John Leurquin

John Leurquin, a propane driver called by the defense in Steven Avery's 2007 trial, testified on Day 19 that he saw a green, midsize SUV pass while he was loading his truck near Avery Road on October 31. He placed the sighting between 3:30 and 4 p.m. and said the SUV appeared to be leaving the Avery Auto Salvage area toward Highway 147. He did not watch which way it went at the highway and could not say it was Teresa Halbach's vehicle. He said he did not tell officers at a later roadblock because he was uncertain, but reported the sighting with that qualification when Agent Fassbender called him.

Cross-examination tested how well Leurquin had seen the SUV. He rejected the suggestion that he looked up for only a split second, but acknowledged that he had not gotten a particularly good look. He could not identify the driver or establish that it was the vehicle authorities sought, while maintaining that he remembered the date of the sighting.

On redirect, Leurquin said the SUV looked similar to the one later shown on television as Halbach's, without claiming a certain identification. He estimated that about two cars typically traveled Avery Road in a day. On recross, he reaffirmed the 3:30 to 4 p.m. window but could not specifically recall other vehicles passing that afternoon or whether he saw the school bus. In further questioning, he said the green SUV was unlike the vehicles he saw regularly and that he had not seen it arrive.