Dennis Halstead is an American man from Long Island, NY, who was wrongfully convicted and spent 18 years in prison for the 1984 rape of a 16 year old. He is a prominent figure in United States legal history due to his high profile exoneration by DNA evidence and the record-breaking civil rights lawsuit that followed. All charges against him were officially dismissed on December 29, 2005. Finally, in October 2025, authorities arrested a suspect in the rape and murder.