LIVINGSTON - A woman who was previously convicted of first-degree rape will be getting a new trial on a reduced charge. 

Melanie Curtin, a former sexual partner of Dennis Perkins, was convicted of raping an unconscious woman in 2014. 

During the trial, jurors were shown a 17-minute-long video of the encounter with Perkins, Curtin and the victim. The media and the public were required to leave the courtroom while the evidence was shown.

Curtin was convicted of first-degree rape in 2022, which carries a mandatory life sentence. 

She was released from Department of Corrections custody after her conviction was vacated and she was granted a new trial in Oct. 2023. 

Her lawyers successfully argued that prosecutors unfairly stacked the deck against her during her trial. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that the evidence admitted in her trial "unfairly prejudiced" Curtin.

Her new trial, which will be on a reduced charge of simple rape, will be held in Livingston Parish on March 9.

The investigation that uncovered the video was focused on former Livingston Parish sheriff's deputy Dennis Perkins and his wife Cynthia Perkins, who was a school teacher. The pair were arrested in 2019. 

In 2023, Dennis Perkins pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree rape, two counts of sexual battery of a child, one count of video voyeurism, two counts of production of child porn of children under the age of 13, and one count of the mingling of harmful substances.

He was sentenced to 100 years in prison. His wife was sentenced to 41 years.