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Southeast Georgia Man Arrested in 1985 Church Murders
A 61-year-old man from southeast Georgia has been arrested and charged with the murders of a couple at a Black church in 1985. The original suspect, who spent 20 years in prison, was exonerated based on DNA evidence.
Erik Kristensen Sparre was arrested on charges of murder and aggravated assault in the deaths of Harold and Thelma Swain. The murders took place inside Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Camden County.
Investigators reopened the case after concluding that the wrong man had been prosecuted. Dennis Perry was convicted in 2003 but was released in 2021 after a judge dismissed all charges against him.
DNA testing of hairs found at the crime scene linked the murders to Sparre, who had previously been considered a suspect.
Sparre’s alibi that he was working at a grocery store at the time of the killings has been questioned. Perry’s ex-wife has also claimed that Sparre confessed to the murders in a phone message.
Sparre was arrested in Waynesville, Georgia, and booked into the Camden County jail. He has denied killing the Swains. His attorney information is not immediately available.
Dennis Perry, the originally accused man, has expressed relief at no longer being suspected of the crime. He is now spending time with his family after his exoneration.