Trial and Error

Mainers favor retrial nearly 2-1

In September of 2014, a Portland market research company conducted its semi-annual Critical Insights on Maine Tracking Survey asking questions on a variety of topics of 606 registered Maine voters.  Respondents included both landline and cell phone owners.  Two questions about the Dennis Dechaine case and a possible retrial were included:

—How familiar are you with the case of Dennis Dechaine, the Maine State Prison inmate who claims he is innocent of the 1988 Sarah Cherry murder?

—Do you favor or oppose a new trial for Dennis Dechaine in which a jury could hear all the evidence, including the evidence developed since the original 1989 trial?

Among those at least a little familiar with the case (371 out of the 606 individuals polled) respondents favor a new trial by almost a 2 - 1 margin.  Specifically, 57% favor a retrial, while 29% oppose one, with 14% undecided.