Zellner has also requested fingerprints from Andrew Colborn and James Lenk, the two Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department deputies who have always been suspected of planting evidence to frame Avery.
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On Friday afternoon, Zellner said that she is asking for high-tech DNA testing that will determine the age of the blood found in Teresa Halbach’s vehicle, hoping to prove it was planted.
She also told the New York Times that she plans to file a motion for access to DNA evidence from the crime scene for new testing. Halbach’s second cousin, Pamela Sturm, testified that Earl Avery had given her permission to search the salvage yard after Halbach was discovered missing.
The filmmakers cast doubt on the legal process used to convict both Avery and Dassey, and their series has sparked national interest and conjecture.
If the court allows for the new testing, this could potentially provide a huge break for Steven Avery.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is handling post-conviction activity in Avery’s case on behalf of county prosecutors.
The Lawyer for Making a Murder’s Steven Avery has officially accused police of framing her client. Now, Avery’s attorney, Kathleen Zellner, wants to take a closer look at some of the evidence – with some new developments in forensic science for one.
Later that year, a separate jury convicted Dassey of being party to first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and sexual assault. Her appeal involves Avery’s conviction in connection with the murder of Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County in 2005.
Zellner took over Avery’s case at the beginning of this year, shortly after the Making a Murderer Netflix series debuted.
It’s unclear if or when the court of appeals will grant that motion. He is also seeking “body fluid source testing that could identify the source of the bodily fluids found on the victim’s vehicle key and hood latch”. The documentary raised questions about investigators’ integrity in the Halbach case.
The request from Zellner comes after Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, had his conviction overturned by a federal judge earlier this month.
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Scott Tadych: At the time of the murder, he was dating Avery’s sister and the Dassey brothers’ mother, Barb Janda. The state has until early November to decide if it will challenge that ruling. If the agency chooses to do nothing, he will go free.
