Lawyers for Richard Lapointe will argue for their client's right to a new trial today before the State Supreme court. State prosecutors appealed last year's ruling by the state appellate court, which granted Lapointe a new trial.
This case has garnered national attention. Lapointe is an intellectually disabled man with Dandy-Walker syndrome. He was convicted in 1992 for the 1987 rape and murder of his wife's grandmother in Manchester.
Lapointe's conviction centered around three confessions he gave Manchester police after nine hours of interrogation. Lapointe says he was tricked into the confession and has maintained his innocence. Paul Casteleiro is the lead attorney for Richard Lapointe. He says Lapointe's confession doesn't jibe with what police discovered at the crime scene.
"For instance, Richard's confession says that the victim was stabbed on the couch," said Casteleiro. "Well, there's blood all over the bed and the knife blade is in the bed and it's very clear that this woman was not stabbed on the couch."
Many advocates for people with mental disabilities say Lapointe's condition made him vulnerable to making a false confession.
