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Dennis Dechaine case
PEllis: ←Created page with 'On March 18, 1989, thirty-one-year-old Dennis Dechaine of Bowdoinham, Maine was convicted for the 1988 murder of twelve-year-old Sarah Cherry, who was abduct...'
On March 18, 1989, thirty-one-year-old Dennis Dechaine of [[Bowdoinham, Maine]] was convicted for the 1988 murder of twelve-year-old Sarah Cherry, who was abducted, tortured and found in a wooded area. He was sentenced to [[life imprisonment]] without the possibility of parole. Dechaine has filed a number of appeals, maintaining that he is innocent. However, he remains incarcerated at [[Maine State Prison]] in [[Warren, Maine]]. This case is considered by many to be the most infamous crime in the state of [[Maine]].<ref></ref><ref></ref>
==Murder==
On July 6, 1988, twelve-year-old Sarah Cherry was abducted while babysitting at a home in a rural part in Bowdoinham, Maine. A couple of items were left at the driveway of the house (the abduction scene) that linked Dennis Dechaine, a thirty-one-year-old farmer, to the crime, such as an estimate with his name on it. Several says later, Cherry's body was found hidden in a wooded area. She had been raped with sticks, stabbed, bound with rope, and then strangled with a scarf, with both items coming from Dechaine's truck. However, Dechaine claims that the items from his truck were taken from the actual perpetrator, and were planted in order to frame him. Dechaine's account of that day was that he left his farm and drove to the woods to do drugs, getting lost in the process. After which, he came across an elderly couple, and then eventually flagged down a police car.<ref name="dechaine"></ref>
During questioning from the authorities, Dechaine lied about going fishing, his employment, and residence. According to Dechaine, he lied due to his use of illegal drugs. Dechaine's red [[Toyota]] pickup truck was found approximately 450 feet from where Cherry's body was found. Forensic analysis was did not recover any evidence that Cherry had been in the truck, nor did a [[Tracking (dog)|tracking dog]].<ref name="dechaine"/>
==Conviction and appeals==
Dechaine was charged with murder, and the case went to trial in March 1989. On March 18, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<ref> </ref><ref> </ref>
Since his conviction, Dechaine has filed numerous appeals for a new trial, citing that male DNA under Sarah Cherry's fingernails did not match Dechaine.<ref></ref> In 2015, the [[Maine Supreme Judicial Court]] denied Dechaine's appeal for a new trial. The appeal argued that the DNA evidence, which was not available at Dechaine's trial, implicated someone else.<ref></ref>
In 2016, Dechaine's appeal for a new trial was denied by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]].<ref></ref>
==Coverage==
Dechaine's case was featured on the television program, [[The Investigators (2000 TV series)|The Investigators]], in 2005, which was entitled "The Wrong Man? Dennis Dechaine: Lost in the Woods."<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
In 2012, a documentary was released about this case, entitled "Murder in America: The Sarah Cherry Story", which premiered on January 11.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
A book was released by James P. Moore on Dechaine's case in 2002, entitled "Human sacrifice: On the Altar of Injustice."<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
This case helped inspire the novel "Death at Breakfast" that was released in 2016 by Beth Gutcheon.<ref></ref>
==References==
[[Category:1988 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Crimes in Maine]]
[[Category:1988 in Maine]]
[[Category:Murdered American children]]
[[Category:People murdered in Maine]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in the United States]]
==Murder==
On July 6, 1988, twelve-year-old Sarah Cherry was abducted while babysitting at a home in a rural part in Bowdoinham, Maine. A couple of items were left at the driveway of the house (the abduction scene) that linked Dennis Dechaine, a thirty-one-year-old farmer, to the crime, such as an estimate with his name on it. Several says later, Cherry's body was found hidden in a wooded area. She had been raped with sticks, stabbed, bound with rope, and then strangled with a scarf, with both items coming from Dechaine's truck. However, Dechaine claims that the items from his truck were taken from the actual perpetrator, and were planted in order to frame him. Dechaine's account of that day was that he left his farm and drove to the woods to do drugs, getting lost in the process. After which, he came across an elderly couple, and then eventually flagged down a police car.<ref name="dechaine"></ref>
During questioning from the authorities, Dechaine lied about going fishing, his employment, and residence. According to Dechaine, he lied due to his use of illegal drugs. Dechaine's red [[Toyota]] pickup truck was found approximately 450 feet from where Cherry's body was found. Forensic analysis was did not recover any evidence that Cherry had been in the truck, nor did a [[Tracking (dog)|tracking dog]].<ref name="dechaine"/>
==Conviction and appeals==
Dechaine was charged with murder, and the case went to trial in March 1989. On March 18, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<ref> </ref><ref> </ref>
Since his conviction, Dechaine has filed numerous appeals for a new trial, citing that male DNA under Sarah Cherry's fingernails did not match Dechaine.<ref></ref> In 2015, the [[Maine Supreme Judicial Court]] denied Dechaine's appeal for a new trial. The appeal argued that the DNA evidence, which was not available at Dechaine's trial, implicated someone else.<ref></ref>
In 2016, Dechaine's appeal for a new trial was denied by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]].<ref></ref>
==Coverage==
Dechaine's case was featured on the television program, [[The Investigators (2000 TV series)|The Investigators]], in 2005, which was entitled "The Wrong Man? Dennis Dechaine: Lost in the Woods."<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
In 2012, a documentary was released about this case, entitled "Murder in America: The Sarah Cherry Story", which premiered on January 11.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
A book was released by James P. Moore on Dechaine's case in 2002, entitled "Human sacrifice: On the Altar of Injustice."<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
This case helped inspire the novel "Death at Breakfast" that was released in 2016 by Beth Gutcheon.<ref></ref>
==References==
[[Category:1988 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Crimes in Maine]]
[[Category:1988 in Maine]]
[[Category:Murdered American children]]
[[Category:People murdered in Maine]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in the United States]]
March 09, 2018 at 02:45PM
