Steven Avery supporter goes all in

GREEN BAY - The reaction by many of those who were outraged by the docu-series "Making a Murderer" began and ended at the keyboard, with harsh online postings and biting remarks.

Not so for 22-year-old Curtis Busse of Green Bay, who has built an online space for Steven Avery supporters and has turned his interest in the case into a 24/7 cause. He has no ties to the Avery family. He derives no income from his efforts. And he quit his job to do this full-time.

He is on a single-minded pursuit — one social media post at a time — to assist a man he believes has been wrongfully convicted of a gruesome homicide. It's a journey he's been on since binge-watching the "Making a Murderer" Netflix series in December.

Through his efforts, Busse has befriended the Avery family and he said he has visited Avery in prison several times over the past two weeks.

"It was even more eye-opening speaking with him, having a conversation with him," Busse said of his first visit to Waupun Correctional Institution, where Avery is serving a life sentence for the murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach. "It’s very, very, very obvious that there’s an innocent man in prison right now, and it only drives me and motivates me 10 times more to help and spread awareness of this injustice.”

Busse calls himself "an advocate for Steven."

Daily newsletter:  Sign up for 'Making a Murderer' updates

Timeline:  History of the Steven Avery case

Related:  “Making a Murderer” coverage, archived stories and more

He started the Steven Avery Project on Facebook the day after watching the Netflix series. About a month later, he said, he left his job helping people with disabilities to work on the project, with his family supporting him financially.

The online group grew quickly. As of Thursday, more than 105,400 people had "liked" the page, which Busse updates with videos, photos, tweets from Avery's attorney and more. One video he said he made after a March 14 visit with Avery in Waupun has 23,700 views and about 100 comments.

The comments tend to support Busse and the conclusion that Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, who was also convicted in the homicide, are innocent. Many want to know how they can write to the two incarcerated men or otherwise support them. Some have questions about evidence.

"Why isn't he set free already so he can happily live his innocent life!!!!! Breaks my heart so much but I still love to see those photos of him smiling in there!! He is such a strong human being!! Incredible! ‪#‎freestevenavery‬ xxxxxxxxxxxxxx," one person posted.

Busse said his family decided to support him because they understood how passionate he had been about the case since he watched the trial as a 12-year-old. Family members think he can make a difference in the justice system and help people, Busse said.

As a kid, Busse said, he was as convinced of Avery's innocence as he is today. He cites how Avery "always cooperated" with police and the media. He said he believes that Avery was arrested in the homicide because of the multi-million dollar lawsuit he had brought for a previous wrongful conviction after serving nearly two decades in prison.

"There’s evidence showing he was framed," Busse said. "...There’s no reliable evidence showing he had anything to do with this murder."

When asked what the strongest evidence was in Avery's favor, Busse cites a claim from Avery's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, that cellphone tower records show Halbach left the Avery property on the day she went missing. That prospect was raised in a recent tweet from Zellner.

Watching the series brought back memories "of the disappointment in the justice system," Busse said, "and having to see that verdict again, it’s heartbreaking and it’s what motivates me."

Busse said he tried to put himself in Avery's shoes and those of his family. He said he can sleep better at night knowing he's working to free Avery and Dassey.

Busse said he is now devoting all his time to the Steven Avery Project, answering questions from commenters and listening to people vent. The Facebook page states administrators usually respond to messages within an hour.

The people he's hearing from are getting personally invested in the case.

"It’s becoming more than just a documentary," he said. "They’re watching the documentary and they’re feeling incredibly compelled to do something about it. It’s affecting them emotionally.”

Busse said he first met Avery at Waupun in mid-March and has been back three times since. He said he's not in a position to talk about Avery's case — he leaves the legal issues to Zellner — so during their visits the two talk about what Avery's going to do when he gets out.

The Steven Avery Project isn't associated with Zellner, who announced in January that she would take on Avery's case, though Busse does post many of her tweets on the Facebook page.

Busse is "very, very confident" that Avery will be exonerated now that Zellner is on the case. And with Avery's exoneration, he posited, Dassey's confession will be discredited.

After Avery is free, Busse said, he plans to continue advocating.

"It's not going to stop at Steven," he said. "It's going to continue. ... I'll continue to advocate for wrongfully convicted individuals."

Alison Dirr: 920-996-7266 or adirr@gannett.com; on Twitter @AlisonDirr