Showing posts with label Tim Halbach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Halbach. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

The Men in Teresa Halbach's Life



The men in Teresa Marie Halbach's life in 2005: Ryan Hillegas, Chris McKenna, Bradley Czech, Scott Bloedorn and Wesley Bunnell (photos circa 2015).



And then there is Ken.

Ran across something today and can't shake it....
by localtruther, TickTockManitowoc
November 1, 2019

Where to even begin?! here goes....

This has to do with a chance meetings via myspace and many other variables that I am very hesitant to disclose but will anyway in an effort for this to make sense.

1st things first. Have you ever just had one of those gut feelings that just will not go away? Do you believe in things happening for a reason? Do you believe that there is no such thing as luck or chance? Have you ever thought that YOU just might be the one that holds the key to something?

Timeframe (late 1990's) I was asked to become a member of the Manitowoc County Deputies and Constables Association. As a member of this organization we attended meetings and some of us joined another interior organization to this one where you were sworn and eventually after training etc became what was known as the 'Possy'. Didn't really do much other than guard the water at local events but it was cool being asked and we were able to carry way before that became law.

During this tenure (until 2007 when Hermann took over) I can count on one hand how many of these events we actually helped with. 

One evening however I got a call about midnight by another Possy member to relieve him on the corner out near Avery's (about 2 miles away I am not going to disclose which one sorry) The only instruction I was given was NO ONE comes in or out of this intersection. This was Nov 7th if my recollection serves me. This 6 hour shift went on without issue.

During this roughly 8 or so years I obviously got to know most of the players in this debacle. 

In 2005 my divorce began - no relation to this - but suffice to say in mid 2007 it was finally over. 

This is when I put myself out there via myspace (LOL I know) and within a short period of time I had met this younger lady whom I chatted with often and eventually met up with. 

What is funny is that we both used our middle names as introduction while chatting and didn't realize each others REAL names until we actually met in person. 

The courtship was very brief as she had a SEVERE drinking and maybe even drug problem she was in her late 20's, I was in my late thirties and this lifestyle so to speak didn't fit me at all. Our first date was me meeting her at her house where she was living after her estranged husband moved out. This was on Kuss Road.

Being that I live in Manitowoc County and have for a LONG time when this case started in 2005 I can tell you that most people including myself felt Avery was guilty story over. Many of us also thought something was just off about this whole case on how quickly this happened and how lock stock and barrel they had Avery. It was just too convenient with the court case and all.....that's all I can really say about that. We had our doubts but it just sort of went away.

So now MAM happens! Kuss Road eventually came to light when all of us starting sorting through the CASO and MCSO files and realized without any doubt at all SOMETHING went down there. 

Most recently I saw post where there is a fucking blanket under a tree covering something right across the street from where I met this woman for the first time. 

I posted about this in a very obscure fashion a couple years ago that the person I met had the same last name as a DCI agent. Did some digging and her ex husband and this DCI agent might actually be brothers. For sure related. The ex husband as well as this woman I met both had Military Police background and he to this day is still practicing security. They have both went on to marry others, he married a Manitowoc Police officer and she a Fire and safety expert! WTF!!!!

This couple and TH were all about the same age and I can attest most likely the same type of lifestyle. Could they have met at some point and some photography was setup? TH was clearly able to carry on with married men without issue so was she perhaps into a scene that was hidden from us for a reason? Did she maybe have an affair (this couples divorce started in mid 2006 from what I can remember. So during this affair and later murder investigation ultimately tear them apart? I know how fucked up she was with the drinking and so forth.....I just don't know....! Scary as it is I might have briefly dated a murderer!

What if TH and JKS (I will not disclose any more than initials) had an affair and she (BAS) got jealous and maybe had TH come over for some more porn photos? things heated up and in the heat of the moment a tire iron to the head and the rest is history! Could her husband have reached out to his DCI agent family member as to what to do? They have a dead woman across the street shallow grave maybe. I never believed the bones were hers anyway so maybe she never was burned and this is just a rouse to keep us off track? Did they recover a body and quietly gave to the Halbachs for a private burial?

Today I am on the GZ blog site and ran across my Reddit post referenced there (didn't even know it was there) and I see this photo of an email taken off TH's computer (an email from about a month before TH disappeared):



That would be her estranged husband's middle name (Ken)! Sound familiar? I don't think this habit is all that uncommon at all. We did it and it appears if my hunch is right so did they!

I just don't know anymore......I can't get on the BoD ST thing. With how small this area actually is and people pretty much knowing everyone its entirely possible that RH's involvement is ONLY as a friend to maybe this couple as well as the couples family member!

Sorry for the long repetitive post but I just can't shake this.....

More oddities to consider.....

HE is a big cowboyish kind of guy now. I didn't get that from the timeframe in the 2005 era.....Didn't TH dress as a Cowgirl? He married a Manitowoc City Police officer. OR she became one after the fact not 100% sure.

SHE married a Fire EXPERT! WTF??!!!

NEITHER of them have much of a social profile at ALL and have 100% disassociated themselves from the DCI agents last name.....far as I am concerned this might be the most damning thing there is!

Am I crazy to think this way?



JKS = Joshua Kenneth Sasse (image above)
BAS = Brenda Ann Sasse



[–]whiteycnbr

The email leads me to believe they had a thing, repeated 'i miss you'.

Was she doing porno shoots for them? It links her to Kuss Rd.

[–]localtruther[S]

Careful....it might lead her to Kuss rd. Even if this email isnt from the right person....the way things always work for me is I notice shit like this all the time. This email indicates TH most CERTAINLY had a second darker life. We saw almost nothing from her computer and phone. Maybe the real correspondence hasn't been seen, but is known.

[–]rickardsvil

I went back and double checked the audiobook. This email is used in the second chapter of John Ferak's Wrecking Crew. He almost definitely tried to identify the author of this email. Maybe you could reach out to him. He's on Twitter.

[–]idunno_why 


"Dedering talked to Kenneth on the phone on 10/12. Kenneth knew Teresa since High School. They were close in college. He lived with her for 6 months after the Peace Corps in February 2005. Teresa never mentioned an abusive relationship to him. He said they were very close but not romantically involved. He met RYAN HILLEGAS 3 or 4 times and thought he was 'fine'. He said Ryan was one of her earliest boyfriends. Kenneth said Teresa never said anything negative about Ryan. Kenneth didn’t know about Teresa’s key or if she had a remote to open the doors. He doesn’t recall any damage to the RAV4."

Link to source:

https://m.facebook.com/notes/steven-avery-project/calumet-county-sheriffs-department-2017-2018-follow-up-investigation-regarding-t/662758690749760/

I believe he was also on the witness list for the trial.

[–]defmagic

HEADER: https://imgur.com/ZBJbKcW

EMAIL: https://imgur.com/KjhM0qn

It appears there were 3 pages out of order. The bottom of the page BEFORE that email lists "KENNETH HOWEN".

[–]WhoooIsReading 

Kenneth didn’t know about Teresa’s key or if she had a remote to open the doors. He doesn’t recall any damage to the RAV4.

So the award winning investigators waited until 2017 to ask a friend about Ryan's bogus claim of damage to the RAV4?

[–]defmagic[S] 

AFTER MaM part 1....

[–]WhoooIsReading 

That's one thing MAM didn't leave out.

Too bad it took 12 years for LE to ask one of the many questions they failed to ask in 2005.

Now Ken Kratz can add this fact to his book....

[–]kookaburrakook 

Do you know where they lived in that 6 months ?

[–]idunno_why 

In the same house she lived in when she disappeared. He would have been living there until about July 2005 if he moved in after leaving the peace corps in February and stayed for 6 months.



[–]kent3334

Question. Did the guy that told LE a girl (he believed was TH) came to his door looking for help, live on Kuss Rd.?

[–]localtruther[S]

Right across the street (see image above)!

On 11/5/2005, a resident named Leo Richmond, who lives at 4201 Kuss Road, called in a tip to CASO about Teresa Halbach knocking on his door the night before (11:30 PM on Friday, 11/4). Leo said that Teresa was looking for a home in his area. Wiegert dismissed the tip and said he would call back later; however, there isn't a follow-up report in the CASO file.

Directly across the street from Leo's home at 4201 Kuss Road, and off the road a bit, is 4130 Kuss Road. At the time of Teresa's disappearance, the home was owned and occupied by a young couple, Joshua and Brenda Sasse. One of the DCI investigators on the case (DCI Appleton field office), Michael C Sasse (CASO page 518), is a close relative to Joshua Sasse.

[–]localtruther[S]

Hundred thousand reasons! Seriously when I saw that email and the name signed....I was like fuck....what if I AM the missing piece? Like I stated above...at my age shit like happens and only with past experience NOT taken and you would have been the winner, do you realize how seemingly innocent unrelated life experience just happens!

[–]axollot

Whole point of the award is to have people consider connections and motivation to explain em.

Yours might be the one. It may not...but it has a truth to it hard to shake.

You'll never know for certain till you unravel that thread!

[–]Tris-Von-Q

I don't think you are crazy at all. With how little we actually know about Theresa's private life--anything is possible. And I too can't get on board with BoD and ST as the perps wagon either. I think they were involved in sending SA away for good out of jealousy but not Theresa's murder. I'm just not feeling it.

This however is highly suspect. I hope you are able to work with it more. There's got to be more out there with this lead.

Have you gone to KZ?

[–]localtruther[S]

Who is KZ? 🀣 kidding. No I have not

[–]Tris-Von-Q

Unfortunately I wouldn't even know how to advise you to move forward on this hunch. I wouldn't know where to start digging. Just be careful when digging in gardens of the county in which you live. SA's tale is a warning--was always meant to be a warning--to any local dissenters.

[–]localtruther[S]

You are correct! Point taken.

[–]Tris-Von-Q

To be honest, I find that email unsettling. The casual discussion of a gift of porn? It's just...weird to me.

WTF was this chick into?

[–]rickardsvil

Contacting KZ was the first thing that came to my mind as well. This could be nothing, but it also could be the one thing that finally brings some light to what happened to TH. Best of luck to you.

[–]SBRH33

From what I know now this post is important.

[–]PetrichorGirl

This Possy assignment when you were asked to relieve someone and guard an intersection near Avery’s... are you saying that was on/around Nov 7th 2005?

[–]localtruther[S]

That's what I am saying

[–]PetrichorGirl

Thanks. So that was after TH’s car had been found at Avery’s and there were cops everywhere. Was it MTSO instructing you?

[–]localtruther[S]

Dont know....all I knew is another member called me to relieve him....far as I know he made that call.

[–]reader_wny

I remember your post, glad you add this information. I think TH sent nude pictures of herself to him, to me it sounds like they were involved sexually. Her sending him messages on this beeper/pager, he misses her, she takes good care of him, definitely sounds like they were involved. The fact she shut her phone off about the time she came to Kuss Rd turnoff. This could explain the H family's odd behavior. I think you may have the 100k solution. Excellent post! Were there goodies in the form of "Pot Brownies"?

[–]MnAtty

I've always felt Teresa's family was being manipulated, based on some fear they had about her reputation. There was just too much touting of what a "good girl" she was. Coached volleyball. Um, who cares?

So it has always been the prosecution's over-emphasis on Teresa's reputation, that has concerned me. It's as though the prosecutors are heralding their role as her protectors. "We'll defend your daughter against the terrible rumors." There's almost a veiled threat of how ugly it could get without their protection.

FURTHER COMMENT: To make the point more clear, I've wondered why there was no celebration of who Teresa was as an artist. I've read references to how gifted she was as a photographer. So where is the memorial exhibit? It's almost as though this was a topic of shame, rather than pride.

Instead, they emphasized a minor activity, volunteering a few afternoons a week, during volleyball season. It feels like they focused on it because it was a generally wholesome topic. But it seems almost impersonal. It had little to do with her actual life.

[–]s_wardy_s[S]

You're right about the photography. She graduated with honours as top of the class, and we've never seen a frigging picture she took other than a few average shots of cars for AutoTrader that quite frankly, anyone could have taken. Where is the celebration of her art?

[–]PetrichorGirl 

The Kuss Rd resident who rang police said she knocked on his door on 11/4. That’s after she was officially reported missing by her mother on 11/3. If it was TH looking for a party, I wonder what she had been doing for 4 days since 10/31?


There were multiple sightings of Teresa after 10/31/05 (sightings 11/1/05-11/8/05):
  1. Anna Knutsen of Valders says she saw Teresa taking pictures of cows on Madson Road, “literally kitty corner” to Trinity Lutheran Church at 11303 Wehausen Rd, Manitowoc, on the morning of November 1st, around 8:35 a.m.
  2. Barbara Linsmeyer says she saw Teresa in a white van with two men on the side of the road by the turnaround on highway 147 (around 23-minute mark in MTSO dispatch audio).
  3. Gary Ebert saw Teresa sitting next to a man, who was about 15 years older than her, on the ferry from Washington Island at 5 p.m. on November 4th (they didn't look like a likely couple to him, and she looked almost scared and appeared to be falling to sleep (around 29-minute mark in CASO dispatch audio).
  4. Leo Richmond of Kuss Road says Teresa knocked on his door at midnight on November 4th looking for a home in his area.
  5. A tip called in on November 7th from a teacher at Hilbert High School, who was told by a student that, when the McGlone family was distributing missing persons posters at a gas station in Sheboygan yesterday, November 6th, a person standing in line there said they had seen Teresa in Sheboygan the day before, November 5th.
  6. Two sightings of Teresa in Sheboygan with a black man on around midnight November 5-6th (one sighting in Walmart, another sighting in a white van at Taco Bell).
  7. Bill Crummel left a message on the police department's voicemail on November 8th saying he saw Teresa in a bar/restaurant (with a tree on its sign) on Lakeshore Drive and County Road Xx in Cleveland.



Two people from Sheboygan call CASO dispatch. The first caller at 6:30 p.m. on 11/5 says she saw Teresa with a black man following her into Sheboygan Walmart. The second caller at midnight says he saw Teresa at a Sheboygan Taco Bell, in a white van, with a black man next to her in the van.
Another potential witness, Barbara Linsmeyer, came forward, referencing a white van (at 16:27 and around 23-minute mark in MTSO dispatch audio). Barbara claims that she too physically witnessed Teresa. She stated that she saw Teresa on the shoulder side of the road, at the turnaround on highway 147, inside a white van/SUV with the hazard lights on. She said she could see her through the driver's side door, and was almost certain it was her. She also claims that Teresa was not alone and that there were two other occupants inside the vehicle with her (two men). Barbara contacted police and reported this information, but when she called she had only spoken with dispatch. She seemed sincere and concerned for this woman's safety, whoever it was, whether it was Teresa or not. Police never contacted her back at all.

Ryan may have seen Teresa on and after October 31st because he had her day planner page that should have been in her RAV4 (he turned it over to detectives on November 3rd).



Then there's the fact that everyone seemed to have advanced knowledge of her death (Mike Halbach deleted some of Teresa's voicemail messages on November 2nd, before she was reported missing, and her missing persons poster was created on November 2nd). The Halbach family appointed Mike Halbach to be spokesperson. Therefore, anything he says is coming from the family. If not, they would categorically deny he speak for them. Thus, Mike is the Halbach family. They are smart and not saying anything. Why? Because they are in this deeper than people realize.


CASO Investigative Report, Page 518
TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Interview of Bobby Dassey
DATE OF ACTIVITY: 02/27/06
REPORTING OFFICER: Inv. John Dedering

On Monday, 02/27/06 at 1126 hrs., various members of the WISCONSIN DEPT. OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION and the CALUMET CO. SHERIFF's DEPT. did meet at MISHICOT FIRE DEPT. The purpose of our meeting was to view a videotaped interview done by Special Agent TOM FASSBENDER and Inv. MARK WIEGERT on a subject named BRENDAN R. DASSEY on 02/27/06. According to information I had obtained from WIEGERT, DASSEY had made some statements with regard to STEVEN AVERY's disposal of TERESA HALBACH, as well as who was responsible for her death. While waiting for other members of the interview team to arrive, I did assist Inv. BALDWN with an interview of BARBARA JANDA. For details of this, please see the report of Inv. BALDWIN.

Special Agent MICHAEL SASSE and I did locate BOBBY DASSEY at the residence of DUANE OSMUNSON, 5017 Nuclear Rd. in the Mishicot area at 1955 hrs. SASSE and I asked BOBBY DASSEY if he had some time to speak with us and he indicated that he did. We then went out to the county vehicle, which I was operating, and BOBBY DASSEY did have a seat in the front passenger side and Special Agent SASSE climbed into the rear passenger side. Prior to asking DASSEY any questions, he was advised that he was not under arrest, did not have to answer questions if he chose not to and was free to leave at anytime he so wished. I asked him to open the passenger front door of the vehicle in order to demonstrate to him that he was perfectly free to leave. He understood this and agreed to answer questions.

We went over his activities to the best of his recollection on Monday, 10/31/05. He stated that he arrived home from work at approximately 0630 hrs (It should be noted that DASSEY was employed at FISHER HAMILTON in Two Rivers at this time) and went to bed. He stated that he got up between 1400 and 1430 hrs., got into the shower and went bow hunting. He stated he arrived home somewhere approximately 1730 hrs. and that it was dark out already. He stated he did not recall who was home when he arrived, but thought perhaps BRENDAN was. He stated that when he arrived home, he went straight to bed and did not eat. He stated he got up at approximately 2100 hrs., got ready for work and once again did not eat. He stated that to the best of his recollection, BLAINE was home and possibly BRENDAN as well. He stated that his other brother BRYAN was not at home and was possibly at his girlfriend's residence.

BOBBY indicated that when he was leaving for work at approximately 2130 hrs., he noticed that STEVEN was having a bonfire. He estimated that the flames were five to six feet in height. He stated that it was a good-sized fire and that STEVEN has had fires there in the past. He stated that he could not say for sure that STEVEN was tending to the fire and he was further unsure whether BRENDAN was there or not. He stated that the view from his residence to the fire pit is somewhat blocked by the garage of STEVEN AVERY. He stated that he worked from 2200 hrs. until 0600 hrs. the following day and when he arrived home, he noticed nothing unusual and that the fire was out.

I asked BOBBY if his brother, BRENDAN, was one to lie about things and he stated that BRENDAN would possibly lie about little things. I asked him if BRENDAN would lie about anything concerning the HALBACH murder investigation, and he stated that he would not lie about this. I asked BOBBY if he has noticed any changes in BRENDAN and his response was "not really." When I asked him if BRENDAN has been depressed recently, he stated that he was a little depressed. BOBBY indicated that BRENDAN has not discussed anything regarding what he may have seen in the fire pit on 10/31/05 or what STEVEN may have told BRENDAN. BOBBY indicated that his brother, BRENDAN, likes to play basketball games and racing games on their Playstation 2. He states that he does not play with others, but prefers to compete by himself on the machine.

I asked BOBBY if he could recall once again what he saw regarding TERESA HALBACH and her vehicle. He stated that while he was preparing to go bow hunting on 10/31/05, he observed TERESA's vehicle pull in and he observed TERESA get out and take one or two photos of the maroon van, which his mother had for sale. BOBBY said that this was prior to him getting into the shower. He stated that when he got out of the shower (approximately ten minutes later) he brought his bow out to the vehicle and TERESA's vehicle was still there but he did not see her. He stated that she was wearing a black coat, black trousers and he cannot recall what color her top was. DASSEY drew me a diagram indicating that the HALBACH vehicle was pointed in a westerly direction almost directly across from the westernmost portion of the BARBARA JANDA circular driveway. BOBBY stated that the vehicle was gone when he got back from hunting.

I asked BOBBY about the position of the Suzuki Samurai. BOBBY thought that to his best recollection, the Suzuki was in the garage for a while, and he was unsure when STEVEN moved it out of the garage. He stated that he was never in the garage when the Suzuki was parked in the garage and he stated that he could no longer independently recall where the Suzuki was positioned when he left for hunting.

I asked BOBBY DASSEY who his brother, BRENDAN, might confide in and he indicated the only person he could think of was BRENDAN's friend, TRAVIS FABIAN, whose father, ROBERT FABIAN, is a friend of EARL AVERY.

I asked BOBBY if he could recall the burn barrel in front of STEVEN's residence burning when he left for hunting, and he stated he could not independently recall this. Agent SASSE asked BOBBY DASSEY if he could ever recall STEVEN AVERY shooting a .22 at the burn barrel or anything else in the immediate vicinity of STEVEN AVERY's residence. BOBBY indicated he could not recall anything like this except for one occasion. SASSE asked DASSEY if he could recall STEVEN AVERY in possession of a buck knife or a leatherman and BOBBY DASSEY could not recall that.

BOBBY DASSEY indicated that he doesn't recall BRENDAN or STEVEN acting any differently after the October 31st. incident. He further indicated he could not recall any sort of injury to STEVEN's arms or hands on October 31st.

Investigation continues.

A poster wrote the following on the MaM subreddit two years ago:
Most people that get murdered know their killers. It doesn't have to be dramatic to the everyday onlooker or to someone on the outside looking in -- but in the killer's mind, something just sets them off. It could be the smallest of things, the straw that breaks the camel's back, or something in and of itself, that just quickly escalates into a furious rage.

I am really, really bothered by the Halloween party timeline. No one is really talking much about it -- but what happened in the few days prior to her disappearance (i.e. the Halloween party or parties she attended and who saw her, etc.) is not being discussed.

I know how passions and jealousies flare up between ex-bfs and ex-gfs around Halloween when you're in your 20's, because you usually go with a date and/or dress up.

I can see someone who's been pushed to the edge of powerlessness losing their sense of identity, and much more importantly, losing their grasp on the value of the life behind the face of someone he or she is obsessed with. That face, for that fleeting moment of rage, becomes a mask that can be wiped away. When reality sets back in, blood is on their hands.
The last time RyanH ever saw Teresa alive:

At Avery's trial, in 2007, RyanH testified that he remembered Teresa was sitting at her computer when they last talked, but he couldn't say whether it was morning, afternoon, or night. RyanH testified that his last conversation with Teresa was "about the cowgirl outfit she planned to wear on Halloween night."

A year earlier, in 2006, RyanH told a reporter from Milwaukee Magazine that the last time he saw Teresa she was dressed as a cowgirl.

Were there Halloween parties on both 10/29 and 10/31? Did Aubrey Wygralak see Teresa on 10/31 at a Halloween party, where she was dressed as a cowgirl, or was it 10/29, or was it both? Did the Herald Times Reporter misreport the day as 10/21 and it actually was 10/31 when Aubrey last saw Teresa, dressed as a cowgirl for Halloween?
"Wygralak last saw her at a Halloween party Oct. 21, which Halbach attended dressed as a cowgirl, and she planned to see her Saturday when the two were to throw a surprise party for two friends in Green Bay. Instead, Wygralak spent the day helping friends search for some sign of Halbach. [Herald News Reporter, November 9, 2005] 





Newsweek reported in March 2016:
Zellner says there are many glaring examples of investigators failing to look past Avery at other suspects. For example, two days before her murder, about 15 minutes before midnight, Halbach made two calls to a phone number that belonged to a man recently charged with sex crimes in Arizona, records show. "A well-trained investigator, they’d be all over that. And they would have gone and talked to [that man], and they would have interviewed these other people that she’s talking to right before her death," Zellner says. "She’s like prey being stalked, and that’s [the most likely type of] person who would have been after her."

If Ryan Hillegas did it, it seems the trigger probably was the very fact that Teresa was supposed to be going to a party, dressed as a cowgirl. Also, her roommate Scott mentioned she might have met some guy recently, and Scott surely shared this with Ryan.
Teresa Halbach was at a private home in Green Bay for a family portrait at 4 PM on Saturday, 10/29/2005, per CASO dispatch call on 11/9.
Teresa was in her studio on 10/29, per Tom Pearce. Teresa may have gone to her studio in Green Bay before or after this photo shoot.



In Mike Halbach's testimony (page 188) he says Teresa helped him on his first wedding video job on 10/29.

MikeH said the 10/29 wedding was a friend's wedding.

MikeH testified that the wedding was in the "early evening" of  10/29, and that Teresa would have attended the Halloween party "later on in the night."

Did Teresa Halbach bump into Chris McKenna at the 10/29 wedding (the teacher and girls track coach who moved from Wisconsin to Arizona around 2008, and who currently is incarcerated in Arizona for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student).

Did Teresa (Hilbert High School class of 1998) bump into ChrisM (Hilbert High School class of 1996) at the 10/29 wedding, and did this result in her late night calls to him on 10/29?

There was a rumor about a rumble over Teresa at a Halloween party, which Aubrey Wyralak attended (she is Teresa's friend and the sister-in-law of Alex Quadrini, who called Teresa at 12:31 PM on 11/1 and left a message "regarding a  family picture").

The rumor started with a comment from Linda at Daniel Luke's website, overthrow.us, which he has since taken down, but I saved part of the comment before the website went offline:
Linda September 28, 2016 7:38 am 
I would like to point out that Teresa would be going to this Halloween party with a new guy friend Bradley and MH is the one who made a point to tell this to RH and believe he knew this would make RH furious. It made RH obsessed with it before he even got there. It was said that Bradley was confronted by RH with aggression and RH called him out and wanted to fight him. Actually his anger was really aimed toward Teresa as though Teresa was cheating on him. This of course wouldn’t be true, but not in his head in wouldn’t be. I think RH was so jealous and in a rage to the point of out of control.
It appears from the CASO report that Brad Czech was not at the 10/29 wedding: in his interview with law enforcement on 11/4, he said that the last time he saw Teresa was two weeks earlier, when they met for lunch in Green Bay (pages 45-47 of CASO report).

RyanS started calling Teresa in August 2005, maybe to confirm details of a family wedding for Teresa to photograph and for Mike to videotape on 10/29 (not RyanS's wedding -- he got married in January 2001 -- but another family member -- Ryan's wife was from Sheybogan, where Teresa may have spent the morning and early afternoon of 10/31).

The calls between RyanS and Teresa were:

8/17 Teresa calls RyanS (15:06)
8/31 Teresa calls RyanS (:35)
9/1 Teresa calls RyanS (:46)
10/7 RyanS called Teresa (:49)
10/7 Teresa returned RyanS's call (:21)
10/10 RyanS calls Teresa (:46)
10/10 Teresa returns RyanS's call (8:40)
10/25 Teresa calls RyanS (1:45)
10/27 Teresa calls RyanS (:40)

RyanS's family owns and runs a farm in Hilbert, just like the Halbach family.

One of TimH's law partners is TroyS, who is RyanS's brother.



RyanS (who Teresa talked to about 10 times in the three months leading up to the wedding) and ChrisM were in the same class at Hilbert High School (class of 1996). Tim Halbach also may have been in HHS class of 1996.

TimH was/is facebook friends with ChrisM's brother Matthew, who is two years older than ChrisM, RyanS and TimH.

Teresa and RyanH (class of 1998) went to Hilbert High School with ChrisM and RyanS, although ChrisM and RyanS (class of 1996) were two years ahead of them. Teresa, RyanH and ChrisM were student athletes.

RyanH and ChrisM also went to the same college (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh) and attended a few of the same years.

So there are connections between the Halbach family and the families of ChrisM and RyanS, and there are connections between RyanH and ChrisM.

RyanS, ChrisM, and TimH (and others from HHS) very well could have been guests at the wedding on 10/29, the wedding of a friend that Teresa photographed and MikeH videotaped.

Around 9:30 PM on 10/29, Teresa called her brother Tim, maybe to ask him for ChrisM's number.

Teresa called ChrisM twice on 10/29, just before midnight, per the Cingular report entered into evidence.

Did something happen at the wedding or Halloween party on 10/29 that created tension between Teresa and RyanH?

Was RyanH at the wedding on 10/29 or did he hear about it from others?

Was RyanH at the Halloween party on 10/29 or did he hear about it from others?

The following are RyanH's phone calls on 10/29 (he was up late the night before, Friday 10/28, and was making calls into the early morning hours of Saturday 10/29):

10/29 1:53 AM, Appleton, 2199, duration 1-2 minutes
10/29 3:18 AM, Oshkosh, 0386, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 3:21 AM, Fond Du Lac, 4189, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 11:38 AM, Oshkosh, 0386, duration 1-2 minutes
10/29 11:42 AM, Appleton, 9125, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 11:47 AM, Incoming, 0386, duration 1-2 minutes
10/29 12:07 PM, Appleton, 2199, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 12:08 PM, Stevens Pt, 6760, duration 11-12 minutes
10/29 1:32 PM, Appleton, 2199, duration 4-5 minutes
10/29 1:37 PM, Appleton, Sister or Brother-in-law, duration 4-5 minutes
10/29 2:39 PM, Incoming, ScottB, duration 6-7 minutes
10/29 2:54 PM, Incoming, 2632, duration 4-5 minutes
10/29 4:54 PM, Oshkosh, 0386, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 4:55 PM, Oshkosh, 0386, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 4:56 PM, Incoming, 0386, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 5:12 PM, Incoming, 2199, duration 2-3 minutes
10/29 6:44 PM, Appleton, 2199, duration 1-2 minutes
10/29 8:10 PM, Appleton, 2199, duation 2-3 minutes
10/29 8:24 PM, Appleton, 2199, duration less than 1 minute
10/29 8:25 PM, Incoming, 2199, duration 1-2 minutes
10/29 11:48 PM, Appleton, Sister or Brother-in-law, duration 1-2 minutes

The next day, the last day RyanH claims to have seen Teresa, he had very little phone activity:

10/30 1:26 PM, ScottB, duration less than 1 minute
10/30 1:35 PM, Incoming, ScottB, duration 1-2 minutes
10/30 3:30 PM, Kaukauna, 6810, duration less than 1 minute

Teresa's roommate and RyanH's good friend, Scott Bloedorn (Scott also went to HHS, class of 1998, where he too was a student athlete), told Wiegert that the "last time he talked to Teresa was around 2 PM on Sunday 10/30."

The 911 call placed by Karen Halbach at 2:52 PM on November 3, 2005, was requested in March 2018 by FOIA. Click here for the audio and transcript. Karen told the dispatcher that Teresa's roommate Scott Bloedorn saw Teresa at home on Monday, October 31, 2005. Therefore, either Scott lied or Wiegert's report was falsified.

Did RyanH find out that Teresa had hooked up with ChrisM over the weekend (Teresa called ChrisM twice just before midnight on 10/29)?

Could ChrisM be the "new guy" that Teresa met over the weekend, a possibility that ScottB mentioned to Wiegert?
I asked SCOTT if TERESA had a boyfriend to which SCOTT stated she did not. SCOTT has lived with TERESA for approximately eight or nine months. He did state to me he does not remember TERESA ever being gone overright; and her not being there since Monday, is very out of character for her. He also stated he noticed on Tuesday TERESA's truck was also not anywhere to be found at the house. I asked SCOTT what he thinks might have happened to which SCOTT states he really does not know, he just knows that this is out of character. He was thinking that maybe she had met a guy when she was out over the weekend; however, she did not mention that when he last spoke with her. SCOTT did tell me that he was aware that on Saturday night, TERESA had been at a Halloween party in Green Bay. He also stated TERESA hangs out in Green Bay a lot and has a lot of friends from Green Bay.
Teresa discussed the 10/29 Halloween party with ScottB sometime prior to 2 PM on 10/30, per the CASO report.
SCOTT states he had talked to TERESA last on Sunday afternoon, 10/30/05, at about 2:00 p.m. I asked him what they had talked about, to which SCOTT stated they talked about the Halloween parties they had both attended over the weekend. I asked SCOTT if she had talked about what she was going to be doing on Halloween, the 31st, to which SCOTT stated she did not mention anything to him. SCOTT states they are just roommates and they do not check in with each other and only talk if they happen to meet each other in the house. He states they basically both live their own lives out of that house.
What part of his conversation with Teresa about "parties over the weekend" did ScottB share with RyanH?

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Federal Judge Overturns Brendan Dassey's 2007 Conviction; Wisconsin's Attorney General Files Appeal to Prevent His Release

Reason TV's Justin Monticello sat down with Jerry Buting to talk about the Avery and Dassey cases, updates since the documentary series aired, and what the cases reveal about the criminal justice system (video below).


UPDATE 2017: On August 12, 2016, Brendan Dassey's 2007 conviction was overturned by federal judge William E. Duffin. The State of Wisconsin appealed the decision. In June 2017, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed 2-to-1 with Duffin's 2016 ruling. The State of Wisconsin appealed the decision. On December 8, 2017, the full seven-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled by a vote of 4-to-3 that Brendan's confession had not been coerced by police investigators, reversing the panel's decision.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin granted Dassey a writ of habeas corpus, arguing that investigators had coerced him into confessing to killing Halbach alongside Steven Avery, his uncle. The judge’s decision ordered Dassey to be released within 90 days unless prosecutors choose to file an appeal.
Duffin wrote that investigators offered the teen false promises that "he had nothing to worry about" while interrogating him without a parent present about the slaying of Teresa Halbach.
"When considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey’s confession involuntary under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments," Duffin wrote.
The decision noted that the confession comprised "the entirety of the case against him on each of... three counts."
A month later, on September 9th, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel filed an appeal of the judge’s decision in Wisconsin federal court, arguing that Dassey’s confession was not, in fact, coerced. Schimel also stated that the Halbach family had been notified of the state's appeal and fully supports its decision.
“We believe the magistrate judge’s decision that Brendan Dassey’s confession was coerced by investigators, and that no reasonable court could have concluded otherwise, is wrong on the facts and wrong on the law,” Schimel wrote in a news release. “Two state courts carefully examined the evidence and properly concluded that Brendan Dassey’s confession to sexually assaulting and murdering Teresa Halbach with his uncle, Steven Avery, was voluntary, and the investigators did not use constitutionally impermissible tactics.”

Dassey was the object of an exoneration campaign long before the December 2015 Netflix release of the docu-series, Making A Murderer. A Northwestern professor who has served as one of Dassey’s lawyers told a local NBC affiliate that he and his team investigated the case for a full two years before filing an appeal in 2010, then a habeas corpus petition in 2014. Still, it seems no coincidence that the crusade found success only after Making a Murderer hit Netflix and almost immediately renewed public interest in the case—much as convicted murderer Adnan Syed was granted a new trial this past June, two years after Sarah Koenig’s Serial podcast made him a household name. 

Brandon's lawyers argued that their client, who was only 16 at the time (he's 26 now), was coerced to confess a crime he didn't commit when he was questioned by the Manitowoc County Police Department without a lawyer present.

At the time the conviction was overturned, Brandon's lawyer said that his family "is grateful, in shock, trying to process this."
"This is right, this is justice," Dassey's lawyer, Laura Nirider, told ABC News on Friday. "We are over the moon. We were notified by email and I read this decision on my phone … 91 pages, unbelievable."
Making a Murderer filmmakers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi also reacted in a statement:
"Today there was a major development for the subjects in our story and this recent news shows the criminal justice system at work," they said. "As we have done for the past 10 years, we will continue to document the story as it unfolds, and follow it wherever it may lead."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Diedrich tweeted that the judge cited Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of supportive adult as to what rendered his confession involuntary.
"The investigators repeatedly claimed to already know what happened on October 31 and assured Dassey that he had nothing to worry about," Judge William E. Duffin wrote in a 91-page court order, according to The New York Times. "These repeated false promises, when considered in conjunction with all relevant factors, most especially Dassey's age, intellectual deficits, and the absence of a supportive adult, rendered Dassey's confession involuntary under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments."
Via WBAY-TV:

Brendan’s appeal consisted of two arguments: that his confession was illegally obtained, and that Kachinsky “breached his duty of loyalty by working with the prosecution to secure Brendan’s conviction.”

While the judge ruled that he could not overturn Dassey’s conviction based on Kachinsky’s behavior, his 91-page decision stated that “Kachinsky’s misconduct was indefensible.” Specifically, the judge determined his “conduct was inexcusable both tactically and ethically. It is one thing for an attorney to point out to a client how deep of a hole the client is in. But to assist the prosecution in digging that hole deeper is an affront to the principles of justice that underlie a defense attorney’s vital role in the adversarial system.”
Here are just a few of the complaints made against Kachinsky (and his assistant Michael O’Kelly) in the writ of habeas corpus from Dassey’s lawyers:
  • Over email, Kachinsky and O’Kelly agreed that O’Kelly would interrogate Brendan on May 12, 2006 – the same day on which Kachinsky expected to (and did) lose his motion to suppress Brendan’s March 1st confession – because the blow of loss would render Brendan more vulnerable.
  • Kachinsky canceled a scheduled visit with Brendan to make Brendan feel more “alone” for the O’Kelly interrogation.
  • Previously, O’Kelly had sent an email to Kachinsky stating that Brendan’s family was “truly where the devil resides in comfort. I can find no good in any member. These people are pure evil…A friend of mine suggested: 'This is a one branch family tree. Cut this tree down. We need to end the gene pool here.' ”
  • The same day the judge denied the motion to suppress the March 1st confession, O’Kelly falsely told Brendan that he had failed a polygraph test.
  • After O’Kelly got the written “confession” from Brendan on May 12th, he called Kachinsky, who immediately arranged for Brendan to undergo a second uncounseled police interrogation the very next day.
  • Most of the above actions by Kachinsky and O’Kelly were not discovered until Brendan’s post-conviction evidentiary hearing.
Brendan’s uncle Steven Avery was convicted in a separate trial for the same crime and is currently serving life in prison without parole. Avery’s appeal lawyer and wrongful conviction specialist Kathleen Zellner seemed confident that something similar was coming for her client as well:
Zellner recently filed a request to retest evidence used in the trial against Avery in order to prove that local investigators planted evidence. She has also said new, "crucial" witnesses have come forward.
Members of Avery’s family were actually visiting him in prison when word came that Brendan's conviction was overturned. His cousin Carla Chase told WBAY-TV:
“He was kind of stunned because he can’t believe that it actually came through. He was in a little disbelief. He didn’t believe that it actually came through and it’s like yes, it came through everywhere, it’s news and all.”
Zellner also saw Avery that day and told WISN News:
“We fully expected this outcome from an unbiased court that carefully examined his confession. I was just visiting Steven Avery, and he is so happy for Brendan. We know when an unbiased court reviews all of the new evidence we have, Steven will have his conviction overturned as well.”
The Sly Attempt by Halbach's Family and Attorneys to Prevent Avery from Having ANY Form of Defense (Public or Paid)
By Nexious, TickTockManitowoc

I have been heavily researching some of the more obscure side-stories of the Halbach case. One of which is the timing and motive behind a civil lawsuit filed against Avery by Halbach's lawyer brother a year before Avery was tried criminally and the day after he settled the Manitowoc civil case.

This Halbach civil case and the motions by their attorneys had all the earmarks to prohibit Avery from any effective counsel for his criminal case; he was barred from getting a public defender, and the Halbachs attempted to freeze all of his available funds used for Strang and Buting's legal work. Below I will summarize these events with details taken from local sources:

On February 15, 2006, Steven Avery settled the civil lawsuit with the county for $400,000. $160,000 of this was held by the judge to cover legal costs, so Avery was left with $240,000. Effective immediately, the court disallowed Avery from having a public defender for the criminal case (formerly Erik Loy) due to his financial status.

On February 16, 2006, the very next day, Teresa Halbach's brother/attorney Tim (who was named president of the Calumet County Bar Association in November 2005, and who is currently Circuit Court Commissioner for Calumet County) abruptly filed a civil lawsuit in Calumet County against Avery on behalf of the family seeking an unspecified amount of money. Note that Avery was still a year away from the criminal trial and as such was presumed innocent by the court of law (in theory, at least). Mike Halbach told the media that "the civil suit isn't about money, but about justice" and the brother who filed it said it was "our remedy" for Teresa. Of course, the only possible outcome from any civil lawsuit is exactly that--money.

On February 18, 2006, Steven Avery transferred his available funds to a trust account on retainer for Strang and Buting's legal defense since he no longer qualified for a public defender.  

On March 23, 2006, attorneys for the Halbachs asked the judge to freeze any money that Avery still had remaining from the civil settlement. They also planned a motion to freeze all future earnings of Avery as well until after their case concluded (i.e., long after the criminal trial concluded). The attorney for Halbach even admitted that this request to freeze all of a person's funds in a civil case "is not typical, but it is certainly justifiable in this case." At Avery's request, the civil case was allowed to move to Manitowoc County.

On March 24, 2006, Judge Willis (the judge in the criminal case) recused himself from this civil lawsuit. He was replaced with Judge Deets.  

On May 23, 2006, the Halbach family called Avery's transfer of funds to the trust account held by Strang "illegal" since it wouldn't allow them to collect money if they'd win the civil case. The Halbach attorney proclaimed: "You cannot transfer all your funds to a nonrefundable retainer when you have a lawsuit against you." By this point, 60% of the available funds had already been exhausted by Avery's legal team, according to Strang.

On June 23, 2006, Judge Deets denyed the Halbach request to freeze these funds, stating: "The timing is suspicious, but it is equally plausible it was based on Avery's receipt of his settlement, his immediate loss of public defender services, and his negotiation to obtain competent substitute counsel just before the Halbach suit was filed."

As you see here, had Judge Deets sided with the Halbachs in this ruling, Steven Avery and, in turn, his defense attorneys, would had been deprived of any funds for the duration of the case. Yet, he also was not allowed to have a public defender due to this settlement as well. This is pretty jarring to me.

At least one astute resident of Green Bay noted this situation at the time and called it out in a letter to the editor of the local Manitowoc paper, quoted below:
Herald Times Reporter
June 1, 2006
Letter to the editor: Legal system is crooked with regards to Avery
What kind of cockeyed legal hocus-pocus is this?
On the one hand, a judge rules that a man no longer qualifies for a public defender, due to the fact that he has funds to defend himself.
Now we have a lawsuit which is trying to prevent those funds from being used for his defense. The lawsuit is based on the pre-jury-trial supposition that Steve Avery is guilty of murder.
Supposedly in the American system of jurisprudence, a man is innocent until proven guilty. But Steve Avery's guilt or innocence has yet to be determined in a court of law.
Such a lawsuit should not even be allowed consideration until after the jury trial has been completed. This is unless, of course, everybody's minds are already made up and the jury trial is nothing more than a big show.
May God help anybody who is ever caught up in a crooked legal system like this.
Below are the subsequent developments of this civil lawsuit:

On October 2, 2007, the Halbach family put their civil suit on hold pending all of the appeals from both Avery and Dassey's criminal trial.

On August 4, 2010, Dean Strang put in a request to withdraw as Avery's attorney in the civil lawsuit (but remain as his acting attorney for one year to give him enough time to find new counsel).

On November 6, 2013, a Sheboygan County judge was appointed to hear the civil case in Manitowoc County, and the case was set to proceed. At the time, neither Avery nor Dassey had any attorneys appointed to represent them in this civil case.

On November 22, 2013, the Halbach family requested voluntary dismissal of their civil lawsuit against Avery and Dassey, "...we feel that at this point in time, the reasons for voluntarily dismissing the case far outweigh the reasons to continue pursuing it...we know that following through on the pursuit of the civil case would likely be a time-consuming, painful experience. We feel that now is the right time to move on from this and to continue to live life like Teresa." Due to litigation still pending in the criminal case with the appeals process, the dismissal motion was put into abeyance (indefinitely suspended).

On April 13, 2015, Steven Avery probed the civil case to see what its status was given the voluntary dismissal request 1.5 years prior.

On June 8, 2015, the Halbach civil case was officially dismissed.