Really innocent . I didnt do it. Somebodys doing a good job against me. Ra it. Did you have a vendetta against steven avery . Ou absolutely not. St first time on television a lead investigator this was seen by 34 as a false confession. I feel it was a real confession. He knew right from wrong. Those officers wanted that information in the worst way, they got it in the worst way. The prosecutor fights back with an explosive book. People will hear the other side of the story. And a promise from Steven Averys highpowered new attorney. Do you think you have evidence that can free steven avery . We do. Welcome to dateline. Its an extraordinary case that defies easy answers. At the center of it all, steven avery. He and his teenage nephew were convicted in the brutal murder of wisconsin photographer Teresa Halbach. Then came a documentary series exploring Police Corruption so explosive, investigators have been forced to fight back, two sides, one truth. Who will you believe . The mystery of what happened here in the sprawling fields of rural wisconsin has captivated thes country. We the jury find the defendant steven a. Avery guilty. Reporter in 2015, the Netflix Series making a murderer, convinced that they had been convicted by Law Enforcement. Its a case dateline has been following for a decade. As the lawyers fight for them to be free from prison, we pose the questions that everyone has been asking to two men that helped put avery behind bars. Why would steven avery do this . Thats a good question. Reporter we asked ken katz,h who wrote a book about this. His theory that steven avery made himself a murderer. Steven avery started planning this event the very first day he went to prison. Reporter and we talked with a lead investigator of the cases who has come under fire for this con troe ver shall interrogation. Why are you sitting here today . I realized that someone te needed to speak out to tell the truth of what happened. Reporter so, what did happen here . The story begins with the woman at the heart of this case, a 25yearold photographer from wisconsin named Teresa Halbach. She just loved being behind the camera. Reporter kim peterson and teresa became fast friends in college, both were photographers working at the same studio in green bay. Kim said teresa had a special way with heres subjects. She would get theth smile. Thats one thing i think she really loved to do was make other people smile. Reporter the two stayed in touch after they launched their careers. But that would change suddenly on october 31st, 2005. Kim caught a story on the local news, teresa was missing. Investigators say the 25yearold photographer was on assignment for auto trader magazine when she disappeared. And my heart dropped knowing it was somebody i knew. What do you do at that moment . I felt helpless because you want tohe just deny it. You want to try to get in touch with her. N did you try to call her . I tried to text her. Reporter no response . No response. Reporter Wisconsin Police quickly launched a massive search,un bolstered by a team o volunteers. After two days, a big break. We have found a rav4. They had found teresas vehicle on the avery salvage yard. Tom, a special agent with the Wisconsin Department of criminal investigation, hustled over to this 40acre stretch of land, home 4 to the salvage yard and auto mechanic steven avery. Had you heard his name before . Only through the media. Steven avery was a big story. He was convicted of rape in 1985, but 18 years later dna evidence exonerated him and he was freed. A wrongfully convicted man welcomed back into society with open arms and looking for justice of his own. Were you aware that he had filed a lawsuit against the local laSheriffs Department. Yes. Yes, i heard that. Avery hoped winning the 36 million lawsuit could help him get back on his feet. He had an opportunity to make something of his life. It appeared that he was headed toward in that direction. Reporter now, two years after his release from prison, this poster boy for Wrongful Convictions was back in the news and not in a good way. I hope she comes back so she can go back to her family. Reporter when the detective arrive onn the zain, he learne she had an appointment to take photos of this van averys sister was selling. Teresa left a message that morning. Hello, this is teresa with auto trader magazine, the photographer, and im just giving you a, call to let you know i could come out there today in the afternoon. It will probably be around 2 00 p. M. Steven avery confirmed to investigators that teresa had been on thes property that day and left around 2 30 p. M. Avery didnt tell them much more, but for investigators, a dark tale started emerging from the physical evidence, specially when they made a gruesome discovery in the back of teresas suv. We find teresas blood in the vehicle, primarily in the cargo area of the rav4. In the front, more blood. There was blood on some of the upholstery and very telling swipe of blood. Reporter tests show that blood was steven avery. You believe you can explain the blood from steven avery . Yes, absolutely. Steven avery, had a cut on his right hand middle finger that was freshly scabbed over. If yoube took that key and you t it in that ignition switch, it just lined up perfectly with a contact pattern swipe. How did he explain that cut. Im not sureai if i remember that. I think he claimed he cut it in the junk yard doing work on vehicles. Fast bender feared the worst and after four days of searching his team found something disturbing in a fire pit near averys trailer. What appeared to be bone fragments. Human bones. Most interesting because family members told investigators that steven avery built a bonfire hoursui after teresa had been a the hour that day. That was a huge bonfire, flames going as high as the edge of the roof on the garage. Was it all making sense to you . Looking at the whole picture, absolutely. And that picture came into sharper focus when fastbenders team found another clue, teresas key inside averys bedroom. The toyota key with a little fob connecter to it. This is huge. Yes, its huge. Especially when the crime lab later found averys dna on it. It would become a highly controversial clue in this case. The evidence was stacking up against steven avery and fastbender says that raf4 would later tell investigators one last thing. We tested the hood latch and found dna matching steven on the hood latch. Fastbender believed avery had some explaining to do, so nine days after teresas disappearance, he and his partner brought avery in for an interview. Dateline filed a freedom of information request to obtain the video. The key is in your bedroom. You know the key is there because you put t the key there. Thats the only way the key gets there. No. Yes, steve. Yes. Avery was defiant and even claimed cops were framing him, planting evidence. The cops got that evidence. Reporter fastbender werent buying it and placed steven avery under arrest. I didnt do it. Somebody is doing a good job on me. Investigators were convinced they had their man, still, they didnt know how or why teresa had been killed. Coming up shackles, handcuffs, strange behavior. An teresa is creeped out. Could something in his past led him to murder. When dateline continues. Ntinu. I wanted more from my copd medicine thats why ive got the power of 1, 2, 3 medicines with trelegy. The only fdaapproved oncedaily 3in1 copd treatment. Trelegy the power of 1,2,3 trelegy 1,2,3 trelegy woman with trelegy and the power of 1, 2, 3, im breathing better. Trelegy works three ways to open airways, keep them open and reduce inflammation, for 24 hours of better breathing. 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Its progressive on ice. Everything you love about Car Insurance the discounts. The rate comparisons. And flo in a boat. Insurance adventure awaits at progressive on ice. Tickets not available now or ever. In january 2006, steven avery pleaded not guilty of murder of Teresa Halbach. And ken kratz began chronicling his case. What do you feel people know the least about in this case . The book is about steven avery that is setting forth a better representation of what the real evidence was. Better, he says, than the way the evidence was presented in making a murderer. In his book, krats laid out his complete theory of the case with new details he had never shared before. For one thing, kratz told dateline he believes steven avery had set his sights on Teresa Halbach in the weeks leading up to her murder. As we move closer to october 31st, we see stevens behavior changing. As kratz got auto traders records, he learned teresa had actually made five earlier visits to the avery salvage yard to take photos, some at Steven Averys request. He starts making calls directly to Teresa Halbach rather than going through auto trader. And kratz determined on the day before one of these visits, avery purchased these shackles and handcuffs. When teresa arrives he answers the door wearing a small white towel. And teresa, we know is creeped out by that behavior. She tells friends and coworkers about that. Kratz believes averys behavior shows signs of a sexual obsession with teresa that led to murder. Why would steven avery do this when he was on the verge of getting this big windfall, potentially millions of dollars . Thats a great question. You know, i dont know. We know hes a psychopath. We know that he has do we know that . Well, i lets say, i allege that. I believe that, deep down. Kratz discovered more in averys past. 18 years before teresas murder, avery wrote this letter to his estranged wife from prison, saying, i will kill you. And a former fiancee told police he had physically abused her. And kratz said he learned something even more disturbing. This 2006 Police Report accuses a teenage girl accuses avery of raping her a year after his release from prison. It all together for kratz. He believed avery had developed a deep resentment of women which had started with his Wrongful Conviction and had only grown over the years. He has no remorse for his behavior, feels incredibly entitled. But as he continued to investigate the case, kratz had a problem. You still didnt know how she was killed, exactly where she was killed. Was that bothering you . Yes, but sometimes you have what you have. It was all coming together in bits and pieces. He and his team kept digging until they got a big lead. Have a seat. In march 2006, four months after teresas murder, Tom Fassbender and his partner spoke with averys 16yearold nephew in a series of highly scrutinized interviews. What was your First Impression of Brendan Dassey . A shy kid, somewhat introverted. But once he opened up, the details he revealed would stun investigators. What else did he do to her . Raped her. Did he tell you that . Fassbender says dassey described a brutal scene. On that halloween afternoon, his uncle asked him to come over to his trailer. Dassey said they each sexually assaulted teresa in averys bedroom. And avery later shot her in his garage, burning her body in the bonfire. Its a gamechanger. He told us stuff we werent really aware of, like teresa was shot in the garage and had died there. And after speaking with dassey, fassbender had his team return to the avery property once more. And they found this in his garage, a bullet fragment. And that was missed the first time around. Well, i guess i could say it was missed. But youre talking about a bullet fragment, looks like a piece of dirt probably. And it was tested . It was tested. Yes, teresas dna was on that bullet. And the bullet was shot from stevens rifle or the one above his head. And do you now believe that teresa was shot in that garage . Yes. One strange thing, though, when they searched the garage for blood, they never found a drop. How could you clean up all that blood . Well, he did it to the best of his ability, i guess. Bleach, paint thinner. That cleans up blood. Teresas friend, kim, said when she heard the details about teresas final moments, she was heart broken. I remember crying and just hoping she was who she was and fought because she was a very strong person. Ken kratz charged Brendan Dassey as a coconspirator in her murder. I intend to hold each of these defendants accountable for the rape, the torture, and the murder of Teresa Halbach. But not so fast. Dassey recanted his statements. Just before averys trial, the judge dismissed the rape charge against him and didnt allow any of those allegations about averys treatment of women, saying they didnt prove anything about teresas murder. And avery was never charged with assaulting his exfiancee or with raping the teen. To this day, he denies all the allegations. And those handcuffs and shackles, no evidence ever linked them to teresa. Still, in the spring of 2007, juries convicted both dassey and avery of murdering teresa. They were each sentenced to life in prison. You are probably the most dangerous individual ever to set foot in this courtroom. It seemed like the avery saga had ended. But eight years later, making a murderer would put fassbender, kratz, and their entire team in the hot seat. Coming up did they plant evidence . Sure, they did. Was steven avery framed . Is it possible that that blood could have been planted . When dateline continues. In december 2015, netflix released making a murderer and it ignited a bonfire of controversies over the convictions of avery and dassey. Now many viewers believe the claims avery had been making all along, that he was framed by Law Enforcement. Who would want to set you up in Something Like this . The only thing i can think of it Manitowoc County with the money, so they wouldnt have to pay nothing out. Did they plant evidence . Sure they did. Kim is averys cousin. She said she predicted something bad might happen to him after he was exonerated in the rape case. Remember, he had recently filed a lawsuit against his local Sheriffs Department for his Wrongful Conviction. I did tell him, manitowoc wasnt done with him. Why did you think they werent done with him . Something told me they werent going to hand steve avery 36 million or any kind of money, that they were going to be watching him and look what happened. Avery settled that lawsuit for 400,000 before his trial. The county did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. He used the money to hire his defense attorneys, dean strang, and jerry butting. We knew going in it was going to be a difficult defense. We spoke to butting in early 2016. We had a very tough defense in this case, because nobody wants to try and use as a defense that the police deliberately tried to plant evidence or frame somebody. It goes against society. Those people are there to help us, theyre the police. Right. But its where we thought the evidence pointed. Averys attorneys believed the fact that officers from the county he was suing were part of the search, made for a huge conflict of interest and for possible mischief at the crime scene. What i can say from the evidence ive looked at, i think he was innocent, is innocent. Preparing for trial, butting learned about a vial of averys blood left over from his overturned rape conviction which had been sitting in the county clerks office. And saw that there was still a styrofoam box that had been slit open with evidence tape. Thats really the big aha moment . Yeah, it was. And for many viewers, it was the aha moment in making a murderer. The attorneys theorize that someone could have poked a hole in that vial and spread averys blood inside teresas suv. As for teresas car key . Your theory is that the key was planted in the residence . That is where we thought the evidence was pointing. Yes. By the police . By someone. It was not found in six or seven earlier entries to the trailer. Were talking about a trailer. It didnt add up. Colead investigator Tom Fassbender worked alongside local sheriffs deputies but was employed by a Different Agency the Wisconsin Department of justice. This is the first time hes responded publicly to the accusations against him and his Law Enforcement colleagues. Did you have any kind of vendetta against steven avery . Absolutely not. I didnt know steven avery, didnt know his family. Never been there. Fassbender bristles at the idea the local investigators could have done anything unethical. The people that were there that i worked with were hardworking. They only wanted to do the right thing and to do this investigation the right way. Is it possible that that blood could have been planted . No. Everything, all the evidence says no. Fassbender notes that a chemical called edta had been used to preserve averys blood in the vial. And that at trial, tests showed no presence of edta averys blood found in the suv. It didnt match. Edta and the blood in the vehicle. Fassbenders argument, since that blood found in the vehicle didnt contain the chemical, it couldnt have come from the vial. And he notes that a nurse was prepared to testify she had made that hole in the vial as part of her usual routine when she drew blood from avery.