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CHILTON Wis. - Prosecutors have promised that physical evidence will convict Steven Avery by proving that he murdered Teresa Halbach. Several experts helped jurors understand the specifics of the physical evidence Thursday.
Avery's Gun Connected to Halbach's DNA
A state gun expert said he studied Steven Avery's rifle and determined that it matches a bullet fragment found in Avery's garage. That bullet fragment tested positive for Teresa Halbach's DNA. The testimony is essential to the prosecution's case because it connects Avery's gun to Halbach.
Avery's attorneys blasted the ballistics science used to determine the bullet and gun match. They believe that science is becoming irrelevant because guns are mass-produced, making it difficult to say precisely which gun shot a given bullet. Ballistics testing looks at patterns of grooves on a bullet and compares them to the grooves inside the barrel of a gun. The testing began when guns were individually made by hand and there was more variation between the pattern inside gun barrels. The State expert defended his ballistics report in this case.
Cell Phone and Camera Badly Burned
An analyst from the FBI laboratory in Virginia testified that he identified the camera, phone and PDA found in a burn barrel on the Avery property. All of the devices match the models owned by Teresa Halbach. Curtis Thomas studies small electronic devices for the FBI. He said that the items were so badly burned that analysts were not able to recover data or information from them. That means there is no record of the final pictures Teresa Halbach took with her digital camera.
Charred Bones Not Likely Planted
A forensic anthropologist told jurors that it appeared some charred bone fragments were moved from Avery's burn pit to another burn barrel on the property. But more importantly, Leslie Eisenberg said that her analysis shows the body was probably burned first in Avery's burn pit. That conclusion is based on the presence of small dental fragments in the burn pit. She said it appeared that some of the bone fragments were later moved to a burn barrel nearby. That contradicts Avery's theory that the body was burned elsewhere and the bone fragments were planted in his burn pit.
Check back here for updates throughout the day from TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Mick Trevey, live in Chilton.
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BEFORE THE TRIAL:
