Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, after serving nearly 20 years of a 32-year sentence, Wisconsin native Steven Avery was exonerated for the sexual assault of Penny Ann Beernsten. Only three years after his release, Avery would once again find himself the prime suspect in a criminal investigation, this time for the gruesome rape and murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. In DailyWire’s Convicting A Murderer, Candace Owens attempts to break the narrative built around Avery in the 2015 mega-hit Making A Murderer.

Convicting A Murderer (E1 – An Unraveling Narrative)

In the inaugural installment, Candace Owens and team lay out the details of the original docuseries while establishing the tone and perspective of this DailyWire original, which states that Netflix misled the public and that Steven Avery is exactly where he belongs.

It’s not fair to say that Episode 1 of Convicting A Murderer suffers from primarily being a recap of Making A Murderer. However, what is this episode’s greatest weakness is also a necessary evil for those without long memories or who have not recently watched the original. After all, it’s been almost a decade since the streaming phenomenon captured the attention of millions of viewers (nearly 20 million per episode) worldwide.

Furthermore, there is enough teaser material toward the episode’s end to warrant a cursory watch by those who do clearly remember the original.

The visuals, which by necessity are mostly comprised of archived news footage, do an excellent job of keeping the viewer’s attention in part thanks to the overall production quality. The music is appropriate and driving without being overbearing. Likewise, the narration, which is provided by a mixture of Candace Owens, a handful of journalists who reported on the original case, and several “case enthusiasts,” is tasteful and does a fine job of cultivating the show’s tenor.

However, the repeated cuts to the “enthusiasts” do little to lend credibility and instead often serve to make this episode feel like less of a probe for the truth and more of a vanity project to prove to the “truthers” (the title for those who vociferously believe in Avery’s innocence) that they were duped.

Ultimately, this chapter is a mixed bag. That said, there is enough good to justify continuing to the next episode.

Convicting A Murderer (E2 – Sharing Wives)

Convicting A Murderer (E3 – Avery’s Niece)

Convicting A Murderer (E4 – Shifting Timelines)

Convicting A Murderer (E5 – Manitowoc’s)

Convicting A Murderer (E6 – The Key & The License Plate Call)

Convicting A Murderer (E7 – The Vial of Blood)

Convicting A Murderer (E8 – Bones)

Convicting A Murderer (E9 – Manipulating Brenden)

Convicting A Murderer (E10 – The Real Villain)

Final Thoughts