LIVINGSTON — A woman whose name became publicly associated with the notorious Livingston Parish sex crimes case involving a former sheriff’s deputy & and his wife is headed back to court. This time, Melanie Curtin will go before a judge and jury on a reduced charge stemming from a 2014 sexual assault allegation.
Conviction & appeal
On Dec. 3, 2021, a unanimous jury found Curtin guilty of first-degree rape and video voyeurism. Aggravated rape, formerly known as first-degree rape, carries a mandatory life sentence under Louisiana law.
In April 2024, Curtin was released after successfully appealing her conviction. The case moved from a Livingston Parish judge to the First Circuit Court of Appeal, which ruled that the trial court had erred and ordered a new trial. The Attorney General’s Office appealed that decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Curtin’s retrial was initially scheduled for August 2025, then postponed to November 2025, before being delayed again while the Supreme Court considered the appeal. On Nov. 20, 2025, the Supreme Court denied the Attorney General’s request to review the First Circuit’s ruling.
New trial ordered
On Feb. 9, all parties appeared in a Livingston Parish courtroom, where a new trial date of March 9 was set.
The Attorney General’s Office will continue prosecuting the case, but this time on a reduced charge of simple rape, also known as third-degree rape. Unlike aggravated rape, which carries a mandatory life sentence, a conviction for simple rape carries a maximum sentence of 25 years, without the possibility of parole or a suspended sentence.
An attorney entered a plea of not guilty to the simple rape charge on Curtin’s behalf.
Perkins case confusion
Curtin’s case is separate and unrelated to the high-profile crimes involving former Livingston Parish sheriff’s deputy Dennis Perkins and his wife, Cynthia Perkins. Her arrest happened around the same time, which led to public confusion and the mistaken belief that her case involved the same allegations.
It did not.
Instead, Curtin was accused of sexually assaulting an adult woman during a consensual encounter that later turned criminal, according to the defense.
The allegation dates back to November 2014, when Curtin went to Perkins’ home late one night. Curtin claimed she was drugged and later engaged in sex with Perkins and another woman. Prosecutors argued the other woman was unconscious during the encounter.
A key piece of evidence at trial was a 17-minute video that prosecutors said showed the woman largely motionless and unable to consent.
Curtin was originally charged with aggravated rape, formerly known as first-degree rape.
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