LISBON – A Lisbon woman who’s convinced that Dennis Dechaine is innocent of the murder of 12-year-old Sarah Cherry is backing up her belief with cash.

In the past few weeks, Peggy Blanchard has spent $30,000 on Dechaine, who is serving a life sentence at Maine State Prison for the 1988 stabbing and strangulation of the girl from Bowdoin.

Blanchard, a 50-year-old retired nursing assistant whose husband died three years ago, is donating money from the sale of her Freeport home. She said no price is too high for the freedom of someone she believes is innocent.

A month ago, after making initial contact by telephone, Blanchard presented a $10,000 check to Carol Waltman of Trial & Error, the group working to force a new trial for Dechaine.

Blanchard also spent $20,000 on a 2000 GMC pickup truck, which she plans to give to Dechaine when he is released.

And she said she will donate another $10,000 without hesitation, and more after that, if need be.

“Ever since 1988, I have believed Dennis Dechaine is innocent,” she said. “Call it a sixth sense or whatever you’d like. It’s a gut feeling. I have looked into his eyes. I can tell he’s not the man who killed that poor little girl. When he walks out of that courtroom or that jail, there’ll be white limousines. Then he gets the truck.”

The Cherry family maintains that Dechaine supporters are mistaken and misinformed about the facts of the case.