Trial and Error

Sep 26, 2012

September

This past Monday evening Susan Sharon of Maine Public Broadcasting, after speaking with Dennis’s attorney, Steve Peterson, broke the story about the latest DNA findings.

On Tuesday reporter Ann Kim’s story appeared in the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel The link of her story also appears at the bottom of this newsletter.

To review where the case stood before this development, please read the text of the handout we circulated at our booth last weekend at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine: DNA and the Dechaine Case — An Update. The link appears below.

As has been the case over the many years that we have had a booth at the fair, it attracted many supporters and also people (usually from out of state) who wanted to find out about the case. While the occasional critic stops to give us a piece of his or her mind, every year there are fewer. A man from Bowdoin who stopped by this year to tell us that he believed that Dennis must be guilty ended up, after a friendly chat, buying a copy of Human Sacrifice and saying that he looked forward to being convinced that Dennis was in fact innocent. Volunteer Sheila Ford wrote: “Cathy [Allard] and I had a very positive experience Sunday morning. We had mostly women stopping by and no negative feedback, aside from the frustration people feel because Dennis is still in prison. Many assumed his last chance was over and done with and were pleased to hear that wasn’t the case.”

We are, of course, very excited and encouraged by the recent developments, and we will keep you informed. The fundraising effort we began in June is ongoing, and has been very successful. We thank all who made contributions, large or small. We could not have kept up this fight over these many years without the help of loyal and generous friends.

Trial & Error Board of Directors

Carol Waltman, President
Bill Bunting, Vice-President
Don Dechaine
Bernie Huebner
Nancy Farrin
Bob MacLaughlin
Genie Nakell
Steve Sandau

Ann Kim’s news piece from the Portland Press Herald, Sept. 25, 2012…

Male DNA found on girl’s clothing in Dechaine case