Where Did the Car Key Come From?

An investigation into Ms. Halbach’s death was turned over to the sheriff in neighboring Calumet County, Wis., to avoid suggestions of a conflict of interest, because Manitowoc County officials had helped convict Mr. Avery in an earlier attack that sent him to prison for 18 years. DNA evidence in that case later pointed to a different person. Nonetheless, Manitowoc County remained involved. A Manitowoc County sheriff’s official who had a connection to the earlier case found a key to Ms. Halbach’s car inside Mr. Avery’s home after repeated searches had come up empty.

Prosecutors suggest that the key was shaken loose during a vigorous search. And Sheriff Robert C. Hermann of Manitowoc County says he sees an irony in the implication that his office could have set Mr. Avery up. “The filmmakers suggest that law enforcement rushed in and was too quick to center on Steven Avery, and yet after just 10 hours of video, they’re passing judgment on law enforcement,” Sheriff Hermann said.