John GregaBURLINGTON, Vt. -
Legal analysts don't expect a recent ruling
that overturned a murder conviction to have a broad impact statewide.
Last week, Judge John Wesley tossed the murder conviction for John Grega, 50, and ordered a new trial. The judge's decision was based on a law passed in 2008 that grants convicts the right to a new trial if they have DNA evidence that was not used at the first trial.
In the Grega case, a new examination of evidence from the crime scene shows the presence of another man's DNA. Legal experts say it is unclear how many cases will be affected by the new law, but it's not expected to be many.
"We don't have a lot of these major crimes in our state, so I don't think we are going to see a significant number of cases. But I think it signals a trend which is increasing; courts and juries insist upon forensic evidence and increasingly see more defendants, like in this case, having a new trial because of the DNA," said Cheryl Hanna of the Vermont Law School.
Grega's retrial has not yet been scheduled.
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