CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – Nearly 40 years after the double murder of a Southeast Georgia wife and husband, officials announced the arrest of a 61-year-old man in connection with the couple’s shooting death.
On Monday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation 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.
The News4JAX I-TEAM has followed this case for decades and is revisiting the key moments leading up to Sparre’s arrest.
A case decades in the making
The Swains were shot and killed on March 11, 1985, during an attack that left the community shaken.
Witnesses described the suspect as a white man with blonde hair. Evidence collected at the scene included shell casings, shirt buttons, and a pair of glasses with hair attached.
Over the years, the case saw multiple twists and turns, including the conviction and eventual exoneration of Dennis Perry, a man wrongly accused of the murders.
Here is a timeline of the critical events:
- March 11, 1985: Harold and Thelma Swain are shot and killed in their church. Witnesses describe a white man with blonde hair. Key evidence includes shell casings, shirt buttons, and glasses with hair.
- March 1986: Erik Sparre is brought into questioning after a recorded phone call was allegedly made that Sparre confessed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was cleared after an alibi put him at work.
- 2000: Dennis Perry is arrested after a tip from his ex-girlfriend’s mother. Perry claims he has an alibi.
- February 2003: Perry is convicted despite his alibi, lack of need for glasses, and DNA evidence that did not match. Prosecutors did not disclose to the defense or jury that a witness was paid for their testimony.
- 2019: New DNA testing links evidence at the crime scene to Erik Sparre, specifically hair found on the glasses. The Georgia Innocence Project filed to overturn Perry’s conviction, but the district attorney delayed action by reopening the case.
- April 2020: An extraordinary motion for a new trial is filed for Perry, citing DNA evidence.
- July 2020: Perry’s conviction is overturned.
- July 23, 2020: Dennis Perry is released from prison.
- July 19, 2021: Dennis Perry is fully exonerated.
- Dec. 9, 2024: Erik Sparre is arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting death of the Swains.
Moving forward
Dennis Perry’s attorney, Phil Holliday, said Perry has always held his head high and remained in good spirits throughout his ordeal.
Perry and his wife, who have stood by each other, are relieved that the Swains’ family may finally see justice.
News4JAX reached out to the Georgia Innocence Project who had this comment following the most recent arrest.
“Dennis Perry tragically spent over 21 years in prison for a double murder that he had nothing to do with. In the course of investigating the case, Georgia Innocence Project and co-counsel from King & Spalding uncovered evidence that proved Dennis' innocence and helped secure his freedom from wrongful incarceration. After Dennis was freed and exonerated, Georgia Innocence Project’s role in this case, consistent with GIP’s mission, was to provide services and support to Dennis as he recovered and rebuilt his life in freedom, while law enforcement continued to independently pursue the case as they found appropriate.”
MORE | Georgia Innocence Project worked on getting Dennis Perry out of prison for more than a decade
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues its inquiry into the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact their office.