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Richard Lapointe Released on Bail

Tucker Ives
/
WNPR
Richard Lapointe, center, outside Hartford Superior Court on Friday with Kate Germond, left, and Paul Casteleiro, right, of Centurion Ministries.
The state has not decided whether it will go ahead with another trial.

A mentally disabled man who has served 23 years in prison for a 1987 murder is out on bail following a court order for a new trial.

A Hartford Superior Court judge on Friday set bond at $250,000 for 69-year-old Richard Lapointe, which was posted. His lawyers said their client will be staying with a couple in East Hartford as prosecutors decide whether to re-try him.

Lapointe came out of the courthouse looking frail. He's hard of hearing, has poor eyesight, and has trouble maintaining his balance. But he left Hartford Superior Court with a big smile. He was wearing a black t-shirt that read, "I didn't do it."

Credit Jim Michaud / Journal Inquirer
/
Journal Inquirer
Richard Lapointe has been in prison for 23 years.

Lapointe was previously convicted of murdering his then-wife's grandmother. He has been in prison since 1989, when he was arrested and charged.

The state Supreme Court ruled on March 31 that Lapointe was deprived of a fair trial, because prosecutors failed to disclose notes by a police officer that may have supported an alibi defense.

One supporter, Anne Treimanis, is a lawyer herself and doesn't expect a new trial for her friend. "If they do, he's gonna be innocent," she said.

Murder charges have been re-filed, but prosecutor Gail Hardy said the state has not decided whether it will go ahead with another trial.

While staying in East Hartford, Lapointe will be under supervision and can have no contact with the victim's family.

Credit Tucker Ives / WNPR
/
WNPR
Richard Lapointe outside Hartford Superior Court.

As Lapointe left the courthouse with his lawyers, a friend handed him a penny she found on the ground to mark the day of his release. She told him to put it in his pocket. "I'll never take it out," Lapointe said.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

Tucker Ives is WNPR's morning news producer.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.