Big Steven Avery update, Making A Murderer fans...
As promised by his lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, a new court filing states that a delivery driver has come forward with new evidence about the case - and he ties none other than Bobby Dassey to Teresa Halbach's disappearance, alongside an unidentified man.
The documents, filed on Monday, state that Steven's nephew Bobby (also brother to Brendan Dassey) was seen with an unidentified man in his 50s or early 60s, who had a long grey beard.
Advert
The witness said he spotted the pair pushing a Toyota RAV-4 through the Avery property in the early morning hours of November 5th, 2005 - which was a matter of days after Teresa's disappearance.
All of which means, the chances of a third season of Making a Murderer just shot up.
Given the findings, lawyer Kathleen has asked for the case to be sent back to circuit court for new proceedings, making her case in a detailed 11 page document.
Advert
The new witness testimony could be vital in proving that Avery was wrongfully convicted for Teresa's murder - now a well-known mystery thanks to the two-part Netflix true-crime series, Making A Murderer.
Those who have watched part two of the Making A Murderer documentary series on Netflix will know that Kathleen was experimenting with evidence in the case to prove her client's innocence.
Steven Avery was convicted for the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2005 and is currently serving a life sentence without parole. He has always maintained his innocence and, with the backing of Kathleen Zellner, is fighting for a re-trial. Steven's nephew, Brendan Dassey, was also convicted for this murder.
The Netflix show raised several questions over the fairness of their convictions, leaving many believing they were wrongfully sent down.
Steven and his lawyer Kathleen have made clear that they believe the police framed him for the murder of Teresa after he sued them for wrongful conviction in 2003.
Advert
So, what do the new documents say?
The delivery driver, named as Thomas Sowinski in the documents, said he was at Avery Salvage Yard to drop off a newspaper when he saw the pair on the property with the vehicle, according to an affidavit taken on Sunday.
He describes seeing "a shirtless Bobby Dassey ... and an unidentified older male suspiciously pushing a dark blue RAV-4 down Avery Road toward the junkyard."
The witness said he drove past Bobby Dassey, dropped the papers into the mailbox and turned around in his car to exit the property.
Advert
When he approached the RAV-4, he reports Bobby Dassey "attempted to step in front of his car to block him from leaving the property".
Thomas was within five feet of Bobby Dassey and had his headlights on, according to the court documents. He then alleges he was forced to dodge him by driving into a shallow ditch to get out of the property.
"I called out 'paperboy, gotta go,' because I was afraid for my safety," he said. "Bobby Dassey looked me in the eye and I could tell with the look in his eyes that he was not happy to see me there."
Advert
Perhaps most damning is what allegedly happened next. Thomas says that once he discovered that Teresa's vehicle was found later that day, "he realized the significance of what he had observed" and got in touch with the Manitowoc (County) Sheriff's Office.
It was there that a "female officer" told him "we already know who did it", shutting him down after he told her everything he knew.
The witness said he gave the office his phone number in case they wanted to follow up, but didn't offer a formal statement, and said that was the last he heard of them.
The document therefore claims that the state suppressed evidence of Thomas' important sighting.
"The suppressed evidence ... was favorable to the defense," the documents say, adding that as Bobby Dassey was a star witness "it would have destroyed entirely the credibility of Bobby; established that Bobby was directly involved in the murder of (Teresa); and established that Bobby planted evidence to frame his uncle."
This evidence is particularly explosive as Bobby Dassey was always in Kathleen Zellner's firing line, after searches found his laptop was full of images of pornography and violence towards women, and she believed his testimony against Steven to be untrue.
Plus, the car was always the centre of Kathleen's case. The car was hidden on the Avery family property, and could have held a lot of evidence into who killed Teresa. For instance, blood was discovered on the vehicle.
Kathleen has previously suggested that the Rav-4 might have been moved to the Avery property from somewhere else - where Teresa was likely killed.
This means the sighting of Bobby and an unidentified man with a vehicle matching Teresa's could very well help prove this theory that Steven and Brendan were framed.
In 2019, Steven's appeal for a new trial was rejected. Following this outcome, Kathleen's hands were tied. Instead of getting a new trial for him, the most she and her team could do was have a judge look at the existing case and assess whether the law was applied fairly and correctly.
This means no new evidence brought to light could be shown in front of a court and a jury, making it much harder to prove her client's innocence.
During season two, Kathleen got permission to experiment with some of the evidence from the case. She consulted a weapons expert from Wisconsin State Crime Lab, who testified and said he couldn't conclusively link the gun found at Steven's property to Teresa's murder.
But yesterday's breakthrough seems like one of the most significant.
Speaking to Newsweek about the new evidence, Kathleen said: "This witness provides the most important evidence in the case to date.
"He not only discredits the State's star witness he links this person to the murder. The police ignored his tip. Steven would not have been convicted if this evidence had been known."
This is BIG. More as we know it...
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: TV News, Steven Avery, Making A Murderer