Court Rejects Convicted Rapist LaGuer's Latest Bid For A New Trial

A convicted rapist who has maintained his innocence as he waged a decades-long campaign to get out of prison has lost the latest in a long series of attempts to get a new trial.

Benjamin LaGuer is serving a life sentence for the 1983 aggravated rape of a 59-year-old woman who lived next door to him in Leominster.

On Friday, the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld a judge's denial of his latest bid for a new trial.

Over the years, LaGuer's insistence that he is innocent has attracted some high-profile supporters, including former Gov. Deval Patrick, who wrote letters on LaGuer's behalf and contributed money for DNA tests years before he became governor. In 2006, Patrick's opponent cited the LaGuer case to portray Patrick as soft on crime.