rely on these verdicts at the end?”
The filmmakers and Colbert then discussed how the legal system is seemingly stacked against poor people. “We understand that for viewers, this can be overwhelming. We’re throwing a lot at you, and it can be terrifying what you see,” Demos said. “The terrifying thing is that you can end up accused of something that you had not done and you have no way of defending yourself,” Colbert added. “You do not want to be the subject of one of your documentaries.”
Colbert quizzed the documentarians on the same question that has viewers across the nation debating: Is Steven Avery guilty? Both Ricciardi and Demos wouldn’t say whether Avery was innocent, but they did say they believed he should have been found not guilty. “My personal opinion is that the state did not meet its burden in Steven Avery’s case or Brendan Dassey’s case.”
Demos and Ricciardi also reveal what they want to make their next documentary about. “I’d love to follow Florence and the Machine, but I haven’t reached out to her,” Ricciardi said.