Man Freed While Awaiting New Trial On Flawed Hair Evidence
NEW BEDFORD (AP) — A man who spent three decades in prison for a rape conviction based in part on a single strand of hair was freed Wednesday while he awaits a new trial.
In ruling that George Perrot can be freed, the judge said there is strong evidence that Perrot did not commit the rape and he's "reasonably sure" that prosecutors will not win a conviction if they go forward with a retrial.
"The court, after a rigorous review of the entire record of this case, has come to be reasonably sure that George Perrot did not physically or sexually assault Mary Prekop," Judge Robert Kane said.
After the judge's ruling, Perrot gave his mother a long embrace. They both had tears in their eyes.
Then, Perrot told his mother, "Come on, Mommy, let's get out of here."
Perrot, who is now 48, was convicted in 1985 of raping the 78-year-old Prekop in her Springfield home. Perrot was 17 years old when he was arrested. He has always denied raping Prekop.
"It really hasn't sunk in yet," Perrot told reporters after the hearing. "I want to go spend some time with my mom."
The U.S. Department of Justice flagged Perrot's case in 2014 as one of hundreds that involved erroneous statements from FBI agents about hair analysis. Microscopic hair analysis has since been found to be far from exact. The FBI now acknowledges that the science is not conclusive and uses it only in conjunction with DNA testing.
Kane granted Perrot a new trial last month after deciding that an FBI agent's testimony at Perrot's trial was faulty. The agent had testified in no uncertain terms that a hair found in Prekop's home was a match for Perrot's.
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