Well, here’s some news that lends some credence to the theory that there truly is someone out there for everyone. Steven Avery, the subject of the Netflix true crime series Making a Murderer, has found love.
The 54-year-old, who was sentenced to life without parole after being found guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2005, obviously received a lot of attention after his case was detailed in the Netflix series. In addition to getting a new, aggressive legal team, Steven has become a (very) unlikely sex symbol of sorts. His 73-year-old former fiancée Sandra Greenman (who appeared in Making a Murderer) told the Daily Mail that he was receiving up to 40 letters a day – and some risqué photos – from lovelorn female fans. I guess any kind of notoriety brings them out, hmm?
One of the women who reached out to Steven in jail is 53-year-old Lynn Hartman, a former legal assistant and bankruptcy paralegal from Las Vegas. The couple exchanged letters and phone calls for 8 months. They finally met in person last week when Lynn secretly visited him at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institute, where Avery has been incarcerated for the last 11 years. Lynn announced the engagement on a post which has since been removed from the Steven Avery Project Facebook page. In the post, she said:
I am very happy to announce that Steven Avery asked me to marry him today, and I accepted. It has been a difficult road getting to this point in our lives but we are very happy. Despite all obstacles, and Steven’s wrongful conviction and incarceration, we plan to be married shortly after he is released.
[From Uproxx]
Not surprisingly, Lynn has been the victim of online abuse and threats. Some are accusing her of being an opportunist, pursuing Steven for his dubious fame and potential income should he be released. Among those who aren’t sure Lynn’s heart is in the right place is former fiancée Sandra, who gave her two cents about Lynn in a Daily Mail interview, saying, “She’s very pretty, there’s no way she’d want Steven Avery usually. All the family are afraid of her, something isn’t right, I know she wants fame, and she’s looking for money.”
Steven spoke about the engagement from his jail cell, telling reporters, “She’s going to be my future wife, we’ll be laughing forever. I’m happy, she treats me decent, she loves me, she’s kind of spoiling me right now. I just want to be happy and enjoy my life, I think I did enough time.” A statement on behalf of Steven was posted on the Steven Avery Project Facebook page which read, in part,
There have been some misunderstandings about Lynn and her intentions, he wants to remind you all that her intentions are true and her and Steven are very much in love and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.
Steven asks that you respect his future wife and respect their relationship, rumors that are made about there relationship are false and if it isn’t coming from Steven directly it’s not true.
Always remember this man has wrongfully served 30 years in prison, even if you don’t agree 100% with his decisions you have to agree that he deserves to be happy.
[From the Steven Avery Project Facebook Page]
I know there are women who pursue relationships with prisoners, but I kind of have to side with Sandra on this one. I do think that, although I can’t imagine there’s much gold to be dug here, that Lynn may be in it just for the money and fame. If Steven isn’t found not guilty and freed, how long do you think she’ll stick around? I’m sure we’ll see plenty of Lynn in the upcoming second season of the series, which they might want to call Making a Golddigger.
Photo credit: Netflix, Facebook/Steven Avery Project
There are also men who pursue women prisoners.
Our most infamous serial murderer here in Britland, Rose West, got engaged while in prison. And the bloke was an ex-member of a highly popular 1970s pop band. Peak weird.
Whether Avery did it or not, this whole pursue-a-possible-killer-in-prison thing totally weirds me out.
That really is peak weird, my God. What pop band?
We don’t have any celebrity prisoners . There was one guy who was a serial murderer and he got press because, we don’t have life imprisoment here, 40 years is the maximum time someone can serve and the public thought he needed to get more. But ( sadly?luckily?) he didn’t get engaged or anything.
We did have our first ever gay life partnership ceremony between two prisoners this weekend. I was surprised by how positive it got depicted in the media. It was rather lovely.
So that’s Fred and Rose West, the married couple who killed many girls, including his ex-wife and one of their own daughters.
The guy was from the band Slade. Their Christmas song hit is a staple of the festive season to this day.
This reminds me of a scene from Everybody Loves Raymond:
Ally: “Are all boys stupid”?
Debra: “Yeeeesssss”
She’s kind of pretty, honestly. It’s not a good photo – but she looks just… normal. Like a normal, kind of pretty coworker, or aunt, or whoever. It’s a shame.
I just can’t believe the kind of people do this. I can see if it was someone you were in a relationship with pre-jail… but to pursue someone who is jailed who you’ve never met before… it’s just weird. I can’t imagine it’s clear thinking, right? Like… a completely sane person doesn’t seek that kind of relationship.
Psychologist that have spoken about it say the attraction comes from you know where he is and he isn’t cheating on you, they have time (and many are very manipulative) to lavish the women with attention and praise, the bond over a common enemy (“the system”), the ability to be emotionally intimate with a man with no expectations of physical intimacy, there aren’t fights or the day to day struggles because you are leading separate lives, it also allows for lots of fantasy and projection about what it would be like if they were together and they never are able to disappoint them or let them down by not living up to it, some like the power of he needs me, no one else would want him and I can go out and do whatever I want, some like the idea of “fixing” him. There are different elements that attract people with personality disorders, people that have been hurt, people that aren’t up for a real day to day relationship for various reasons.
I used to hang out at Prison Talk forums years ago out of curiosity. So many women marrying guys with LWOP, or on death row. It was so bizzare. If you marry someone and they go to prison, I can kinda see it (Kinda. Would not stay celibate in a marriage with someone who’s doing 30, 40, life. Just no.) But if you seek out the already incarcerated, prisoners doing long terms (for terrible crimes usually) and marry them, there’s something not right with you imo. If you want an unavailable man, marry a sailor for god’s sake.
People are out of their effing minds. Or just severely damaged. Same thing, I guess.
Yes! Been there, so strange. There are a variety reasons damaged women fall for unattainable men.
They seek out men spending Life because they are safe. They can have their fantasy partner without the danger or reality. It’s a psychosis.
I would not use the term psychosis in this case but yeah, in some crazy way it is “safe” to some people. They’re murderers and rapists, but they’re behind bars and never coming out. They’re unlikely to cheat or dump you, and there’s only as much contact as you allow. I can see how that could appeal to some people with intimacy issues.
I don’t know if this makes me feel better, or worse, about being single haha.
Wonderful. Congratulations to them, wish them every happiness
My God, how desperate and alone is this lady….
He’s just…eww, innocent or not.
I know, gag! And from watching the documentary he is very “simple”. She actually doesn’t have that look, and she was a paralegal and legal aid? Super weird. How much money could it really be?
He gives me the creeps, his entire family does.
Ugh, just Ugh.
It’s like they took it upon themselves to live up to every redneck stereotype there is. Including incest. This family is not good.
I know Lynn Hartman. She’s from my hometown. All I can say about her is that all the lights aren’t on. She’s doing this for attention and obviously for the money. And if she was ever a legal secretary then I’m Elton John.
Wow, really? That’s a juicy tidbit, I must admit….