MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Steven Avery’s sentence for killing Teresa Halbach should not be shortened, and the notion is “entirely inappropriate,” according to judge currently assigned to the case.
Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were both sentenced to life in prison for the 2005 murder of the freelance photographer.
Both recently filed for “commutation” of their sentences with Gov. Tony Evers. That process does not overturn convictions or grant new trials, but can result in prison sentences being shortened.
The Commutation Board is not required to address the petitions, and currently does not have either case on an agenda.
Now-retired Judge Patrick Willis presided over Avery’s trial. The case is now assigned to Waushara County Judge Guy Dutcher, who submitted a short statement this week:
This court did not preside over the trial. However, following assignment of this case in November of 2024, this court has reviewed this file. This court has also reviewed the petition seeking sentence commutation and the attached materials. Consideration of the file contents and the application for commutation renders this court to conclude that sentence commutation would be entirely inappropriate,” Judge Dutcher wrote.
Avery, now 64, is serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole. Dassey, now 36, can first ask for parole in 2048. To date, all of their appeals have been denied, and Evers denied Dassey’s request for a pardon in 2019.
Avery is currently at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution, while Dassey is currently at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution, state records show.
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