Free Republic

Convicted rapist Ben LaGuer will again profess his innocence when he goes before the state Parole Board today to ask for freedom after 27 years of prison. LaGuer, who has attracted supporters from the upper echelons of academia and civic life, will be represented by retired Superior Court Judge Isaac Borenstein at today’s hearing. LaGuer intends to tell parole board members he has a lesion on his liver, which may be cancerous, according to a statement on his Web site, benlaguer.org.

Democratic candidate for governor Deval Patrick once joined other pols and lawyers in backing a convicted rapist’s bid for parole, support that is being highlighted on a Web site dedicated to the controversial case. Patrick is among several high-profile politicians, attorneys and academics quoted on the site supporting Ben LaGuer, a former soldier convicted in 1984 of the vicious rape of a 59-year-old Leominster woman. “I. . . have serious misgivings about the integrity of the criminal justice system in this case, as I believe any citizen would,” the site quotes Patrick as saying. A spokesman confirmed Patrick’s support of...