MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — Two men serving life sentences for the murder of Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County have applied to have their sentences reduced, according to court records.
Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey both submitted applications this month to the Governor’s Commutation Advisory Board, which reviews eligible requests for sentence reductions. The board was reinstated earlier this year after being inactive for 25 years, following executive orders signed by Gov. Tony Evers in April.
The commutation board does not issue pardons and only considers requests for sentence reductions.
Avery is serving a life sentence without parole for the 2005 killing of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach. The case gained international attention through the Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer.”
Dassey, Avery’s nephew, was convicted as a co-defendant in the case and has spent about half his life in prison.
Avery is not eligible for parole. Dassey’s earliest parole eligibility date is 2048.
