Steven Avery

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Steven Avery (born July 9, 1962) is the first person in the U.S. to be charged with a homicide after being exonerated by DNA evidence for a previous crime. The Wisconsin man was exonerated in 2003 after serving 18 years on a rape conviction in which DNA analysis later linked the crime to another man. On November 11, 2005 Avery was charged with the murder of 25-year old freelance photographer Teresa Halbach. His own blood was found in her SUV, which was found parked on his family's salvage yard located in a rural area west of Mishicot, Wisconsin, near Manitowoc and Green Bay.

[edit] Background

The Wisconsin Innocence Project took Avery's case and eventually he was exonerated of the rape charge. After his release from prison, Avery was the toast of the Wisconsin State Capitol. Avery and his attorneys (Stephen Glynn and Walter Kelly) filed a $36 million federal lawsuit against Manitowoc County, its former sheriff, Thomas Kocourek, and its former district attorney, Denis Vogel. On October 31, 2005, the same day that Halbach went missing, state legislators passed the Avery Bill to prevent wrongful convictions. The bill has since been renamed out of respect for the Halbach family.

[edit] Events

Halbach was last seen October 31 before she left on an assignment to take pictures of cars for sale. Her SUV and then her partial remains were found on November 10, 2005 on the Avery family property and the keys to her SUV were found in Avery's bedroom. Avery was arrested on an unrelated weapons charge the day after the human remains were found. Halbach's vehicle was also found on the property, and Avery protested that authorities were attempting to frame him for Ms. Halbach's disappearance to make it harder for him to win his pending civil case regarding the false rape conviction. To avoid any appearance of conflict, Mark R. Rohrer, the Manitowoc County district attorney, requested that neighboring Calumet County authorities lead the investigation. On January 17, 2006 Avery pleaded not guilty to the crimes related to the Halbach case and an unrelated gun-possession charge.

On March 1, 2006, Brendan Dassey, Avery's nephew, was charged in connection with Halbach's murder. According to Calumet County Sheriff Jerry Pagel, he "admitted his involvement in the death of Teresa Halbach as well as Steven Avery's actions in the photographer's death." [3] On March 3, 2006 Dassey pleaded not guilty to all charges. [5] On June 29, 2006, Dassey sent a letter to the judge presiding over the case, recanting his confession to police. [6]

On April 1, 2006, Dateline NBC aired a special report on the Avery case.

[edit] External links


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