July 15, 2004
Judge Timothy S. Hillman
Worcester Superior Court
2 Main Street
Worcester, MA 01608
The Honorable Judge Timothy Hillman:
As public elected officials, we are
writing on behalf of Mr. Benjamin LaGuer and in support of his Motion for a New Trial (Criminal Action 83-103391 to 83-103394).
It is our understanding that Mr. LaGuer,
through his new attorney James C. Rehnquist, filed a Motion for New Trial on February 11, 2004. In his motion, Mr. LaGuer points to a new and potentially exculpatory 7/16/83 fingerprint report released
in November 2001. Worcester County District Attorney John Conte reportedly filed a brief opposing the Motion on May 19, 2004 which was, in turn, rebutted by Attorney Rehnquist on June 10, 2004. We have now been informed that Worcester Superior Court Judge John McCann recently gave the Commonwealth
30 days (until July 16th) to respond to Mr. LaGuer’s attorney’s latest rebuttal.
Today marks the twenty-first anniversary
of Mr. LaGuer's arrest and this year is the 20th year of his sentence. Mr.
LaGuer has always vehemently denied any involvement with the alleged crime and has maintained his complete innocence. However, in supporting Mr. LaGuer’s Motion for a New Trial, we make no independent
judgment concerning Mr. LaGuer’s innocence or guilt. It is our opinion
simply that the recent discovery of new evidence seems to offer significant support for Mr. LaGuer’s Motion.
Therefore, we respectfully urge you
to rule favorably on Mr. Benjamin LaGuer’s Motion for a New Trial. We thank-you
for your attention to this important matter.
Yours truly,
Felix D. Arroyo (signed)
Chuck Turner (signed)
_____________________
_____________________
Felix D. Arroyo Chuck
Turner
Felix D. Arroyo
Chuck Turner
