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MAKING A MURDERER

Who was Theresa Halbach, when was Steven Avery convicted of her murder and is she in Making a Murder season 2?

NETFLIX series Making A Murderer kept audiences captivated as it followed the case of murdered Teresa Halbach and jailing of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey.

As the series is set to return for season two on October 19, here's what you need to about the photographer...

 Photographer Teresa Halbach was murdered in 2005 after visiting Steven Avery's scrapyard
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Photographer Teresa Halbach was murdered in 2005 after visiting Steven Avery's scrapyardCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk

Who was Teresa Halbach?

Teresa Halbach was born on March 22, 1980 in Kaukauna, Wisconsin in the US to parents Richard and Karen Halbach.

Ms Halbach had four siblings, two sisters Katie and Kelly and two brothers Timothy and Michael.

She was 25 years old at the time of her death in 2005 and was working as a freelance photographer after graduating from the University of Wisconsin.

Although she specialised in portrait photography, she also worked for AutoTrader and had photographed vehicles at Steven Avery's salvage yard on a number of occasions.

However, Halbach reportedly told co-workers she felt uncomfortable around Avery as she claimed he had answered the door in just a towel on a previous visit to the property.

It's reported that when Avery called about booking a photographer for a car he wanted to sell, he specifically requested "that same girl who was here last time", referring to Halbach.

The young woman was last seen alive at the salvage yard on October 31, 2005, and her mother reported her missing on November 3.

The following day, a search operation is launched for Halbach and her Toyota RAV4 is found hidden under debris on Avery’s property by search volunteers on November 5, with bloodstains recovered from its interior matched Avery's DNA, authorities said.

The young woman's charred bone fragments were later found in a burn pit near Avery's home.

On November 9, 2005,  Avery was arrested and charged with possessing firearms after two guns were found in his home.

And just days later, police charged Avery with first-degree murder and mutilating a corpse.

When was Steven Avery convicted of her murder?

After 22 hours of deliberation, the jury found Avery guilty of first-degree murder and of being in possession of a firearm on March 18, 2007, and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Avery is currently serving his sentence at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institution, but has been fighting for his freedom, as he argued that his conviction was based on planted evidence and false testimony.

His attorney Kathleen Zellner said she planned to present new evidence to the court to try and revive his request after it was rejected by a state circuit judge.

She said: "We have additional test results and witness affidavits.

"The scientific testing is not completed, we remain optimistic that Mr. Avery's conviction will be vacated."

Sheboygan County Circuit Judge Angela Sutkiewicz ruled Avery had failed to establish grounds to warrant a new trial.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel praised the decision, saying it "brings us one step closer to providing justice to Teresa Halbach's family."

He said the Department of Justice would continue to vigorously defend Avery's conviction.

Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, confessed to detectives he helped his uncle rape and kill Halbach at the Avery family's salvage yard.

A judge overturned Dassey's conviction 2016, ruling that investigators took advantage of the then-16-year-old Dassey's cognitive disabilities and tricked him into confessing.

But the state asked for a review and in 2017 a judge upheld the conviction.

Making A Murderer season 2 will officially arrive on Netflix October 19, 2018 and will follow the legal processes since the show debuted in 2015 and the effect that it has had on their families.

 Making A Murderer season 2 will arrive on Netflix October 19 and will follow the legal processes since the show debuted in 2015
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Making A Murderer season 2 will arrive on Netflix October 19 and will follow the legal processes since the show debuted in 2015Credit: NETFLIX

Does Making a Murderer 2 show more of Teresa Halbach's life?

Filmmakers Laura Riccardi and Moira Demos told reporters that this season will explore more of Halbach's life.

According to the , Riccardi said one of Halbach's friends have a "very thoughtful" interview and shared other materials with the filmmakers which allowed them to explore Halbach's life further.

"It was clear that the people who knew and loved Teresa wanted to focus on the life that she lived rather than the grief that they felt or the loss that they experienced," she said.

The filmmakers said Teresa Halbach's family either declined or didn't respond to requests to participate in the documentary.

Mystery over telephone call one of new twists in cases of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey as Netflix releases full trailer for Making A Murderer: Part 2


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