MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – The State of Wisconsin has asked an appeals court to uphold a previous decision to deny Steven Avery a new trial as he appeals his conviction in the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach.
“Though Avery raised a litany of claims in his motions, none of them entitled him to a hearing. The circuit court properly exercised its discretion to deny his motions without one. This Court should affirm the circuit court,” an appeal brief by Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lisa Kunfer, Assistant Attorney General, stated.
Read the full brief here
Avery has spent almost a decade and a half in prison for the murder of Halbach.
In December 2019, Governor Tony Evers announced he would not consider a pardon request for Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, who was also convicted in Halbach’s death.
In November 2019, a Wisconsin Court of Appeals granted the state more time to respond to Avery’s request for a new trial in the murder of Halbach. In October, Avery’s attorney, Kathleen Zellner, submitted an appellant brief on behave of Avery asking for a new trial.
In September 2019, Zellner announced $100,000 is being offered by a “concerned citizen for the arrest and conviction of the real killer of Teresa Halbach.”
