Manitowoc, Wis. – A man who served 18 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit was charged Tuesday with murdering a young woman who vanished after going to his salvage yard on a photography assignment.
Investigators searching for 25- year-old Teresa Halbach found charred bone fragments and teeth in a burn pit behind Steven Avery’s garage at the salvage yard, and preliminary tests identified the remains as Halbach’s, authorities said.
Avery was charged with murder and mutilation of a corpse and jailed on $500,000 bail for a preliminary hearing Dec. 6.
Avery, 43, has denied any knowledge of Halbach’s disappearance. He has repeatedly said he is being set up because of his pending $36 million lawsuit against the county for the wrongful conviction.
Halbach, a freelance photographer, disappeared Oct. 31 after going to the Avery family’s auto- salvage business to photograph a minivan that was for sale. Her sport utility vehicle was later found at the salvage yard.
Avery said he saw Halbach that day and paid her $40 in cash, according to court papers.
Avery was convicted of sexual assault in 1985 and was sentenced to 32 years in prison, but he was freed in 2003 after DNA evidence exonerated him.
