Dennis Dechaine Will Get His Day in Court

Anyone who has lived in Maine for a while has heard of Dennis Dechaine, who was convicted in 1989 of killing 12-year old Sarah Cherry in the previous year. Especially in the last two years or so, his supporters (he has maintained his innocence the whole time) have been making great strides in obtaining a new trial.

Dechaine himself has granted countless interviews to newspapers, radio stations and television stations. The book Human Sacrifice, published in 2002, details most of his supporters' case.

Now Barry Scheck's Innocence Project has helped open the door to a new trial, through the finding that Cherry had another man's DNA under her fingernails.

Regardless of how anyone feels about Dechaine's guilt or innocence, it seems to me fitting that he have a new trial in which the DNA evidence can be brought to bear. I don't know enough about the case or forensic science to have a strong opinion either way. And then the new trial's results can let everyone get on with their lives.

Peace,

Tor

Categories: Maine, crime, trials