June 14th, 2013

On Sunday, April 28 The New England Innocence Project celebrated the 10th anniversary of Dennis Maher’s exoneration. The gathering took place at the Tewksbury Wilmington Elks Club in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The event was a huge success with over 50 guests attending, including the NEIP staff, Dennis Maher’s friends and family, and other individuals involved in his exoneration including Jay Carney, the prosecuting attorney who originally convicted him. The celebration included games and raffles for the children in attendance as well as a silent auction to raise proceeds for The New England Innocence Project and The Children’s Glaucoma Foundation.

In 1983, Dennis, a former sergeant in the U.S. Army was wrongfully sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison. Ten years ago he was exonerated through DNA evidence after serving 19 years of his sentence for crime he did not commit. Currently Dennis is happily married with two children and works full time. He is dedicated to promoting awareness about wrongful convictions by sharing his own story.

We would like to thank everyone who helped made the celebration a success and to Dennis and his family for allowing us to celebrate with them.