Tom Kertscher

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Reporters descended on the Manitowoc County Courthouse in anticipation of news in the Steven Avery case, but Wednesday passed without a court filing aimed at overturning his conviction in the murder of Teresa Halbach.

Avery's suburban Chicago lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, is due to make a filing by Monday. It's not clear what new evidence Zellner intends to pursue, but she has indicated a new suspect will emerge in the 2005 slaying of the 25-year-old photographer.

Both Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, were sentenced to life prison terms in the murder. But Dassey's conviction was overturned earlier this month by a federal judge who ruled that his constitutional rights were violated in the way he was interrogated. Dassey is waiting to learn whether the state intends to prosecute him again.

It's worth noting that after Avery's conviction, his appellate attorneys filed a courtmotion in 2009 requesting a new trial. It identified four people they alleged could have committed the murder. Here's a summary.

Bobby Dassey: Brendan's older brother. Bobby testified at Avery's trial that three days after Halbach disappeared, Avery made a comment about disposing of a body, although he said Avery appeared to be joking.The court papers suggested that Bobby, as a way to divert suspicion away from himself, could have invented that story. During his closing argument at Avery's trial, Jerome Buting, one of Steven Avery's lawyers, suggested that Bobby committed the murder.

Scott Tadych: At the time of the murder, he was dating Avery's sister and the Dassey brothers' mother, Barb Janda. The court papers argued that Tadych had given inconsistent statements about his whereabouts, and that his "violent and volatile personality" gave him a motive to kill Halbach.

Charles Avery: Steven Avery's older brother. At the time of the murder, he was the point person in the Avery family auto salvage business and he stated that Steven was innocent of the murder. The court papers argued that Charles had sexually assaulted his wife and "had an aggressive history" with women who came to the salvage yard.

Earl Avery: Steven Avery's younger brother. Halbach's second cousin, Pamela Sturm, testified that Earl Avery had given her permission to search the salvage yard after Halbach was discovered missing. Sturm, who found Halbach's Toyota RAV4 on the property, said Earl told her he sympathized with Halbach’s parents "because we lost a nephew a year ago." The court papers argued that Earl had been charged with sexual assault.

The court filing argued that Avery's brothers could have planted evidence against Steven.

The Daily Beast did a deeper dive into the court filing naming the other possible suspects.