Harold and Thelma Swain murders

[LiveByTheSea]

Wasn't this case solved? What was the whole motive anyways?

[kamy]

To my knowledge, this was apparently solved, but it's questionable whether the right man is in prison for it. I had heard (here on the board) that the key peice of evidence (the killers eyeglasses) were lost by the UM cast when they borrowed them to show on the show. Apparently, they could possibly prove the man's innocence, but nothing has happened yet as they can't find them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by kamy

To my knowledge, this was apparently solved, but it's questionable whether the right man is in prison for it. I had heard (here on the board) that the key peice of evidence (the killers eyeglasses) were lost by the UM cast when they borrowed them to show on the show. Apparently, they could possibly prove the man's innocence, but nothing has happened yet as they can't find them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, thats true. Dennis Perry was convicted of the crime but I have my doubts whether he was responsible. I don't think he looked anything like the composite sketch among other things. There was someone else out there who has previously robbed a church (I'm not sure of his name) and I think there's a chance they were the ones responsible.

[kadrmas15]

Well, Dennis Perry was convicted but to be honest I have long had serious doubts as to his guilt and I personally do not believe that he committed these murders. This opinion will not surprise most on here as I am well known pro defense. However even most pro prosecution people disagreed with the verdict in Perry's trial.

It seems to me that the jury convicted Dennis Perry off of literally no real evidence. They ignored his alibi which was on the night of the murders, Dennis Perry was working on a construction job in Atlanta, a 5 and a half to 6 hour drive north of where the murders happened.

Perry was at work until after 5 o'clock that night. Meaning if he wanted to drive back down to Camden County which is on the opposite end of the state on the border with Florida he would have had to flown down there. There was just no way he could get back to Camden County in time considering the time the murders occured and considering Perry didnt get off work in Atlanta until after 5 o'clock in the evening.

The original GBI agent who was interviewed in the UM segment who was investigating the case and had in fact interviewed Dennis Perry early on in this investigation and eliminated him as a suspect for various reasons testified on Perry's behalf at his trial. That GBI agent to this day believes Perry is innocent and was wrongfully convicted.

There was a man who had previously robbed a church in Kansas. This man was later identified although I dont think he ever did time in Kansas due to the statute of limitations having expired. However this man was originally from Camden County, Georgia. I believe this man did do at least one prison stretch for Armed Robbery in either Georgia or Florida.

However it seems that at the trial the jury just couldnt get past the eyewitness saying it was Perry that robbed the church. Yet back in the 80's, Perry who I believe had a mugshot back then was not identified. The problem with when she picked Perry this time was the GBI agent who is on the case now said to her when he showed her Perry's mugshot "this is the guy....right?" When he did that he sealed Perry's fate because she got it in her head that it was perry.

[Allierain]

I am confused. Did Perry not confess to the murder? In the segment I have in tape, it is stated that he did confess....

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by Allierain

I am confused. Did Perry not confess to the murder? In the segment I have in tape, it is stated that he did confess....

Hmm I've never heard that he confessed. I believe he wasn't arrested for the murder until many years later. Maybe someone else here knows more about it.

[kadrmas15]

Perry didnt confess. There was nothing for him to confess to. Perry did take a plea bargain of sorts. After he was found guilty at trial, to spare his life he agreed to waive his appeals in exchange for being spared the death penalty and be given two life sentences with parole eligibility after 14 years. With credit for the time he had already served in jail, perry will be eligible for parole in the year 2014. Perry regrets taking double life and waiving the appals I am sure because it made him look guilty. However he has since filed appeals anyway. It was bad legal advice he received at the time tp waive his appeals in exchange for double life and Perry took it mainly to spare his life.

[marty1980]

The cop who said he was convinced it was a robbery, how did he get his job? The man cut the phone lines and left the money. Witnesses said he was very calm and calculated and he specifically picked out the victim. If he had been trying to steal he would have attacked the first lady he saw. Possibly for racist reasons he knew the town, he knew it was mostly black and he chose the victim probably because he was leading member of the church and spoke freely for black rights. No wonder this took 15 years to solve the police in charge have no clue!

[baloony]

This murder was anything but a robbery. Something else was going on there.

[Hambone2421]

Wait, so the man who was convicted of this may end up being innocent? And how would the glasses prove his innocence?

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

Wait, so the man who was convicted of this may end up being innocent? And how would the glasses prove his innocence?

The eyeglasses were reportedly left at the scene and Perry had impeccable vision and didn't need glasses. He didn't resemble the composite sketch either imo. Here are a few articles about the case:

http://www.brightverge.com/the-murde...swain-in-1985/

http://www.denverpost.com/evidence/ci_6453430

[Hambone2421]

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

The eyeglasses were reportedly left at the scene and Perry had impeccable vision and didn't need glasses. He didn't resemble the composite sketch either imo. Here are a few articles about the case:

http://www.brightverge.com/the-murde...swain-in-1985/

http://www.denverpost.com/evidence/ci_6453430

Thanks!

I just wonder if anyone can prove whether or not the glasses belonged to whoever killed Harold and Thelma Swain. They could have been left there accidentally by anyone.

[RobinW]

Man, reading those links, it sounds like the only reason Perry was convicted was because the mother of his ex-girlfriend had a MAJOR vendetta against him. The only thing that connected Perry to the crime was this woman's insistence he told her daughter that he MIGHT be planning to visit his grandparents' house, which happened to be in the same neighbourhood as the church. But, of course, the fact that Perry was established as being at work six hours away at that time should have been proved she was mistaken yet somehow this woman's testimony was considered unreliable. Even if she was correct, that's hardly evidence which places Perry at the scene of the murders. What a sham this investigation was!

[Hambone2421]

Originally Posted by RobinW

Man, reading those links, it sounds like the only reason Perry was convicted was because the mother of his ex-girlfriend had a MAJOR vendetta against him. The only thing that connected Perry to the crime was this woman's insistence he told her daughter that he MIGHT be planning to visit his grandparents' house, which happened to be in the same neighbourhood as the church. But, of course, the fact that Perry was established as being at work six hours away at that time should have been proved she was mistaken yet somehow this woman's testimony was considered unreliable. Even if she was correct, that's hardly evidence which places Perry at the scene of the murders. What a sham this investigation was!

If that's really all there is that convicted him then everyone associated with the prosecution should be held accountable. There has to be something else that places him at the scene. Why in the world would twelve jurors vote to convict someone who had an airtight alibi six hours away?

[RobinW]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

If that's really all there is that convicted him then everyone associated with the prosecution should be held accountable. There has to be something else that places him at the scene. Why in the world would twelve jurors vote to convict someone who had an airtight alibi six hours away?

According to the article, the prosecution also claimed that Perry confessed to the murders, but Perry denies this and claims the investigator was just twisting his words around. Of course, there wasn't any taped footage of this so-called "confession".

But, sadly, as we've seen with so many other wrongful conviction cases, sometimes a confession is enough to sway a jury even if said confession is unreliable and all the other evidence points to the defendant's innocence.