Wisconsin photographer Teresa Halbach disappeared on October 31, 2005, after a scheduled photo shoot at Steven Avery's Auto Salvage; Avery was convicted of her murder in 2007 and remains imprisoned, while his nephew Brendan Dassey was separately convicted for his role.
Teresa Halbach, a freelance photographer, disappeared on October 31, 2005. Her final scheduled appointment that day was to photograph a minivan at the property of Steven Avery's Auto Salvage near Mishicot, Wisconsin, where Avery lived. Investigators later located Halbach's vehicle partially concealed within the salvage yard; bloodstains recovered from its interior were reported to match Avery's DNA. Charred bone fragments were subsequently identified in a burn pit near Avery's residence.
Steven Avery was arrested and charged on November 11, 2005, with Halbach's murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and mutilation of a corpse; he had already faced a weapons charge as a convicted felon. Avery maintained that the murder charge was a frameup connected to his pending $36 million civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County over his earlier wrongful conviction. Because of that suit, Manitowoc County ceded formal control of the murder investigation to the neighboring Calumet County Sheriff's Department, though Manitowoc deputies participated in searches of Avery's property under Calumet supervision. A Manitowoc deputy found the key to Halbach's vehicle inside Avery's bedroom. Avery's attorneys raised concerns about a conflict of interest and possible evidence tampering, including questions about a vial of Avery's blood from a prior case that appeared to have been tampered with; prosecutors countered with FBI testimony that blood found in Halbach's car tested negative for a preservative chemical (EDTA) that would indicate the blood came from a stored vial rather than a fresh wound.
In March 2006, Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey was charged as an accessory after confessing under interrogation to helping Avery kill Halbach and dispose of her body; Dassey later said the confession was coerced and did not testify to involvement at Avery's trial, though he testified at his own separate trial without alleging coercion. Dassey was convicted of murder, rape, and mutilation of a corpse in that separate proceeding.
In January 2007, kidnapping and sexual assault charges against Avery were dropped ahead of trial. Avery's trial took place in Calumet County in March 2007, prosecuted by District Attorney Ken Kratz with Judge Patrick Willis presiding. On March 18, 2007, Avery was found guilty of first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm, and acquitted of the corpse-mutilation charge. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder count, plus a concurrent five-year term on the weapons charge.
Avery's case, along with Dassey's, became the subject of the 2015 Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, which examined allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct, evidence tampering, and witness coercion. Subsequent appeals by both men have proceeded through Wisconsin and federal courts; as of the most recent reporting, Avery's murder conviction has been upheld by higher courts, and Dassey remains incarcerated after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his case.
Avery's Auto Salvage, Mishicot area, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2005-10-31
Teresa Halbach disappears after a scheduled photography appointment at Steven Avery's Auto Salvage.
2005-11-11
Steven Avery is arrested and charged with Halbach's murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and mutilation of a corpse.
2006-03
Brendan Dassey, Avery's nephew, is charged as an accessory after confessing to helping Avery kill Halbach and dispose of her body.
2007-01
Kidnapping and sexual assault charges against Avery are dropped in pretrial hearings.
2007-03
Avery stands trial in Calumet County, Wisconsin.
2007-03-18
Avery is found guilty of first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm, and acquitted of corpse-mutilation; he is later sentenced to life without parole plus a concurrent five-year weapons sentence.
2011-08
A state appeals court denies Avery's petition for a new trial.
2013
The Wisconsin Supreme Court denies a motion to review the appellate ruling against Avery.
2015-12-18
Netflix releases the documentary series Making a Murderer, examining the Avery and Dassey cases.
2016-01
Attorney Kathleen Zellner files a new appeal on Avery's behalf, citing due process violations.
2016-08
A federal magistrate judge overturns Dassey's conviction, ruling his confession was coerced.
2017-06
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the magistrate's decision to overturn Dassey's conviction; the state petitions for en banc review.
2018-02-20
Dassey's legal team files a petition for a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court.
2018-06-25
The U.S. Supreme Court denies certiorari in Dassey's case.
2019-02-26
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals grants Avery's petition to remand his case for an evidentiary hearing on his motion for a new trial.
2021-07-28
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirms the Circuit Court's denial of Avery's post-conviction motion.
2022-08-16
Zellner files a third post-conviction relief motion alleging new evidence and withheld exculpatory material.
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Who Really Killed Teresa Halbach ? : Halloweek EP 2
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Brendan Dassey
CONVICTED
Avery's nephew, convicted in a separate trial of murder, rape, and mutilation of a corpse for his role in Halbach's death.
Steven Avery
CONVICTED
Convicted in March 2007 of first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with Halbach's death; sentenced to life without parole.
Teresa Halbach
VICTIM
Wisconsin freelance photographer who disappeared on October 31, 2005, and was murdered.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Wisconsin photographer Teresa Halbach disappeared on October 31, 2005, after a scheduled photo shoot at Steven Avery's Auto Salvage; Avery was convicted of her murder in 2007 and remains imprisoned, while his nephew Brendan Dassey was separately convicted for his role.
Where did the murder happen?
Avery's Auto Salvage, Mishicot area, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
Who was convicted?
Brendan Dassey (Avery's nephew, convicted in a separate trial of murder, rape, and mutilation of a corpse for his role in Halbach's death.) and Steven Avery (Convicted in March 2007 of first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with Halbach's death; sentenced to life without parole.).
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