CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – A 61-year-old man was arrested and charged with the murder of a husband and wife in a Camden County church in 1985, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
On Monday, the GBI said it arrested Erik Kristensen Sparre of Waynesville, Georgia and charged him with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault in the deaths of 66-year-old Harold and his wife 62-year-old Thelma Swain.
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On the evening of March 11, 1985, the Swains were at Bible study at Rising Daughter Baptist Church when they were shot and killed while eight other parishioners watched.
In 2003, Dennis Perry was convicted of killing the Swains.
But in March 2020, investigators with the Georgia Innocence Project presented DNA from a hair sample, voluntarily given by Gladys Sparre, the mother of Erik Sparre, a one-time suspect in the case. Sparre’s hair turned a perfect match for hairs in a pair of glasses found inches from the bodies of the Swain’s.
DNA evidence from the hair sample excluded Perry.
Perry’s alibi also showed it would be virtually impossible to be in Camden County at the time of the crime. Perry worked in the metro Atlanta area and didn’t leave his job until after 5:30 p.m. The shootings occurred at 8:40 p.m.
Following the discovery of the new evidence, in July 2020, a judge granted the request for a new trial for the then-59-year-old man.
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After spending more than 20 years locked up in prison, a judge dropped all charges against Perry, who was able to walk away from court a free man.
The Georgia Innocence Project released Perry’s statement about the ordeal after the judge dropped the charges.
“It took a long time, but I never gave up,” Perry said. “I knew that eventually, someone else would see the truth, and I’m so grateful to the Georgia Innocence Project and King & Spalding for bringing the truth to light. This indictment has been hanging over my head for over 20 years, and it’s such a relief to finally not have to worry about being accused of this awful thing.”
In 2022, Perry was awarded $1.23 million by the state.
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Sparre was arrested in Waynesville, Georgia without incident and booked into the Camden County Jail.
This investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI regional investigative office in Kingsland at 912-729-6198. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.