DAYTON — A Montgomery County Common Pleas judge has scheduled an all-day hearing July 11 to deal with convicted rapist Roger Dean Gillispie's petition for post-conviction relief.

Gillispie, who is represented by former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro and attorneys with the Ohio Innocence Project, maintains his innocence and is trying to get a new trial.

Gillispie, now 42, was convicted of rape and kidnapping charges in February 1991 but won a new trial when crime scene hairs that had not been tested surfaced at the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab. He was convicted a second time that year and is serving a 16- to 50-year sentence.

The Ohio Innocence Project invited Petro to join the case after Gillispie was denied parole last year.

No physical evidence tied Gillispie to the crimes. The case hinged on testimony from the victims, who picked Gillispie out of a photo lineup nearly two years after the crimes. The case was investigated by the Miami Twp. Police Department.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2057 or lgrieco@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Vote for this story!