An Alabama man has been acquitted of murdering an 11-year-old New Hampshire girl who was killed over 35 years ago. A jury found Marvin "Skip" McClendon Jr. not guilty after six days of deliberation, despite previously reporting a deadlock. The decision hinged on whether DNA under Melissa Ann Tremblay's fingernails belonged to McClendon; jurors concluded there wasn't enough evidence to convict.
The verdict brings relief to McClendon, according to his attorney Henry Fasoldt. Meanwhile, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker expressed disappointment but acknowledged the jury's diligence and extended sympathy to Tremblay's family, recognizing their prolonged suffering due to the case. The girl's body was found in Lawrence, Massachusetts, a day after she was reported missing in 1988. McClendon was arrested in 2022 due in part to DNA evidence.
Prosecutor Jessica Strasnick argued that McClendon's comments at his arrest indicated knowledge of the crime details, asserting that he was "fixated on the fact that she was beaten, ladies and gentlemen, because he knew that she wasn't just stabbed that day, that was she was beaten." Additionally, she highlighted that McClendon, a former corrections officer and carpenter familiar with Lawrence, was left-handed like the stabber.
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However, Fasoldt countered that the DNA evidence was inconclusive, contending McClendon had "no meaningful connection" to Lawrence despite living nearby at the time. While the jury heard the DNA evidence excluded all but 0.2% of the male population, Fasoldt said there was no proof the DNA came from under Tremblay's fingernails or was from McClendon. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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