PORTLAND

A judge who heard testimony about DNA evidence over two days told attorneys on Friday he will review written arguments before deciding whether convicted killer Dennis Dechaine should receive a new trial.

Dechaine has maintained his innocence since he was convicted in the 1988 murder of Sarah Cherry, whose body was found in Bowdoin two days after she went missing while babysitting. Dechaine, a Bowdoinham farmer who was 30 at the time of Cherry’s killing, is seeking a new trial based on DNA evidence obtained from one of Cherry’s fingernails and additional DNA taken from her shirt, bra and scarf.

Dechaine spoke to reporters briefly Friday at the conclusion of the hearing, saying he thinks Judge Carl Bradford “made up his mind in 1988.”

Bradford sentenced him to life in prison, retired in 1998 but remains an active judge.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.