Dechaine backers present petition Case review sought for convicted murderer

AUGUSTA – Supporters of convicted murderer Dennis Dechaine returned Wednesday to the State House to ask for an independent review of his case – despite the existence of an independent panel appointed last fall by the state attorney general.

The group presented more than 1,000 signatures on a petition calling for an independent investigation of the case. That’s in addition to the 5,000 signatures presented in late October.

Dechaine is serving a life prison sentence for the 1988 murder of Sarah Cherry, a 12-year-old baby sitter from Bowdoin.

Maine’s attorney general announced last fall that a retired judge and two prominent lawyers would be reviewing allegations of misconduct in the Dechaine investigation.

Attorney General Steven Rowe said at the time he had no reason to believe that the allegations, which have been raised by Dechaine’s support group Trial and Error, are true. Trial and Error organized Wednesday’s State House gathering.

But James Moore, author of a book that also raises questions about the investigation of Cherry’s death and Dechaine’s trial, said Wednesday the petitions by Dechaine’s supporters seek a broader review that looks beyond allegations of misconduct.

The Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday it would have no comment on the petitions.

The Legislature in 2003 passed an order, which opened investigatory files of the Dechaine case to the public. In requesting a new trial, Dechaine cites test results showing the presence of DNA from an unknown male under the victim’s fingernails.