So said Robert Perske last Spring in an interview on Manchester Review. This week the Connecticut State Appellate Court determined that Richard Lapointe deserves a new trial because evidence was suppressed in the first trial. He was not declared innocent, but he has an opportunity for a new trial with ALL the evidence. Robert Perske and George Ducharme, principals in Lapointe's faithful support group – The Friends of Richard Lapointe – were elated at the decision. The group has been working on this for more than 20 years and has been frustrated in numerous appeals until now. Their persistence has paid off big time.
Lapointe was convicted of murdering his wife's grandmother in 1987. He has been in prison since his conviction in 1992. Perske and Ducharme appeared on Manchester Review last Spring to explain the case and their efforts to free Richard. The show can be viewed on You Tube, "Manchester Review: Richard Lapointe, Bogus Conviction or Justice Served."
Last Spring I spoke with Joseph Brooks, retired Captain and head of the MPD Detective division at the time of Richard’s conviction. He disclosed that he never thought Richard would be convicted because his confessions were inconsistent with the facts of the case. He said "As far as I'm concerned it was no confession at all. It was ridiculous. I could not believe that a professional prosecutor and a professional judge would find those confessions valid."
Joe – redemption may be near. As for the Friends of Richard, well done!
