Prosecutors want 'Making a Murderer' nephew locked up during appeal

MADISON, Wis. -- Prosecutors want a federal judge to keep a man convicted in a case profiled in the popular "Making a Murderer" Netflix series behind bars while they appeal his release.

A federal magistrate judge ruled in August that investigators tricked Brendan Dassey into confessing that he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, kill photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. The judge ordered Dassey freed from prison unless prosecutors appealed.

Attorneys for the Wisconsin Justice Department filed a brief Tuesday arguing Dassey should stay in prison because he's a serious threat to public safety.

Dassey's attorneys have asked the magistrate to release him while the state's appeal is pending.

The brief from the state attorneys notes that the magistrate clearly said his ruling would be stayed if it was appealed.