For the first time we're getting a look at life behind bars for Steven Avery. TODAY'S TMJ4 has obtained prison records that show the man behind bars has many rocky relationships, from his cellmate to his own brother.
Avery spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. In 2007 he was sentenced to life without parole for murdering Teresa Halbach. Avery's case was turned into the documentary Making of a Murderer.
Court documents show Steven Avery accused his brother Earl Avery of killing Halbach. While his brother now stands by him, that wasn't the case two years ago.
- SPECIAL SECTION: The Trials of Steven Avery
Prison documents show in 2014, Earl Avery contacted Waupun Correction Institution to tell them his brother was violating his order not to contact him. The prison had already twice told Steven Avery "to cease any and all contact with Earl Avery."
According to prison documents, Steven had been mailing letters that were threatening in nature to Earl and his ex-wife.
His brother was not the only person close to Avery that did not want contact with him. In September 2015, Steven Avery's cellmate Jason Thomaschaske went repeatedly to prison leaders to asked to be moved away from him.
Thomaschaske wrote to prison leaders that Avery was "disrespectful, a disgusting human being, he never leaves his cell."
He said, "I want to kill this guy."
Supervisors say they did not take this as a threat but as frustration.
According to the documents, Avery was "intentionally doing things to incite" his cellmate. Avery told Thomaschaske, "Go ahead and do something, then I can sue WCI for not protecting me."
Prison supervisors said they were going to move the men into separate cells.
