Manitowoc County Interrogation of Brendan Dassey ‑ Before the Shot
This article covers the interrogation of Brendan Dassey at the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department. The interrogation was conducted by Calumet County Investigator Mark Wiegert and Wisconsin Special Agent Tom Fassbender. The point of this interrogation was to justify a search warrant that was already prepared. This was the third recorded interrogation of Brendan by these two investigators.
It seems odd to generate a warrant before anticipated results from an interrogation. The focus and guidance of the interrogators were to place murder victim Teresa Halbach’s SUV in the Steven Avery garage; place Halbach in the Avery home; and obtain a statement about the shooting of Halbach.
Steven Avery had been charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach, who was last seen on 31 October, 2005. The evidence against Avery was problematic. Plus two items of evidence were apparently ignored by law enforcement and crime lab technicians. One was the fact that the hood latch had to be used to disconnect the battery cables of the Halbach SUV. Presumably, no one checked the latch for evidence. The other was a skull fragment from the Avery burn pit that showed a gunshot. The previous searches of the Avery garage had only produced shell casings. The State needed a reason to look for new evidence.
At each escalation of this interrogation, one of the investigators told Dassey what they wanted to hear either through leading questions or direct statements. It was not always easy for Brendan to guess their intent, and more guidance was sometimes needed.
This article encompasses only the portion of the interrogation that began in an interrogation room at the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department to the point where Investigator Wiegert tells Dassey that Halbach was shot. While the investigators were fishing for the statement of the shooting, Dassey responded with a bizarre series of guesses that altered the momentum of the interrogation.
The interrogation began soon after arrival at the Sheriff’s Department. Dassey was placed in a room with a video camera. He was sat on a love seat, and the room camera was focused in this area. Initially, Dassey appeared, naturally, somewhat ill at ease. However, he does not appear to worried about making incriminating statements.
The feet of Investigator Mark Wiegert were visible. Later Wiegert moved into view when he turned into a buddy. Special Agent Fassbender is not visible. For all we know, Fassbender can be holding cue cards or photographs. We cannot see his facial expressions or body movements. This is a badly designed room. The two investigators testified this was a soft room used for interviews rather than an interrogation room. But, as in the two prior sessions, the interrogation activity began immediately.
Investigators began as before with long monologs. Fassbender told Dassey that things were bothering him and he had to come clean. Fassbender also stated that things would be easier for Dassey if he came clean. Wiegert added the claim that honesty would set Brendan free and they would stand behind Brendan “no matter what.” The investigators bounced back and forth with their statements. Between them they had eleven speeches and statements before they asked Dassey to recount the events of 31 October, 2005.
Dassey started by telling them that Avery had poked a hole in a radiator. He said Avery asked him to help move his car and Dassey went over to the Avery garage “a little bit.” Wiegert interrupted almost immediately to clarify times. Then he insisted that Dassey start over.
Dassey started with getting home from school and walking home, he saw Teresa Halbach and Steven Avery talking.
As Dassey recounted helping with Avery’s Monte, Fassbender interrupted to ask, “What about the fire.” Dassey said it wasn’t started. Dassey is also instructed that he doesn’t remember when Dassey stated that Avery was dressed in red shorts and a white shirt.
Here, Fassbender interrupted with another speech. He stated that Dassey will not be allowed to proceed with his account. Fassbender stated the bonfire was already going. Investigators did not believe a Monte was in Avery’s garage. Fassbender went on to tell Dassey that during his interrogation at the Fox Hill Resort, Dassey said a spot in the Avery garage floor was red and might be blood (it wasn’t). Fassbender allowed that Dassey could have gone to the Avery garage at 6:30.
This was followed by seven statements from Wiegert and Fassbender telling Dassey to be honest. They alternated in giving Dassey the repetitive statements.
Dassey then stated specifically that he went to the Avery Garage at 6:30 and the fire was already burning. He said the “jeep” was in the garage. It was the Suzuki. This was not acceptable to the interrogators. They told Dassey that he has it wrong and asked whose jeep was in the Garage.
When Dassey answered, “Her jeep,” he had an instant reward. Fassbender replied, “That’s right.”
Fassbender next told Dassey that he and Avery had planned the events that morning before Dassey left for school. Dassey agreed. Now, whether a teenager has time for a planning session for rape and murder before school is stretch, but this was apparently part of the needs of the interrogators. According to Fassbender, Dassey hadn’t responded to a telephone call from Avery, but was following the plan. Dassey agreed with the Fassbender claims.
These two investigators pressed on to the SUV. Dassey said the garage door was open. They wanted to know whose “truck” was in the garage. Dassey was answering a previous question about going over to Avery’s garage. Again, he was interrupted about whose “truck.” This time three separate statements were made by the investigators. Dassey responded with “Oh, the truck.” Fassbender said “yeah.” Dassey responded with “Her jeep.”
Dassey supplied information that he had seen a knife and some rope and that Halbach was in the back of the “jeep” clothed, covered with a blanket, tied up, and dead. When asked about blood on Avery, Dassey said Avery had blood on his finger. After more prodding Dassey said there was blood on the garage floor and Avery had stabbed Halbach.
When Fassbender suggested that Avery asked for help, contrary to planning in the morning, and Avery went to the Dassey home instead of calling, Dassey agreed.
The next pass through the scenario had Dassey waiting a bit after Steven Avery’s visit then going to garage with the Halbach vehicle inside, but with the garage door open. As before, Dassey had trouble getting the scenario matched to the interrogator’s aims.
When asked about whether Halbach was dressed, Dassey replies, “Sort off.” He stated that she was dressed in a white t‑shirt and pants. Wiegert asked whether it were a button‑up shirt. Dassey replied that it was button‑up and it was black. Again, he was instructed to say he didn’t remember since the shirt color didn’t match nor did the t‑shirt.
When he was walked through the confession again, Dassey now said that the victim was transported on a creeper, she was tied up and had a bleeding “damp” spot in her stomach area. When asked whether her hands were tied, Dassey replied, “I don’t remember.”
Next, the interrogators wanted more information about what Steven Avery had done. Dassey said Avery raped Halbach. When pressed, he said, “I don’t know where he did but.” Dassey said Avery ripped her clothes off, contradicting his earlier statements. He was not told to state he did not remember this time. He said he was not present when the rape and the murder took place.
Wiegert told Dassey, “We already know. We already know. Come on. Be honest with us…” So Brendan begins anew.
This time, he said he was riding his bike and he heard screaming. He heard this as he was bicycling to the mailbox in the opposite direction from the Avery home. His brother Bryan was in the Dassey garage working on a car. Dassey stated his brother did not hear the screaming because a radio was loud. The Halbach SUV was parked by the big trees.
Dassey then went in his house and his mother came home. Later Avery came over and “asked if she (emphasis added) wanted help.”
Fassbender told Dassey that he still didn’t have it right so Dassey tried again. This time, he added more. Apparently, Avery’s mail was in the Dassey mailbox so he took it to Avery’s house. Then he saw Halbach handcuffed to “the thing.” She was naked. She was alive because she was moving around. She was handcuffed by both feet and hands to the bed. Again, Dassey said he heard the screaming when he was near the mailboxes which are not close to Avery’s home. This time, Bryan Dassey was not mentioned.
Fassbender then introduced the bogus notion that Dassey had a video camera in his head, and all he had to do was replay the tape.
Despite the screaming Dassey took the mail to Avery’s home. When Avery answered the door wearing a white shirt with red shorts (This was challenged earlier by investigators, but not now), Avery was sweaty. Dassey stated that Avery had attacked and raped Halbach because Avery had never had sex, so, “He wanted to get some.”
Dassey said Halbach was tied to a bed. Fassbender suggested Halbach was face up and Dassey agreed. Next Wiegert and Fassbender told him that Avery made Dassey do some things, and it was not Dassey’s fault. Dassey said Avery told him to rape Halbach. He took off his clothes and had intercourse for five minutes. Then he put on his clothes and went to the living room to watch television for fifteen minutes. Avery watched television with him.
Interrogators told Dassey he was present when Halbach died. Dassey stated Avery stabbed then choked Halbach. When Dassey says Avery tied up her feet, Fassbender corrects him claiming that Dassey had to help, “Otherwise she’s gonna kick.” Dassey agreed that he helped.
The two were ready to close the deal. They had been able to get Dassey to corroborate most of their vision of the crime. They had a warrant ready to serve, but they needed one item to make the warrant valid. A skull found in Avery’s burn pit had evidence of gunshot. So their next step was to Dassey to say gunshot. Instead, they got some rather bizarre statements.
Wiegert started things with “We know something else was done…Something with her head.” Brendan responded with, “Huh?”
Fassbender peppered Dassey with questions and statements claiming the interrogators knew the answers. Brendan guesses “That he cut off her hair.” This sounds like all Halbach hair was cut off, but the interrogators didn’t flinch. They asked if she were alive when that occurred and Dassey said no. He said the hair was left on a counter and Avery used the knife to remove the hair.
Wiegert asked, “What else?” and Fassbender finished, “What else was done to her head?” Dassey guesses again, “That he punched her.” When the interrogators needed more, telling Dassey he did something, Dassey said he cut her throat before Avery picked her off the bed.
Now Wiegert said, “So, she was alive yet, right?” Dassey agreed. Dassey said he used the same knife that Avery used to stab her.
Wiegert and Fassbender pressed on demanding Dassey tell them something else about Halbach’s head. Dassey responded, “That’s all I can remember.” Contrary to earlier efforts to have Dassey say he couldn’t remember that was not the answer that the interrogators would accept.
Wiegert told Dassey the correct answer when he says, “All right, I’m just going to come out and ask you, who shot her in the head?”
notes:
A transcript of this session is available from
in category Brendan Dassey
