'Making a Murderer' Star's Ex-Fiancée Jodi Stachowski: "It was All an Act," & "He is Guilty"

The woman who is portrayed as staying beside Steven Avery throughout Netflix's Making a Murderer, Jodi Stachowski, is speaking out about the docu-series. In a new interview, Stachowski makes shocking claims, including that her behavior in the series "was all an act," and she believes Avery is guilty.

Avery is the main presence in the true crime series, which mostly depicts his defense that he is innocent and was framed by local law enforcement for the murder of 25-year-old Teresa Halbach in 2005. Stachowski and Avery were engaged at the time, but ultimately broke up in 2007.

Speaking to HLN's Nancy Grace producer Natisha Lance, Stachowski says that she never wanted to be a part of the series at all, and asked the producers not to include her. She says Avery instructed her throughout filming on how to act in order to make him look good. She says her presence on the show "was all an act."

Stachowski reached out to HLN days after Nancy Grace told audiences at the Television Critics Association's winter panel that she thinks Avery is guilty.

When asked point-blank if she believes Avery is guilty, she immediately replies, "Yes, I do," and goes on to explain that "he threatened to kill me and my family and a friend of mine." She also says Avery is "sick" and a "monster."

She claims the pair's relationship was abusive, saying, "He'd beat me all the time, punch me, throw me against the wall." Stachowski also says he would become more violent any time she tried to leave him.

Stachowski tells Lance that despite the fact Avery never admitted to killing Teresa to her, she believes he is still guilty because of something else he said. "He told me once, excuse my language, all bitches owe him, because the one that sent him to prison the first time," she replies. She is referring to the sexual assault Avery was convicted for in 1985. He was eventually released 18 years later when DNA exonerated him.

Stachowski adds: "We all owed him and he could do whatever he wanted. Steven's the one person I can't trust ... he's a monster."

According to PEOPLE, neighbors of Avery agree with Stachowski, and are personally glad he's in jail. One of them said, "We feel safer with him in jail. He should be locked up and throw away the key."

The 30-minute-plus interview can be viewed in its entirety below.