UPDATE, 2:04 P.M. PT: A journalist for the HTR News tweeted, “The #ManitowocCounty Clerk’s office has reported that nothing with the Avery case was filed today. Courthouse is only open until 430p.”
UPDATE, 11:59 A.M. PT: Carla Chase, Avery family spokesperson and niece of Steven Avery, just posted the following tweet: “No news till tomorrow.. please have patience.. @ZellnerLaw has got this..”
Previously:
A commotion at the Manitowoc County courthouse has “Making a Murderer” fans in a frenzy, with many saying Steven Avery’s lawyer might present an alternate theory to Teresa Halbach’s death on Wednesday.
According to NBC26, the deadline to present new evidence in the case is Monday, but users on Twitter are saying that time might be coming early. Local journalists are at the courthouse, keeping followers updated on Twitter while NBC26 livestreames from the courthouse.
No one on site has yet been able to confirm whether Avery’s lawyer Kathleen Zellner is at the courthouse or not, but NBC26 reporter Raquel Lamal tweeted, “there is no court today. We’ve just heard @ZellnerLaw is expected to drop off alternate theory paperwork in Avery case.”
In January, the Illinois-based attorney said there’s “new evidence” to present, stating that she’s “confident” Avery’s murder conviction will be overturned.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, Zellner said, “We are continuing to examine every aspect of Mr. Avery’s case and all of his legal options. We are confident Mr. Avery’s conviction will be vacated when we present the new evidence and results of our work to the appropriate court.”
Last week, Zellner said she’d unearthed another suspect in the murder of the photographer. 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.
“There is evidence that already exists in the case that points to a different location and a different suspect,” Zellner, who began representing Avery in January, said. “We’ve got a combination of forensic evidence and a tip from somebody that we’ve interviewed multiple times that we think is credible.”
Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in the 2005 murder of Halbach. December’s release of “Making a Murderer” had the nation split over whether the two were actually guilty of the crime or the Manitowoc Sheriff’s Department planted evidence.
Earlier this month, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey’s writ of habeas corpus, finding that his confession at age 16 while suffering “from certain intellectual deficits” at the time of his questioning, was involuntary.
At the time of the decision, the judge said Dassey would be released from custody in 90 days unless the state decides to retry him.