Trial and Error

The Outcry for Justice in the Dennis Dechaine Case

Trial & Error Newsletter - September, 2016

NEW WEBSITE GOES LIVE

Dear Supporters,

Dennis is still waiting for the federal 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to respond to his second successive habeas application, which he wrote and filed pro se, i.e., by and for himself.  (A habeas corpus appeal asks the federal court to "bring me the body," or in simpler language, if successful, is a federal court order that forces the prisoner's jailer to allow him or her to appear in federal court to appeal a miscarriage of justice.  If denied, there is no right to appeal the denial   If the 1st Circuit grants his application, Dennis will be allowed to present his claims in a federal district court in Maine and request an evidentiary hearing.  Being granted the right to proceed on a second successive habeas motion is one of the most difficult hurdles in our judicial system. Please keep Dennis in your thoughts.

The year-long effort to overhaul the Trial and Error website reached fruition on Wednesday, September 14th. The next time you click on www.trialanderrordennis.org, you should be greeted by a new look, streamlined navigation and many new features.

If you haven’t yet read the remarkable three-part investigative series by Courier Publications reporter Jordan Bailey, it’s all there on the new site. So are a Courier editorial and columnist Reade Brower's opinion piece, both calling for a review of Dennis’s case. If you scroll down under the DENNIS menu and select As others see him, you'll find some moving testimonials to Dennis’s character by people whose lives he has touched.

Those who like watching videos and TV specials can click on the VIDEO/TV menu to easily access interviews with Dennis and also with forensic expert Dr. Cyril Wecht, both shot by Richard Searls.  There is also The Wrong Man: Lost in the Woods feature aired nationally by Court TV (now Tru TV).  And be sure to look under RETRIAL and, in fact, all the other menus as well.

GOOD AT PROOFING?

Chances are good you will also find some glitches, typos, missing items and links that don’t link. If you think they need to be addressed, or if you have suggestions for other revisions, please email board member Bob MacLaughlin directly at . And please put “T&E WEBSITE FEEDBACK” in the subject line so your comments don’t end up in a black hole.

Huge thanks to Matt Hunt, owner of A2Z Computing in Oakland, for many late nights spent building the new site while, at the same time, trying to keep hackers away from the old one. Matt’s skill and commitment to doing things right are helping us take another step toward freedom for Dennis. He is also hosting the site, arming it with protective software and regularly monitoring it for problems and mischief. He is a true professional offering a full range of services. If you need cyber help, Matt Hunt’s your guy.

FAIRS AND FUNDRAISING

If you go to this year’s Common Ground Country Fair in Unity (September 23rd, 24th and 25th), please stop by our Trial and Error booth in the Social and Political Action Tent.

One of the things we’ll be doing at the fair is accepting donations to fund Dennis's appeal to the Federal Courts if his application is accepted. The are also ongoing expenses of maintaining the website. Of course, you can donate directly online via credit card or PayPal at http://www.trialanderrordennis.org/index.php/how-to-help or snail-mail a check to Trial and Error, P.O. Box 153, Madawaska, Maine 04756.  Contributions are tax-deductible.

And thanks for continuing to support the effort to right the wrongful conviction of Dennis Dechaine.

Sincerely,

Carol Waltman, President
Bill Bunting, Vice-president
Bernie Huebner
Bob MacLaughlin
Steve Sandau
Don Dechaine
Eugenie Nakell
Nancy Farrin

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