Associated Press

SHEBOYGAN — A wrongful death lawsuit involving one of Wisconsin's most notorious homicides has been dismissed by a Sheboygan County judge nine years after it was filed.

The civil lawsuit brought by the family of Teresa Halbach was filed against Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey in 2006, seeking unspecified monetary damages. The two were convicted of killing the 25-year-old photographer near Mishicot in 2005.

Halbach's family agreed to put the lawsuit on hold while Avery continued to appeal his conviction. The family's attorney, Patrick Coffey, asked the judge earlier this month to dismiss the lawsuit regardless of Avery's appeal status in the criminal case, WLUK-TV of Green Bay reported. The judge agreed to do so.

Avery, 52, is serving life in prison with no chance of parole. Dassey, 25, will have his first chance for release in 2048.