Friday, December 30, 2016

The Photo of Teresa Halbach and the RAV4


The photos above of the RAV4 found at Avery Auto Salvage were taken by Wisconsin State Troopers after it had been taken into custody by the Calumet County Sheriff's Office.





Photos of 1999 RAV4 Deep Jewel Green (Above)



Photos of 1999 RAV4 Mystic Teal Mica (Above)

Ken Kratz: "Ask yourselves, is that a green SUV? I will argue, no, that's not a green SUV."

Over the span of almost 2 1/2 years the RAV4 went from first being DARK GREEN (Halbachs-11/3/05) to being more BLUE than GREEN (Pam-11/5/05) to being DARK BLUE (Wiegert-11/5/05) to being GREENISH BLUISH (Wiegert-8/9/06) to being BLUE and certainly not GREEN (Kratz-3/15/07). DISPATCH: Do you know what she drives?

KAREN HALBACH: She drives a RAV4, Toyota. It's a dark green color, kind of.

DISPATCH: Did you say red or dark green?

KAREN HALBACH: Dark green.

Bob Lemieux Toyota in Green Bay confirmed that the RAV4 they sold Teresa Halbach was one-tone, dark green (six-minute mark in video below), like the one in the images above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vUDZiGgu3Y

Wisconsin DOT generates a title and sends it to the owner, which was Teresa Halbach's financing company in Atlanta. So the original and actual title to Teresa's vehicle was held by Toyota Motor Credit Corp. The DOT would have a record/copy of the title.

There is a reason the registration and insurance were missing from the RAV. Nobody ever thought a second RAV was an option back then. Erie, Teresa's insurance company, would have her VIN in its records. Kathleen Zellner contacted Erie so she has a copy of Teresa's information.

"I certify that the annexed photographic copy of the described record has been compared with the original on file with this division in this department, and the same is a true and correct copy of such original record."

http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Trial-Exhibit-4-RAV4-DOT-Record.pdf

The RAV4 at ASY and the WSCL is the wrong color. It’s blue (and two-tone), as all of the photos seem to confirm, and as it is also reported in the search warrant.

Teresa Halbach’s RAV4 is clearly described as “dark green” in the missing person flyer that was created by her family.


The blue RAV4 at ASY (and at the WSCL in Madison) isn't the green RAV4 that Lemieux Toyota in Green Bay sold to Teresa.

In addition to the front-end damage on the blue RAV4 found at ASY and processed at the WSCL, Ertl testified at Brendan Dassey's trial about a dent hidden behind the Rambler hood while the RAV4 was at ASY on 11/5, yet not one photo exists which illustrates this dent in the rear quarter panel (all cropped off right where it counts). Whose RAV4 did Dean Strang and Jerry Buting inspect?

https://www.reddit.com/r/TickTockManitowoc/comments/ahpo5j/the_rav4_damage_that_was_never_mentioned/





Two-tone, Mystic Teal Mica, 1999 Toyota RAV4


One-tone, Deep Jewel Green, 1999 Toyota RAV4-L

Pre Trial (Motion for Suppression) - Jerry Buting Cross Examines Pam Sturm

JB: Did you have some description of the vehicle with you?

PS: Yes, we had the sheet on the vehicle, and what it looked like --

JB: And this sheet --

PS: -- the plate number.

JB: What kind of sheet are you referring to?

PS: It was, I believe, a picture of the car.

JB: Okay -- What kind of information was on the sheet?

PS: It was a Toyota Rav4, and there was a license plate number, the color.

JB: The what?

PS: The color.

JB: And what was the color?

PS: Green.



JB: Would you say that it matched the description exactly or?

PS: It was real close to the description.

JB: You had some concern about the color?

PS: Yes.

JB: It was more blue than green?

PS: It was bluish green.

JB: So you had some doubt. Okay. So, at any rate, then, you weren't -- I don't want to lead, but I'm trying to move things along. You weren't provided with the actual VIN number, though, correct?

PS: It was on some sheet, but we didn't have that specific sheet with us.

Audio of Pam Sturm's Call to Dispatch:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TickTockManitowoc/comments/94s8cs/recording_of_pam_sturms_full_dispatch_call_here/

Transcript of Pam Sturm's Call to Dispatch:

http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Transcript-of-Call-from-Sturms-to-Sheriff-Pagel.pdf

Ken Kratz (Closing): 'That is not a GREEN RAV. It is obviously BLUE. Anyone who saw a GREEN RAV wasn't seeing Teresa's RAV, that's for certain and for true!'

Ken Kratz - Rebutal Closing Statement:

"Between Bobby Dassey and Lisa Buchner, who has the better memory? Who was in a position to see what was going on that day? And those kinds of questions you are going to need to answer. Same kind of thing with the other lay witness that was called in this case, some gentleman who was a propane employee, as I understand, who talked about seeing a green mid-sized SUV. Well, ask yourselves, is that a green SUV?1 I will argue, no, that that's not a green SUV."

Kratz was certainly coaching his witness to always use the term BLUE or BLUISH GREEN. This is strange considering that, again, not a single person said the RAV was BLUE or a BLUE GREEN color prior to Pam Sturm saying, "It looks more blue than green." [Source]











Rav4 Tyre Comparison is Very Telling. LE What Did You Do?
By normab8tes, TickTockManitowoc
December 28, 2018

I was cleaning my car today, and as I was cleaning my tyres, I realised that in one photo of Teresa Halbach’s car the tyre looked clean compared to the others. So I had to come in and check out what I was thinking.

The photo PoG [Pam Sturm] took of the left hand side of the car when she found the Rav4 showed a fair bit of the tyre, and on enlarging that, I saw all the dirt embedded in the grooves of the tyre, but the flat part of the tyre [the sidewall] was actually quite black still. Not very dusty at all.

I tried to find a right hand photo of the Rav4, but there doesn’t seem to be many, but I found one; and after enlarging it, there doesn’t seem to be any dirt embedded in the tyre or much dirt at all.

So I’m thinking the Rav4 must have been driven, left hand side, partly through wet, muddy, damp water or something, and enough for it to be embedded and stay embedded and the right hand side of the vehicle must have been on dry, hard dirt or road.

This also made sense when I saw dirt splashes on the left hand side of the vehicle but not the right.

Photos from the crime lab, show this front left tyre is clean. No embedded dirt anywhere. The left hand back tyre seems to be the same as it was when found at ASY, but the front tyre is way different to that of the tyre where the Rav4 was found.

https://imgur.com/a/xw8UUYp

- END REDDIT POST -




Note the position of the tire stems in the photo comparisons: the stems are almost in the exact same position in the crime lab photo but not in the Pearce photo. This cannot be due to a tire rotation because, had the tires been rotated, the rear tire on the driver's side would have been rotated to the front of the vehicle, yet the three wheel weights are at the same position on the rim of the rear tire in the photo taken by Pearce as they are in the photos taken at Avery Auto Salvage and at the Wisconsin crime lab (the weights are hard to see in the crime lab photos).

The images below are a comparison of the wheel/rim of the RAV4 in the photo taken by Peace of Teresa and her RAV4 and the wheel/rim and tire of the RAV4 at the salvage yard. They appear to match because in both photos there are three weights to balance the wheel in the exact same spot on the rim in relation to the tire. 






Also, in a photo of the RAV4 at the lab, the weights appear to be in the same location on the rear driver's side tire.



Kathleen Zellner in her motion for post-conviction relief filed on June 7, 2017:
Northwest of Mr. Avery's trailer, between the Avery property and the cul-de-sac at Kuss Road, there was a metal post protruding approximately 2 ½ feet from the ground (photo showing post, P-C Exhibit 51). When the killer attempted to plant Ms. Halbach's vehicle near Mr. Avery's trailer, he collided with this post, causing the damage to the front end of Ms. Halbach's RAV-4 and knocking out the driver's side parking light. He recognized the need to retrieve the parking light because leaving it, or any pieces of it, in the field would show the RAV-4 left the Avery property, contrary to Mr. Kratz theory that the RAV-4 never left the Avery property.


A rusted metal post (bottom center in the image above) could have caused the damage to Halbach's RAV4 (in close-ups of the RAV4, you can see red and pink marks in the damaged areas). The primary point of impact could have been the area on the bumper directly below the head light assembly. And as the vehicle moved forward from the primary point of impact, the rusted metal post scratched and dented the area to the right of the head light assembly. The secondary point of impact could have been the area below the blinker light assembly, which caused the blinker light to snap/break and pop out.
The RAV4 at Avery Auto Salvage was tarped almost immediately after it was discovered. Nobody mentioned any damage on the vehicle or having seen any blood on the inside or outside. After dark, the tarp was removed and the RAV4 was loaded onto an enclosed trailer. By 9:30 p.m. it was ready to be transported on the trailer to the state crime lab in Madison.











RAV4 damage:
  • Broken left front turn signal light was placed in the cargo hold after the accident.
  • Diagonal parallel creases in the left front bumper near the turn signal. Two small puncture marks at top of diagonal creases.
  • Puncture damage to left front bumper at corner of car. The puncture is flared out, perhaps because a chain or cable was used to pull on it, or perhaps due to an object being trapped under the bumper when the car was backed away from what it hit.
  • Front left wheel well liner was likely dislodged and removed as a result of the accident. Pins that hold it to the front of the wheel well were likely popped out. The wheel well liner would have created interference for the tire.
  • A strange object wadded up above the front left tire. It is perhaps the wheel well liner, wadded up, foam created by the AirUp tire sealer and inflator found under the front passenger seat, or wadded up duct tape holding something in place. There also appears to be a curved part in the wheel well that may be part of the liner or a foreign object.


What is the shapeless brown blob is in the wheel well of Teresa's RAV4 (photo above)?

There has been much speculation surrounding this shapeless mass. Some thought it might be a wasp's nest, others thought it might be a big ball of tape, and still others thought it might be a tow strap or even limestone caught up under there.



It could be tire sealant.

When the RAV4 was searched, they found a can of AirUp Tire Sealant.

Air up tire inflator and sealer, bearing property Tag-8073 was collected into evidence (CASO report, page 426).

Have a look here:

http://www.airup.com

Here's a newer link for AirUp products, from the manufacturer's site:

http://www.iqproducts.com/airup.html

Check out the big can in the middle. It's AirUp BigTire Inflator & Sealer Foaming. Yes, Foaming.

If Teresa's tire had a substantial hole, the foam would shoot out and pile up until it compresses against the wheel well.

Note that the blob seems to be made up of a long, thick stream of foam. The foam did not adhere well to the dirty and possibly wet tire, but it did adhere to the freshly exposed wheel well. When the RAV4 was moved, the tire broke free but the foam blob remained in place.

Video of foaming product exiting tire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRNvsaoj7VQ

Why is this significant?

Someone needed this flat fixed in a hurry. The fix had to have occurred after the wheel well liner was destroyed.

This tire, by the time it got to the State crime lab in Madison, was clean. It may be that the tire was properly plugged and reinflated on the extra long journey to the lab or it may be a different tire altogether.

Was the tire holed in the accident that created all the front left damage or was the tire damaged, thus creating the accident?

Could a chunk of tire foam left behind look like a charred foot?

Most of this could easily be investigated with access to the RAV4.

The can of "AirUp" inflator and sealer was under the front passenger seat.

See pages 11 and 20 of Culhane's powerpoint:

http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Trial-Exhibits-339-and-340-Culhane-DNA-PowerPoint.pdf#page=11

http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Trial-Exhibits-339-and-340-Culhane-DNA-PowerPoint.pdf#page=20

The photo is also at the link for Zellner's Newsweek article:

http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/full/public/2016/03/25/0408zellner07.jpg

And here is a blow-up:

https://i.imgur.com/WE2VRBG.png

The can should have been fingerprinted.

Why did Wiegert have the RAV4 spare tire cover in 2006 (which, after it was dusted at the crime lab, looked like it was covered with fingerprints)?

http://www.stevenaverycase.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Exhibit-307-RAV4-Back.jpg

Was the spare tire checked? The condition of the spare is important. The RAV4 comes with a full size spare. The spare tire was stored on the back of the car.

The lug wrench was found in the RAV4 and was taken into evidence, but not the crank for the jack. Apparently the toolkit bag, which should have had two pieces (the lug wrench and crank), was not entered into evidence. Is the crank missing because it was the murder weapon?

The AirUp can was found under the front passenger seat. This is the seat where the car jack was supposed to be stored.

There was supposed to be a Toyota factory-provided car jack under the front passenger seat, where the AirUp inflator and tire sealer can was found, and there was supposed to be a factory toolkit in a storage location in the cargo compartment on the driver's side. This kit should have contained the Toyota factory-provided lug wrench and the crank handle for the factory-provided jack.

Link to storage location for the factory tools in a RAV4 (the toolkit with the lug wrench and crank):

https://i.imgur.com/rsJjbNO.png

Why are the covers missing from the storage compartments above the wheel wells in the rear cargo area of Teresa's RAV4?

Comparison photo showing left and right sides with missing covers in Teresa's RAV4:

http://i.imgur.com/qGP4hRB.jpg

Missing cover closeup of right side:

http://i.imgur.com/E8A4I2y.jpg

Example photo of 1999 RAV4 with covers in place:

http://i.imgur.com/ujVdR5l.jpg



 
Photos from Kratz's book

Did Teresa's RAV4 come with a cargo mat?

Examples of cargo mats:

https://i.imgur.com/RXDE70k.png

Did Teresa's RAV4 come with cargo cover?

If so, did she use it? Did she keep it in the vehicle when she wasn't using it? Was it inventoried in the contents of the vehicle? Was it discarded with the bloody floor mat?

Example photo of a roll-out cargo cover:

http://i.imgur.com/iRtejnt.jpg

Example photo of a hard cargo cover:

http://i.imgur.com/8swRyc1.jpg




The photo above of Teresa Halbach was taken by Tom Pearce (day 1, page 198). In photos above and below, notice what looks like spots where the paint has been scrapped on the rear door (below the handle) and on the back panel of the driver's side. There also seems to be damage to the paint above the window on the rear door. However, these spots do not appear in photos of the RAV4 taken at the crime lab or at Avery Salvage Yard. It is possible that Teresa had the scraps repaired with touch up paint or there is another explanation altogether and the spots really may not be there at all.





There has been debate about the color of the RAV4. The RAV4 at Avery Auto Salvage and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab is mystic teal mica, not deep jewel green mica.



On the left in the image below is the RAV4 from the photo of Teresa taken by Pearce in broad daylight; on the right is the RAV4 inside the crime lab with artificial lighting. One appears blue-green and the other blue.





A decoy RAV4 could have come from Sheriff Hermann's car dealership/salvage yard, Cleveland Auto Sales and Salvage. A RAV4 was driven onto the Avery property on the evening of November 4, 2005 per Zellner's motion for post conviction testing. Avery's neighbor told a freelance reporter in April 2016 that he thinks he may have seen Teresa’s RAV4, followed by a white jeep, being driven into the back of Avery Auto Salvage via a road from Radandt's quarry before Pam Sturm found it the morning of November 5, 2005.









The RAV4 at the salvage yard had Uniroyal tires on it. It is difficult to read the brand of tires on the RAV4 at the crime lab because of the photo resolution. On the left in the image below is a photo from Avery Salvage Yard of the rear tire on the driver's side; on the right is the rear tire on the driver's side from the RAV4 in the crime lab.



To support the theory that there is a decoy RAV4, the blood smear on the cargo door handle (Item A23) can be seem on the RAV4 in the crime lab (right in the image below) but not on the RAV4 at the salvage yard (left in the image below). There also appears to be a light below the latch in the crime scene photo but not in the photo at the salvage yard. This could be due to angles and lighting.



Additionally, in the photo below, the vinyl of the spare tire cover on the RAV4 at the crime lab looks like it was scraped (and there appears to be handprints on top of the cover) This is not the case for the spare tire cover on the RAV4 at Avery Salvage Yard (other two photos below). However, the photo below is of the RAV4 at the crime lab, post fingerprint dusting (and possibly swabbing), which could explain the marks that look like someone was grasping or clawing for the spare tire cover, either on the way down or while on the ground.

The spare tire cover in the crime lab is misaligned, which wasn't the case at the salvage yard. Did someone remove the spare tire cover and then put it back on after it was photographed at the salvage yard and before it was photographed at the crime lab?









Finally, in the photo taken at Avery Salvage Yard on the morning of November 5th (image above), you can see what looks like a bullet hole or a dent to the left of the rear cargo door window. There appears to be a dent in the rear cargo area of the RAV4 at the crime lab, but it is in a different spot. This could be explained by debris on the vehicle that fell off during transport or angles and lighting, etc.



There also appears to be a bullet hole in the RAV4 that Zellner purchased: it is below the handle of the driver's door. Note that Zellner's RAV4 is the royal sapphire color and not mystic teal or deep jewel green.



To add to the confusion: 
  1. Dave Remiker testified that the VIN on the RAV4 at Avery Salvage Yard appeared to have been tampered with.
  2. A dashboard bolt and screw were missing from the RAV4 at the Madison crime lab.




Why I believe the RAV4 entered and photographed into evidence is in fact a 1999, not 1998 
By WhatWouldJordyDo, TickTockManitowoc
November 16, 2017

This is just my opinion of course, but I will use some facts to arrive to this conclusion. I made a few comments in other threads, but I thought I should make a post out of it, so all can see.

I just want so bad for the State to let Zellner get her hands on the evidence RAV, so any discrepancies can be put to rest!!! The door Jamb will have a sticker with the correct VIN and Color Code, so Body Shops can paint match.

 The VIN Number

I made a typo in my own VIN searches because when I copy-pasted from the Evidence list. I missed that it copied a "C" instead of "0", third to last value. And, in fact, JT3HP10V5X7113044 is a valid VIN, but for a 1999 RAV4. 

So they did have the VIN correct in their reports, and the DOT did as well. 

But I will keep my OP up, because I still think Police were wrong about it being a 1998 Model Year RAV4.



The Vehicle Color

I think the color controversy is because Teal is a very confusing color, depending on light you are viewing it in. It a color that is, in fact, a medium blue-green color. So I can see why some people think it's blue, and why some think it's green.

We have to explore the available colors for a 99 Toyota Rav 4.

As far as "Green" looking colors go, they offered Deep Jewel Green.

As far as "Blue" looking colors go, they offered Royal Sapphire Pearl.

And then, we have Mystic Teal Mica, Teal being "Blue-Green" color

After looking at those three colors, it's obvious the picture of Theresa by her vehicle clearly shows that her RAV4 was Mystic Teal Mica.

The evidence photos of the Vehicle in the Avery Yard clearly shows it is Mystic Teal Mica.

Her car was not BLUE or GREEN. It's TEAL. And it's a simple mistake, Mystic Teal Mica could appear Blue OR Green!

Why Item A is in fact a 1999 RAV4

Toyota didn't change much from the 1999 RAV4 compared to the 1998 model, but there are a few key changes that we can use to identify the difference:

Removed two-door hardtop from the American Lineup.

Additional new options include color-keyed mirrors and door handles and the alloy wheel option now features a full-size steel wheel spare and soft spare tire cover.

Three new exterior colors include Quicksilver, Venetian Red Pearl and Mystic Teal Mica. Discontinued colors include Alpine Silver, Prussian Red Pearl and Sedona Sunset Metallic.

Based on multiple photos, in different lighting situations, this car seized into evidence clearly looks like Mystic Teal Mica. And it has a full size spare with soft tire cover, so it leads me to believe this is in fact a 1999.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4#First_generation_.28XA10.3B_1994.E2.80.932000.29

http://www.rav4world.com/history/history.html#1999

I admit I don't know every little detail about this case, but I thought I would offer up my opinion regarding the year of the RAV4 they seized.
Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4#First_generation_.28XA10.3B_1994.E2.80.932000.29

http://www.rav4world.com/history/history.html#1999

I admit I don't know every little detail about this case, but I thought I would offer up my opinion regarding the year of the RAV4 they seized.

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