After Netflix debuted its documentary series “Making A Murderer,” angry viewers have been harassing former prosecutor Ken Kratz on Yelp to warn potential clients of his infamy.
“Making A Murderer” is a true-crime documentary about Wisconsin man Steven Avery’s journey as he spends 18 years in prison for a sexual assault he did not commit and then, after two years and a lawsuit against the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department, is convicted of life in prison for an unrelated homicide. Kratz was the special prosecutor in the latter case.
The story has polarized many viewers, as the series, from filmmakers Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, suggests that the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department—and by extension Kratz—planted evidence to frame Avery for murder.
Unsurprisingly, the Yelp reviews are pretty cutting.
“The lives you have ruined,” wrote one woman. “The ‘law’ you and your contemporaries completely disregard. You are an absolutely DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING and what makes me want to vomit the MOST about you, is that you most likely sleep well at night. You sir, might possibly be a sociopath. You should be the one in jail, so that you may not continue to ruin innocent people’s lives and wreak havoc upon the justice system.”
“If they had “0” stars as a rating, I’d select that!” wrote one man. “This sorry excuse for a human being should be doing life in prison, not Steve Avery (or his nephew, Brendan Massey).”
It’s fair to say that these Yelp reviewers don’t like Ken Kratz. Yet despite Kratz having never worked with these people, his rating stands at a low one star—on par with the most hated man in America, lion-killer Walter Palmer.
Defending his actions, Kratz told WLUK-TV FOX 11, “Anytime you edit 18 months’ worth of information and only include the statements or pieces that support your particular conclusion, that conclusion should be reached.”
Kratz alleged media bias. He said that, before the release of the Netflix series—which ultimately resulted in a multitude of online harassment and death threats—Ricciardi and Demos never invited him to answer any allegations.
“Suggestions that I shouldn’t even be walking around [were] offered,” he said, along with “the good cheer that I [should] happen to develop stomach cancer for Christmas and really lots of really troubling pieces of correspondence.”
Yelp reviews reflected this violent tone, with one man saying, “I have never wished death on anyone in all the years I have had on this earth. But after seeing how you treat people, I got pretty darn close. I hope that you get an incurable STD and spend the rest of your short life in constant misery, you fat sloth.”
And the serious vitriol doesn’t stop there.
Another reviewer remarked, “I am about as far as you can get from a violent person. But if Karma doesn’t get you first, I sure do hope God shows you the way out when you get there.”
So, the Internet collectively hates Kratz, as evidenced by these Yelp reviews and a plethora of other harassment. But is this the result of biased, irresponsible journalism?
Ricciardi and Moira Demos don’t think so. They insist that they invited Kratz to speak to them on multiple occasions. And although they had more communication with the defense team than with the prosecutors, they said that they worked tirelessly to create a balanced documentary
Describing “Making a Murderer,” Demos said, “We believe the series is representative of what we witnessed.”
“The key pieces of the state’s evidence,” she said, “are included in the series.”
Whether or not “Making a Murderer” encouraged people to harass Ken Kratz, it certainly made the lawyer infamous.
H/T Fox 11 News | Photo via Ammodramus/Wikimedia Commons (PD)