Melanie Curtin was acquitted on Tuesday in her second trial related to a 2014 case. sexual assault The case involves former Deputy Sheriff Dennis Perkins of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Curtin was charged with simple rape and video voyeurism, alleging she assisted Perkins in raping an unconscious woman. The sentencing was overseen by Judge Brian Abel.
The jury reached its decision after deliberating for about three hours following a week-long trial.
“I’m so grateful for the people who prayed for me and fought for me, and I look forward to being free,” Curtin said.
In response to a question about her message to the Diocese of Livingston, Curtin said: “I will never come back. I will not come back.”
Melanie Curtin’s lawyer responds
Curtin’s defense attorney said the jury evaluated the evidence and recognized flaws in the state’s argument. “They evaluated the evidence as fully and thoroughly as we did and saw the flaws in the state’s case.”
The Attorney General’s Office issued a statement
Erica Moore, prosecutor Louisiana The state attorney general’s office said her office disagrees with the jury’s decision but respects the judicial process. “We disagree with the jury’s verdict. We respect the entire process and we believe all the evidence was presented,” Moore said.
“I am also deeply troubled by certain media campaigns that I believe were deliberately designed to influence the legal process, poison juries and undermine confidence in the justice system,” the attorney general’s office said.
Moore called Dennis Perkins “a sick, crazy, disgusting and evil man” who “will die in prison for his heinous crimes, while Cynthia Perkins will remain incarcerated for decades.”
Melanie Curtin not guilty of all charges: 5 things you need to know about the case
- Dennis Perkins, a former deputy sheriff from Louisiana, was sentenced to 100 years in prison in 2023 after pleading guilty to a series of sexual abuse crimes, including child abuse.
- He will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including rape, possession of child abuse images, video voyeurism and contaminating food with bodily fluids, according to authorities.
- In October 2019, investigators arrested Perkins and his now ex-wife, Cynthia Perkins. Most of the charges against them involve a child under the age of 13. The couple faces charges including rape, attempted rape, sexual battery, video voyeurism and producing images depicting child abuse over several months in 2019, The Advocate reported.
- Cynthia Perkins resigned as a teacher and initiated divorce proceedings after her arrest, initially facing more than 70 charges before reaching a plea deal.
- Another person, Melanie Curtin, was sentenced to life in prison starting in 2022 after being convicted by a jury in 2014 after assisting Dennis Perkins in raping and filming an incapacitated woman.
