Making A Murderer’s Steven Avery breaks up with new ‘gold digger' fiancee after whirlwind romance

The engagement was broken off shortly before the Dr Phil show was to air a special feature on the couple's relationship

Steven Avery asked his niece and friend to share the message that he had broken up with Hartman (Reuters)

Steven Avery, the man whose story has been documented in phenomenally successful Netflix show Making A Murderer, has broken off his engagement with partner Lynn Hartman after claiming she was a “gold digger”.

Days before the Dr Phil show aired an interview with Ms Hartman, Avery’s former fiancee and friend shared a post on Facebook which said Ms Hartman was only interested in money and had been paid $5,000 for the interview with Phil McGraw on CBS.

The announcement of the break-up came just before Dr Phil aired part one of a two-part special on the couple last week.

CBS could not be reached immediately for comment.

Avery is serving a life behind bars for the murder of Teresa Halbach in Wisconsin.

Ms Hartman, along with many viewers of the documentary, believe Avery has been served another wrongful conviction. She wrote to him earlier this year after watching Making A Murderer and said she was excited to get a reply.

They corresponded by letter and eventually became engaged.

She called him the “sweetest teddy bear” when speaking to Mr McGraw.

Avery also gushed about his relationship in an interview, as reported by the Daily Beast.

“I haven’t been in love my whole life. It’s not the same as the others. Everything is different with her,” Avery told Mr McGraw on the show.

His statement suggested that he had not been in love with former fiancee Jodi Stachowski, who stood by Avery during the documentary.

Yet Ms Stachowski also eventually turned on Avery, saying in a television interview a few weeks after the release of the documentary that Avery was a “monster” behind closed doors.

Ms Hartman was shown the footage on the Dr Phil show and she defended Avery, saying “everyone deserved second chances”.

Mr McGraw asked Avery directly if he had murdered Teresa Halbach, and he denied it.

Avery also expressed gratitude that the conviction against his nephew, Brendan Dassey, has been overturned by a federal judge.

“The truth is coming out sooner or later,” he said. “All the truth will come out.”

Making A Murderer is returning for a second season. Avery’s lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, will use new forensic evidence to prove that the blood found in Halbach’s car was planted by police.

If his lawyer wins her case, it will be the second time in Avery’s life that he receives a very high-profile and public exoneration.