Convicted rapist cites juror's blog in appeal

New Hampshire's Supreme Court is considering whether a convicted rapist got a fair trial after a man who posted disparaging comments about the case on the internet later became foreman of the jury that voted for the conviction. Stephen Goupil is serving at least 35 years in prison after being found guilty of leading a home invasion in Laconia in April 2004 and repeatedly raping a 24-year-old woman at knifepoint. He was convicted of five counts of rape and one of theft. Goupil's lawyer argued to the high court on Thursday that Scott Vachon should not have been allowed to sit on the jury because statements he posted on a website that Goupil's lawyer said showed Vachon did not understand the legal system's presumption of innocence. Goupil's lawyer, Mark Sisti, said the trial court should have set aside the verdicts after learning that Vachon, a member of the Laconia School Board, referred to defendants as "local riff raff" on a personal Web blog four days before jury selection.

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