Re: Making a Murderer (spoilers expected) did Steven Avery do it?
Ok, so I edited a little, based on Shirtless's suggestions:
October 31st: Halbach visits Steve Avery's house, and photographs a van
October 31st - November 1st (possibly the 2nd, but not likely): Halbach's body is burned in 1 of 3 locations, the quarry, the burn barrel, or the fire pit. We have no way of knowing which location was it actually burned, but we know that her remains were found in all 3 locations.
November 1st - ???????: Halbach's cell phone account was accessed by her ex boyfriend
November 1st - ???????: Voicemails are deleted from Halbach's cell phone
November 1st - ???????: Steve Avery is interviewed by local news
November 3rd: Coburn calls in Halbach's RAV4 plate numbers
November 5th: Search party members find the RAV4 at Avery Salvage yard
November 5th - ???????: Calumet and Manitowoc Sheriff depts. search the Avery "compound", after 6 days, find a key to the RAV4 in Steve Avery's trailer, remains are found in the fire pit and burn barrel
?????????: Brendan Dassey is interrogated and "confesses"
?????????: Additional searches at the Avery house turn up a bullet in Steve's garage
Here are a few other items that seem like a sure thing, but I'm not completely sure of:
- At some point, Halbach's body was placed in the back of the RAV4
- The RAV4 key was cleaned completely between the time it was last handled by another person (Halbach, or another) and the time it acquired Steve Avery's DNA
- No large amount of blood could have been spilled, or present inside of the garage, due to there being no blood found in the large cracks in the floor, as it would have been impossible to clean that
- Halbach could not have been killed or attacked while on Steve Avery's bed, as there was no evidence, DNA or other found on the mattress
The story hasn't gotten any clearer for me upon reflection. I even watched a couple of episodes again.
I guess at the end of the day, my theory is this:
She shows up at Avery's to photograph the vehicle.
Either before or after photographing the vehicle she goes in the house or the garage, where Avery essentially subdues her or takes control of her.
She may or may not have been sexually molested.
She is then shot by Avery, using the 22 caliber rifle. No stabbing or slashing of the throat. She is probably shot in the garage, although I'm not sure, and I'm not sure that's relevant. I also don't know that with a 22 caliber rifle you'd have an exit wound or the big blood spatter Avery's lawyers expect or claim. I'm guessing a single hole in her skull, which will bleed, but be pretty well confined to a single area.
Avery loads her into the back of the RAV to take her to the quarry. Too dangerous to just burn her in the yard, with people present in the area. During the trip, Avery's blood gets on the RAV 4 near the ignition, Halbach's in the rear of the RAV 4.
Avery then loads up the burned bones and transports them back to the house. It was probably unexpected to him that the bones did not completely burn up in the fire, so he assumes he has to burn them again, maybe in a hotter fire in the barrel or burn pit.
The bones are dumped into the barrel or burn pit for "finishing." A hot fire is started, which is the fire Dassey testified about.
The RAV 4 has already been parked by Avery in the salvage yard.
After the bones have been burned again, or at some point, Avery "cleans" the key to the RAV 4, resulting in all of Halbach's and Avery's DNA being removed.
At some point between Oct. 31 and the date Avery was kicked out of his house, Avery either touches the key, or perhaps something with his DNA on it, like clothes or socks or something, comes into contact with the key, leaving the faint Avery DNA evidence on the key.
