A convicted rapist who was diagnosed with liver cancer is getting another shot at medical parole.
Worcester Superior Court Judge J. Gavin Reardon Jr. says in a ruling issued Monday that Benjamin LaGuer's petition for medical parole must be reconsidered "in light of his recently improved medical condition."
LaGuer was sentenced to life in prison in 1984 after being convicted of raping his 59-year-old neighbor in Leominster. DNA tests linked him to the crime, but LaGuer maintains his innocence.
His bid for medical parole was denied by the Department of Correction in June. In April, a doctor estimated he had six months to live.
LaGuer's lawyer told the judge that his cancer appears to be in temporary remission but is likely to re-occur and LaGuer is believed to have one year to live.