Perry woman gets new trial in murder case after court rules evidence unreliable

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) -A Perry woman convicted of murder will get a new trial after Maine’s highest court ruled that key evidence used against her was scientifically unfounded.

41-year-old Kailie Brackett was sentenced to 55 years in prison in 2024 for the murder of Kim Neptune, a 43-year-old from Pleasant Point. In April 2022, Neptune was found dead in her home with nearly 500 stab wounds.

Brackett appealed her conviction last year, arguing that critical evidence used by prosecutors lacked a reliable scientific basis.

At trial, the prosecution used testimony from a podiatrist who compared bloody sock-marked footprints found at the crime scene to prints taken from Brackett while she was incarcerated. The podiatrist concluded that the footprints matched Brackett.

Brackett’s legal team challenged this evidence, arguing that forensic podiatry—the comparison of bare or sock-covered feet—is not an established or recognized forensic discipline and therefore should not be admissible.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court agreed. In a ruling issued Thursday, the court found that the trial judge made a critical error by allowing the podiatrist’s testimony.

“The court found the podiatrist’s evidence lacks scientific basis — it’s not an established or recognized forensic discipline,” according to the decision. “It is not accepted by major forensic science organizations, has no established guidelines, and relies on methodology that has not been proven reliable.”

The court’s decision was further bolstered by the fact that prosecutors emphasized this unreliable evidence during their closing arguments to the jury, potentially giving it undue weight.

Because of these errors, Brackett’s conviction has been vacated. She will face a new trial, though no date has been set yet.

The ruling raises important questions about what types of expert testimony should be allowed in criminal cases, particularly when it comes to emerging or unproven forensic disciplines.