Making a Murderer's Brendan Dassey freed by judge after 10 years in prison

A US federal judge has ordered the release of Making a Murderer's Brendan Dassey, who had his conviction for murder overturned earlier this year. The 27-year-old's case, along with his uncle Steven Avery, were popularised in the Netflix documentary series released in December 2015.

The pair were jailed for the rape and murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2005. Avery and Dassey, who was 16 at the time and has learning difficulties, were both sentenced to life in prison despite concerns about the way the teenager's confession was coaxed out of him by police.

Dassey's murder conviction was overturned in August this year. However, prosecutors are appealing.

As part of his release, Dassey will be forced into submitting regular drug tests and is barred from contacting the family of Halbach, as well as Avery.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Judge William Duffin ruled that Dassey will stay under supervision until the next steps in the case become clear.

The same judge quashed Dassey's conviction ruling that investigators had made false promises by assuring him "he had nothing to worry about".

His case became a cause célèbre to viewers of the 10-part series, where filmmakers cast doubt on legal processes enacted by Manitowoc County police officials that were used to secure the pair's convictions. Wisconsin's attorney general had asked that Dassey would be held in custody while the appeal was still pending.

Charred remains belonging to Halbach, a photographer for Auto Trader Magazine, were found at Avery's car salvage yard a week after she went there to photograph a minivan for sale. The pair were sentenced to life imprisonment for her killing.

Dassey's lawyer, Steve Drizin, told the Associated Press that he hoped Dassey would be free to spend Thanksgiving with his family on 24 November. "That's what I'm focused on right now, getting him home, getting him with his family and then helping him to re-integrate back into society while his appeal plays out," Drizin said.

The series began with Avery's false conviction for rape, for which he spent 18 years in prison. After Dassey's conviction was overturned the 54-year-old said that he believes he will "soon be free" thanks to new evidence.