By

Chilton — The prosecution phase of Steven Avery's trial ended at the close of Wednesday's court session.

When the trial resumes today, Avery's attorneys can begin calling witnesses in his defense.

Attorneys estimated that the trial would take six weeks. It is now in its fourth week.

In testimony Wednesday, a state arson investigator told jurors that tires burned in a pit behind Avery's home where Teresa Halbach's remains were found would have made any fire there burn hotter.

Rod Pevytoe of the state Division of Criminal Investigation testified that the rubber in tires serves as an accelerant for a fire.

Avery, 44, and his 17-year-old nephew are accused of murdering Halbach, 25, and burning her body on Halloween 2005. The nephew, Brendan Dassey, is scheduled for trial in April.

Pieces of Halbach's bones — identified through DNA — were found in Avery's burn pit, according to earlier testimony.

Bones, metal entwined

Pevytoe told the jury Wednesday that bones found in the burn pit were entwined in the wires left by steel belted radial tires after they were burned.

He said he did not know how that happened, but one possibility was that Halbach's body was burned atop the tires.

Under cross-examination, Pevytoe said another possibility was the remains could have been moved or tossed into the wire mesh of the burned tires.

The arson expert said tires can be used in the same way as crumpled newspaper to get a fire started but they burn with "great intensity for a longer period of time."

According to Pevytoe, investigators also examined a wood boiler and a metal smelter at the salvage yard but found no evidence of anything in them that related to Halbach.

Attorneys for Avery wanted to show jurors a letter mailed anonymously to the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department.

The letter suggested that body parts were burned in the smelter.

Mike Riddle of the State Crime Laboratory said no fingerprints could be recovered from the letter.

Defense attorney Jerome Buting said the letter was more proof that investigators ignored any evidence that didn't fit their theory of what happened to Halbach and Avery's involvement in her death.

"It shows investigative bias," Buting said.

But prosecutors said the accusations in the letter were ignored because by the time investigators received it, the smelter had already been ruled out as having any part of Halbach's death.

Riddle testified that none of Avery's fingerprints was found on Halbach's Toyota.

------------

Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.