Steven Avery

The court gave preliminary instructions, and both sides presented opening statements. Michael Halbach, Thomas Pearce, and David Beach testified about Halbach’s work, the search for her, and her reported visit to Avery Salvage Yard.

The court found no prohibited statements in the defense opening and excluded a separate statement offered through Dawn Pliszka. Auto Trader witnesses described Halbach’s October 31 appointments, while other witnesses addressed her visits and the search for her. Pamela Sturm testified about finding a vehicle marked RAV4 at Avery Salvage Yard.

Sturm and Dassey testified about the RAV-4 and events at the salvage yard. The court denied a mistrial request concerning Dassey’s testimony, and Austin explained his scene models and their limits.

Bobby Dassey addressed Halbach's visit and a garage exchange. Officers described property searches, the Avery Road roadblock, and security around the RAV4. The court also heard a stipulation about Mike Osmunson's expected account and reserved ruling on a garage log.

Julie Cramer testified about Brutus’s alerts and the limits of what they could identify. Thomas Fassbender described the property searches and faced questions about search assignments, the Toyota key, and DNA findings; two other witnesses testified about folded license plates found in a station wagon.

John Ertl testified about crime-lab searches and limits on blood screening and burn-pit documentation. David Siders described apparent cell-phone parts in a burn barrel, William Tyson described vehicle security and residence searches, and the court addressed exhibit admissions.

William Tyson testified about the residence search and limits on his oversight of Manitowoc officers. Andrew Colborn described the discovery of a Toyota-emblem key and was questioned about a recorded plate inquiry; James Lenk described the counties' search roles.

Lenk described finding a key beside Avery's bedroom cabinet and was questioned about its appearance, a possible blood vial, and his search accounts. Remiker testified about the early searches, the RAV4, and a later garage bullet fragment. Kucharski began describing the November garage search and its shell casings.

Kucharski testified about the November garage search and a bedroom key he did not see until Lenk pointed it out. The court retained a juror after questioning her about a prior case involving Remiker. Steier and Heimerl described the March garage search and two bullet fragments.

The court retained one challenged juror, excused another, and reserved a decision on Avery’s renewed search-suppression motion. Katie Halbach, Ronald Groffy, and Sherry Culhane testified about clothing and a lanyard, vehicle photographs and presumptive blood tests, and DNA results.

Sherry Culhane was questioned about DNA findings, the bullet test’s contaminated control, and the handling of Avery’s buccal swabs. Nick Stahlke described vehicle bloodstains, while the court limited a proposed opinion about a photographed cut and required notice of further evidence of the kind raised in the swab questioning.

Witnesses testified about the burn barrel, bonfire, RAV4 bloodstains, and October 31 calls. Earlier accounts and conflicting call-duration entries drew questioning. The court deferred decisions on the renewed bullet-testing motion and proposed voicemail-access evidence.

Sturdivant described the burn-pit search and its documentation limits, Simley gave a qualified dental comparison, and Eisenberg testified about bone fragments and skull defects. Karen Halbach described family contact and concerns after Teresa missed work.

Leslie Eisenberg qualified her identification of quarry bone and explained her burn-site opinion. Curtis Thomas identified burned device parts and described limits on data recovery. William Newhouse gave differing conclusions for two bullets and was questioned about his comparison methods and documentation.

Kenneth Olson reported elemental lead near defects in two cranial fragments but could not link it to item FL. Jeffrey Jentzen gave his opinion that Teresa Halbach died from gunshot wounds to the head, while acknowledging that the bones could not establish whether the wounds occurred during life.

Marc LeBeau testified about EDTA testing of RAV4 bloodstain swabs and Avery’s stored blood. The court admitted his expert opinion and denied the defense request for sequential independent testing.

The court discussed preserving RAV4 blood evidence, Clerk of Court Lynn Zigmunt testified about access to Avery's 1985 case file, and FBI chemist Marc LeBeau testified about EDTA testing and its limits.

Pevytoe testified about burn pit material and limits on what he could infer from it. Riddle addressed RAV4 fingerprints; Zimmerman and Michael Halbach addressed voicemail records and access. Wiegert testified about the investigation and a blood vial retrieved from a court file, after which the State said it intended to rest subject to exhibit matters.

The court heard renewed search, acquittal, and forensic-testing motions without ruling. Defense witnesses described a woman photographing a van, an unidentified green SUV, and earlier rifle use near the garage. The court later excluded proposed testimony about the Manitowoc County coroner’s involvement in the investigation.

Janine Arvizu questioned what the FBI’s EDTA non-detections could establish. Scott Fairgrieve testified that burned bones had been moved but could not identify an original burn site. Mark Wiegert addressed the uncertain date and identity in Lisa Buchner’s reported van-photography sighting.

The court denied renewed fair-testing and suppression motions, dismissed the false-imprisonment charge, and questioned seated jurors about outside contact. Avery chose not to testify; the defense rested, the State offered no rebuttal, and the court denied a renewed motion to dismiss the remaining counts.

The court resolved jury instruction requests, declined a separate instruction concerning Dr. Fairgrieve's written report, and again denied a request to remove a seated juror.

Judge Willis instructed jurors on the three remaining charges. The State and defense began closing arguments over the vehicle, burn-site, and DNA evidence; the court deferred the remaining arguments and excused two jurors.

Dean Strang finished the defense closing, and Kenneth Kratz gave the State's rebuttal. The court instructed jurors on three charges and, during deliberations, withdrew four photograph exhibits by stipulation while deferring a request concerning three physical exhibits.

After a juror was excused for a family emergency, the court recalled an alternate and instructed the jury to begin deliberations anew. The jury later requested Bobby Dassey’s testimony, and the court proposed inviting a more specific request rather than providing the full transcript.

The jury heard a readback of Sherry Culhane's earlier testimony about DNA testing of the rifle, including the scope of her swabbing for Avery's DNA.

The jury found Avery guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and firearm possession, and not guilty of mutilating a corpse. The court entered judgments on the verdicts, subject to further rulings on post-trial motions.