Steven Avery engaged
“Making a Murderer” subject Steven Avery proposed to his girlfriend of eight months, Lynn Hartman. Netflix

Steven Avery, a Wisconsin native who gained recognition on the Netflix docuseries “Making a Murderer,” is engaged. Avery proposed to Lynn Hartman this week after knowing her for eight months.

Avery’s lawyer Kathleen Zellner confirmed the engagement to Us Weekly Sunday, saying that she was happy for the both of them. “Steven Avery’s engagement to Lynn is one bright spot in an otherwise unbelievably tragic and unfair life story,” she told the outlet. “Cheers to both of them.”

Avery, who is serving life in prison without parole for the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, released a statement to the Daily Mail gushing about his soon-to-be-bride. “She’s going to be my future wife, and we’ll be laughing forever,” he said. “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.”

This is the third time Avery has been engaged. The 54-year-old was previously engaged to Sandra (Sandy) Greenman, and ex Jodi Stachowski. Stachowski, who believes Avery is guilty, split from him in 2007. So, who is Avery’s new fiancée? Check out four facts to know about Hartman below:

  1. She’s A Legal Secretary

Us Weekly and the Daily Mail both reported that Hartman, 53, works as a legal secretary in Las Vegas. According to her Facebook page, she used to be a legal assistant at The Justice Firm, LCC in St. George, Utah. The account also listed her as a former bankruptcy paralegal in Most Affordable Bankruptcy in St. George.

  1. She Just Met Avery

Even though Hartman and Avery are engaged, the pair only met each other in person last week when she visited Avery at the Waupun Correctional Institute in Waupun, Wisconsin. The Daily Mail reported that the relationship started eight months ago and was mostly via letters and phone calls.

  1. They Plan To Marry After Avery’s Release

According to Extra.com, Hartman revealed in a Facebook post that she and Avery want to hold off on getting married until he’s released. Avery is serving a life sentence, but his lawyer has been fighting to get him released claiming he was wrongfully convicted of Halbach’s murder.

“I am very happy to announce that Steven Avery asked me to marry him today, and I accepted,” Hartman wrote on Facebook. “It has been a difficult road getting to this point in our lives but we are very happy. Despite all the obstacles, and Steven’s wrongful conviction and incarceration, we plan to be married shortly after he is released.”

  1. Hartman Wanted To Keep The Relationship Under Wraps

The Daily Mail reported that Avery’s new fiancée didn’t want the romance to become public because of all the online threats she’s been receiving. The outlet wrote Hartman is being accused of agreeing to marry Avery because of his fame and his potential to get a hefty sum of money if he is released.

Avery’s friend, Curtis Busse, addressed the backlash Hartman has been getting via a Facebook post on behalf of Avery. “There have been some misunderstandings about Lynn and her intentions,” the note, posted to the Steven Avery Project Facebook page, read. “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 [sic] relationship are false and if it isn’t coming from Steven directly it’s not true.”