Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

[pojo]

This is a huge story in our area of WI..... Brendan helped his uncle Steven Avery kill, mutilate and burn Teresa's Body on Halloween 2005.... Teresa's friends found her SUV around the Avery property and then a couple of days later, they found bones that ended up being Teresa's.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You ladies and gentlemen of the Jury!

Jury finds Dassey guilty of the 2005 rape, murder and mutilation of Teresa Halbach

http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.d ... 1/70425189

By John Lee and Andy Nelesen
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

MANITOWOC — Nine women and three men took 4 ½ hours Wednesday to find 17-year-old Brendan Dassey guilty of raping and murdering Teresa Halbach and burning her body on Halloween 2005.

Halbach’s family sat quietly as the verdicts were read. Tim Halbach, Teresa’s sister, bobbed his head in satisfaction. Karen Halbach, Teresa’s mother, wiped a tear from her eye, but quickly regained her composure.

Dassey’s conviction came after eight days of testimony from more than two dozen witnesses and use of more than 200 exhibits.

Dassey now faces a mandatory life prison sentence for the homicide and an additional 52 ½ for the other felonies.

Brenda Tadych, Brendan’s mother, angrily shoved her husband’s hand off her leg when he reached to comfort her after the verdict. Brendan’s brother, Bobby, clenched his jaw.

Brendan Dassey, seated next to his lawyers, showed no emotion and sat perfectly still. The courtroom was silent as Manitowoc County Circuit Judge Jerome Fox read the jury’s decision. Fox set Dassey’s sentencing for Aug. 6.

The sequestered jury, picked from Dane County to combat pre-trial publicity, began their deliberations at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday and alerted the court they had a decision at 9:02 p.m. Their deliberations included time to eat a pizza dinner.

Halbach’s family and friends packed five of the six rows behind the prosecution table. Dassey’s family — a total of six people — sat in the front row. The remaining nine people were mainly reporters and a few spectators.

Halbach, 25, a freelance photographer from Calumet County, was last seen on Halloween 2005 at Avery's Auto Salvage near Mishicot, where she went to take a photograph of a vehicle Steven Avery was selling.

Volunteer searchers found Halbach’s sport utility vehicle Nov. 5, 2005, in the salvage yard, which is operated by Steven Avery’s brothers, Earl and Charles.

Steven Avery, Dassey's uncle, was charged in her disappearance and killing on Nov. 9, 2005.

Evidence in Dassey's trial included the car hood found leaning up against Halbach’s hidden SUV on Nov. 5, 2005, a vehicle bench seat burned in the fire pit where Halbach’s remains were discovered Nov. 8, 2005, and the bleach-stained jeans Dassey wore while cleaning up Avery’s garage.

Jurors rejected the option of convicting Dassey on a lesser charge of first-degree reckless homicide.

Dassey’s case hinged largely on a March 1, 2006, interrogation in which he admitted to having sex with Halbach and cutting her throat using the knife Avery used to stab her in the belly. Dassey said he and Avery tied Halbach up and carried her body to the garage where Avery shot her 10 times with a .22-caliber rifle.

Dassey’s statement — videotaped and played for the jury — included details of how Dassey and Avery used a mechanic’s creeper as a litter to carry her body to a tire-fueled fire and used Avery’s mother’s golf cart to drive around their property to gather fuel.

Investigators testified that they only considered Dassey a witness until they questioned him on March 1, 2006. Their position changed when Dassey volunteered details of the sexual assault, a fact neither investigator knew anything about.

Details from the confession included information unknown to the public or investigators, including a bullet fragment containing Halbach’s DNA located on Avery’s garage floor.

Dassey originally was charged with first-degree sexual assault, first-degree intentional homicide and mutilation of a corpse. Prosecutors on Wednesday reduced the rape charge to second-degree sexual assault and left the other felonies intact.

Special prosecutor Ken Kratz said the downgrade made the charges conform with the evidence presented at trial. The change— largely technical — removed the prosecution’s need to prove a weapon was used in the assault, rather requiring only the threat or use of force or violence to meet the burden of proof.

The impact of the change comes at sentencing. The reduction drops the potential maximum prison term from 60 years to 40.

A Manitowoc County jury took 21½ hours to convict Avery, 44, of first-degree intentional homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection to Halbach’s death. The jury’s March 18 verdict included and acquittal on a charge of mutilation of a corpse.

The prosecution dropped sexual assault charges against Avery in the days leading up to trial and dismissed a false imprisonment charge after completing its case in chief.

Avery is now awaiting a June 1 sentencing and is being housed in the Manitowoc County Jail.

Avery’s arrest in the Halbach case came 26 months after he was released from prison, where he served 18 years for a 1985 rape which DNA evidence proved he didn’t commit.

Avery was tried for Halbach’s murder in Chilton because of a conflict created by his $36 million lawsuit against Manitowoc County, it’s sheriff’s department and a handful of officials stemming from his wrongful conviction.

John Lee is a staff writer for The Post-Crescent in Appleton. He can be reached at jlee@postcrescent.com. Andy Nelesen is a staff writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. He can be reached at anelesen@greenbaypressgazette.com.

[DaylilyDawn]

I agree with you Pojo! The jury gave the right verdict this time.