The 5 Best ‘Making A Murderer’ Fan Theories

If you think this one seems like a long shot, then you’re probably right. However, there are several theories speculating that another unidentified and unknown person was actually responsible for Teresa Halbach’s death. This theory would fall in line with the defense’s argument, which claimed the police were not responsible for Halbach’s death. Instead, they were responsible for supreme police bias, causing them to plant evidence on Avery because they were so convinced of his guilt.

The most popular of this crop of theories revolves around a deleted Reddit post about a mysterious man called “the German.” This post was best explored by POPSUGAR. In the original post, which was deleted seven days ago, a user points to one Wisconsin woman’s increasingly suspicious husband as the alternative suspect. Most of this theory stems from a blog post that was published in 2009, which documents the husband’s psychosis (the subject of this theory has been diagnosed with several mental health disorders), a past of burning objects, a brief, if not overly hostile, encounter with the deceased Halbach, and a cut on his finger. This theory is very similar to the convicted murderer theory that haunted the true crime Serial podcast subreddit for months.

What makes this theory plausible? Two things: The shear amount of claims in the reported story that match with Halbach’s death and when that often-referenced blog post was published. The blog was published in 2009, when Avery’s lawyers were attempting to compose a new trial. Though the murder and trial happened in 2005 and 2006, at least the blog wasn’t published in 2015. This is important in a case that has been so timeline-oriented.

What doesn’t? You could point to the lack of solid police evidence. After all, one blog does not a murderer make. However, as one Reddit poster’s brief yet thorough explanation of the theory best states, this theory has survived multiple holes being picked in it, yet it still stands strong. Currently, users are trying to contact the author of the aforementioned blog as well as the author of the missing article, who goes by “PrimaK.”

This theory looks slightly left of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey allegations to focus on the rest of their family, specifically Bobby Dassey (Brendan’s brother) and Scott Tadych (Bredan’s stepfather). Both were outspoken in their belief of Avery’s guilt, and then there’s the suspicious fact that the pair collaborated each other’s stories.

But according to Fusion and the Reddit community, the theory is bigger than those two things. By their own admission, both Bobby Dassey and Scott Tadych would be on the Avery property at the same time as Teresa Halbach. Then there are the scratches on Bobby Dassey’s back that were reported to look about a week old when he was interviewed. Bobby Dassey claims these scratch marks were made by a puppy. However, what makes this pair the most suspicious is their allowed collaboration. Both Bobby Dassey and Scott Tadych testified that they had driven past each other on October 31, the last day Halbach was seen alive. Both men made it onto a list of possible suspects in Avery’s 2009 request for a new trial. Remember, in the first Teresa Halbach trial, the defense was forbidden to present any ulterior suspects, which made their job more difficult and Avery’s defense weaker.

What makes this theory plausible? Several things, but for me, the most suspicious piece of evidence revolves around how the pair was allowed to verify the other’s story. There are several holes in this case, but the police’s hawk-eyed focus on Avery as their prime, and what often seemed only, suspect is one of the biggest. Another supporting piece in this theory is Scott Tadych’s history of violence and both men’s inconsistent stories. Sure the inconsistencies are small, but in this case, that means everything.

What doesn’t? It enters into the realm of mass speculation, which is a pretty common thread when it comes to fan theories. However, many believers of this theory think the pair pinned the crime on Avery because of old fashioned jealousy. This one is difficult because there are elements of fact behind it, but not enough to avoid completely speculated motivations.

Though some theories have reported the Manitowoc police force are directly responsible for Teresa Halbach’s death, that idea quickly falls into the realm of unsupervised speculation. However, there have been some interesting theories as to why the police would frame Avery.

While Avery’s defense argued that the police’s alleged planting of evidence was based on humiliation and wanting to avoid Avery’s large payout for his previous time in prison, one specific theory also looks toward Avery’s property. The 40 acre Avery property is well known to anyone who has seen the show. According to this idea, the Avery property contains something that is valuable to the state, and in order to get the property, the Manitowoc police force framed Avery. As reported by Fusion, one Redditor focuses a large amount of attention on Doug Hagg, who was only mentioned once in the 10-part series. Hagg was Defense Attorney Ken Kratz’ mentor (based on this theory) as well as the head of real estate transfers and registry in the area of Wisconsin where Avery lives. This theory falls into more disturbing category as it speculates that 1) evidence was planted and 2) this crime goes much higher up than we thought.

What makes this theory plausible? For one, the positioning of Avery’s property. As the same Reddit thread has pointed out, the Avery property seems to be in a prime location for mining, based on satellite pictures. This theory is also a bit easier to swallow than the defense that was presented. Pride is a powerful emotion, but thinking that it the police force’s pride and refusal to pay out Avery’s money was the reason behind the alleged planted evidence seems disturbingly petty.

What doesn’t? Evidence. Unlike other theories, this one almost completely lacks a paper trail, as most high-ranking theories seem to. However, for anyone who has watched True Detective Season One too many times may find some solace in this theory.

This theory looks at the most obvious suspect the police missed: Halbach’s ex boyfriend. If this was any other case, Ryan Hillegas, Teresa’s ex, would have been the main suspect. There have been countless cases where women were killed by their romantic partner, and in addition to this common narrative, there have been reports that Hillegas has exhibited stalker tendencies toward co-workers and friends. However, despite all of this, Hillegas was never treated as a suspect in the case.

Then there are the additional pieces surrounding Hillegas that just don’t seem to add up. Anyone who has watched the series will remember his strange, jilted body language when talking to the cops and his borderline apathy when discussing Halbach’s death. And then there’s the oddity behind the voicemail story. Hillegas claimed that after he learned of Halbach’s disappearance, he hacked into her voicemail and listened to her messages by guessing her password. At best, that’s an odd reaction to learning of your ex’s death. At worst, you’re hiding something. Many of these Ryan Hillegas theories also include Halbach’s roommate, who didn’t report her disappearance for days, and her brother, Mike Halbach, due to his comment that he was grieving for Teresa before the body was ever found.

What makes this theory plausible? For me, Ryan Hillegas looks like the clear prime suspect of this case, and yet he was never treated as such. Not only that but he was also present on the crime scene several times during the proposed timeframe, and he directly assisted in searching for Halbach. Whether or not Hillegas really committed the murder, this points to a central source of frustration in this case: the police’s apparent refusal to look at anyone other than Avery as a prime suspect.

What doesn’t? For one, because Hillegas was never treated as a suspect, we have a minimal amount Hillegas-related evidence. On top of that, some Redditors have been speculating on his innocence, as reported by POPSUGAR. According to this theory, an innocent Hillegas only accessed Halbach’s voicemail to remove voicemails that may appear incriminating.

Out of all the theories, this is the one that echoes of the much-referenced Serial podcast the most. Several viewers believe that Avery was in fact responsible for the crime, but because he was not given the presumption of innocence and because he was not proven to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, he should not have been convicted. As POPSUAGR has noted, theories of this nature largely reject the murder happening in the way the state presented it. However, very few of these theorists think that Brendan Dassey had anything to do with the murder.

What makes this theory plausible? For the most part, the state’s case. For a complete breakdown of fan-sourced support for this theory, check out this thread.

What doesn’t? Motive and the DNA on the key. Though many of these theories argue that it was a crime of passion or that Avery was stalking Halbach, these ideas seem farfetched with the narrative that was presented in Making a Murderer. Avery seemed more interested in returning back to his own life than anything else. Also there’s the fact that Avery’s DNA, and only Avery’s DNA was found on the key.

Regardless of who you think did it, there’s one thing we can all agree on. Things do not add up in Making a Murderer.