State appeals decision to give Lapointe new trial

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut prosecutors are asking the state Supreme Court to reinstate the conviction of a brain-damaged man in the 1987 murder of his former wife's 88-year-old grandmother.

The state Appellate Court last month granted a new trial to Richard Lapointe, ruling that prosecutors had suppressed key evidence.

The Hartford Courant reports the Chief State's Attorney's Office has filed a petition to the Supreme Court, arguing the lower court gave undue weight to 30-words of police notes that were never turned over to Lapointe's defense team.

Lapointe was convicted in 1992 of killing Bernice Martin, who was found raped, stabbed and strangled in her burning Manchester apartment.

Lapointe's attorney, Paul Casteleiro, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

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Information from: The Hartford Courant