GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — For 20 years, Dennis Perry has been behind bars.
The horrific crime he was convicted of happened in Camden County in 1985 but since then, his legal team says new DNA evidence has come to light.
Judge Stephen Scarlett in Glynn County Superior Court held a hearing Monday regarding Perry’s motion for a new trial based on the latest DNA evidence.
On March 11, 1985, Harold Swain, a deacon at Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Waverly, and his wife Thelma Swain, were shot to death inside their church. Witnesses told police a white man came into the black church and killed the couple.
“It was a horrible, horrible crime, and there’s been no justice for their deaths,” said Suzanne Baugh, Perry’s cousin. She started the “Free Dennis Perry” Facebook page and has been pushing for his release.
In April, Perry’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial based on new evidence.
According to that motion, DNA test results tie another suspect to key physical evidence found at the crime scene of the murders. That evidence, a court document says, was a pair of very distinctive eyeglasses believed to have belonged to the killer.
The Georgia Innocence Project, which only takes on 2% of the cases it receives, has been working for years on Perry's behalf. The case has also been featured extensively on the podcast “Undisclosed”.
Perry’s family believes the new DNA evidence is enough to set him free.
Several witnesses called by the defense testified Monday, including retired GBI Investigator Joe Gregory, who was initially the lead investigator on the case. He believes Perry is innocent.
"He believes Dennis Perry was wrongfully convicted. The prosecutor objected to that testimony, but then the agent explained why. There was evidence of an alibi that was not properly preserved and of course the hair on the glasses did not match Mr.Perry's, so that was the most critical evidence that was presented today," Page Pate, a Georgia Innocence Project board member, said.
Perry's wife says it is time to set her husband free.
"All we have ever asked for is for people to listen. Things were done wrong. He is an innocent man. Just stop trying to save face and do the right thing. That is all we are asking," Brenda Perry said.
The judge said he plans to issue a ruling Friday on whether or not to grant Perry's request for a new trial.
"We feel the most hopeful we've felt in a very long time," Suzanne Baugh, Perry's cousin said. "Today was a silver lining. I feel very hopeful for him."