Steven Avery - Updated Sep 2024

Updated On June 3, 2024
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Steven Avery

Steven Avery is a convicted murderer from the United States who has spent several times in prison and custody. Currently, Steven Avery is serving his sentence for the murder, assault, and mutilation of the corpse of Wisconsin-based photographer Teresa Halbach.

Early Life

Steven Avery was born on the 9th of July 1962, in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, the United States. Currently, he is 61 years old and has a birth sign of Cancer. In addition, he holds US citizenship while he belongs to the White-American ethnicity. His full name is Steven Allan Avery and he practices Christianity religion.

The names of his parents are Allan Avery(father) and Dolors Avery(mother). Meanwhile, Steven was the oldest of four siblings, Chuck Avery, Earl Avery, and Bark Avery. His parents had also run a salvage yard in rural Gibson.

Steven Avery

Caption: Steven Avery with his parents (Source: Tyla)

Steven Avery – Education

He attended elementary school because he was a slow learner. Furthermore, it was reported that he has an IQ of 70, implying that he would be unable to function properly.

Crime & Conviction

As he grew older, Steven Avery became more involved with the law, custody, and jail, and by the age of 18, he had already been convicted of burgling a bar with a friend and sentenced to two years in the Manitowoc County Jail. However, he served only 10 months on probation and was ordered to pay restitution.

He was sentenced to prison for animal cruelty in 1982 for burying a cat with his friends, but he was later found guilty and released in August 1983. Soon after, he was sentenced to six years in prison for pointing a gun at his cousin, which he says is a rumour. In July 1985, he was charged with sexual assault and attempted murder after brutally assaulting a woman named Penny Beerntsen while jogging on a Lake Michigan beach.

Steven Avery

Caption: Steven Avery attending the court (Source: The New York Times)

He was eventually found guilty of rape and attempted murder and sentenced to 32 years in prison. There were no appeals heard by higher courts. After serving 18 years in prison, he was found guilty and innocent and exonerated by DNA testing, only to be charged with murder two years later by the Wisconsin Innocence Project. On September 11, 2003, he was released.

After Teresa Halbach, a Wisconsin photographer, went missing on October 31, 2005, with her last known appointment with Avery.  Avery was arrested in November 2005 on charges of murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and mutilation of a corpse. He insisted it was all a set-up, but he was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder. However, his nephew, Brendan Dassey, later admitted to committing the crime in order to help Avery.

Netflix series “Making a Murderer” and continued fighting for trial

Netflix released a documentary series “Making a Murderer” in January 2006. The series is based on the murder trial and its associated issues of Avery and the 2007 conviction of Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey was released. His story was first told in a 2013 Radiolab episode titled “Are You Sure?” Then, in June 2017, Wisconsin prosecutors appealed the decision that Dassy’s confession was coerced.

Eight months later, a panel of seven judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled 4 to 3 in favor of upholding Dassey’s original conviction, ruling that police had obtained Dassey’s confession properly.

Dassey’s legal team, led by former Solicitor General of the United States Seth Waxman, petitioned the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari on February 20, 2018. On June 25, 2018, the petition for certiorari was denied. Avery and his legal team are still fighting for a new trial.

Avery has been imprisoned at the Waupun Correctional Institution since 2012. He also served 5 years in the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel for illegal possession of a fireman.

Net Worth 2024

Currently, he is in prison serving his sentence and fighting for a new trial. According to an online website, his net worth is estimated at around $100,000 to $1 million which he accumulated from the sale of his family’s auto salvage business.

Relationship Status

Steven Avery

Caption: Steven Avery with his ex-wife (Source: E! Online)

In July 1982, Steven Avery married Lori Mathiesen, a single mother. They had three sons, Rachel, Steven, and Will, as well as a daughter, Jenny. Because of Avery’s criminal history, the children were bullied at school. However, the couple divorced in 1988.

Body Measurements

Avery stands 6 feet tall (185 cm) and weighs around 98 kg (216 lbs). Meanwhile, he has a pair of blue eyes with light brown hair colour.

Social Media

Currently, he is spending his sentence in prison and is not active on any kind of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.