'Making a Murderer': Petition to Free Steven Avery Draws Nearly 200K Signatures

Fans of a popular Netflix show have signed a pair of petitions calling on President Obama to pardon the two men at the center of the murder mystery series.

More than 180,000 people have asked the president to pardon Steven Avery, the subject of "Making a Murderer," which explores the circumstances around his arrest and how he was convicted for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.

"Avery's unconstitutional mistreatment at the hands of corrupt local law enforcement is completely unacceptable and is an abomination of due process," reads a petition on Change.org, which has garnered roughly 164,000 signatures.

An official White House petition has received nearly 19,500 signatures and would require a White House response if 100,000 people sign it by Jan. 19.

"Based on the evidence in the Netflix documentary series 'Making a Murderer,' the justice system embarrassingly failed both men, completely ruining their entire lives," the White House petition reads.

Avery was convicted of killing Halbach in 2007 after being exonerated by DNA evidence for a separate sexual assault conviction that kept him behind bars for 18 years. He is currently serving a life sentence in Wisconsin for Halbach's murder.

Petitioners are also asking Obama to pardon Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, who was separately convicted of sexually assaulting and helping his uncle kill Halbach.

"Making a Murderer" began streaming on Netflix in December, receiving favorable reviews from critics, celebs and viewers. It has drawn comparisons to popular podcast series "Serial" and HBO's "Jinx."