A man from Missouri was released from prison on Tuesday after spending 34 years incarcerated, as his murder conviction was overturned, despite the state attorney general’s attempts to keep him imprisoned.
“I never lost hope because my family stood by me,” Christopher Dunn stated from the steps of the St. Louis courthouse. “It’s easy to surrender in prison when you’re deprived of hope. But when you feel discarded by the system, you must decide whether to accept your fate or fight back.”
MISSOURI STOPS RELEASE OF MAN WITH OVERTURNED MURDER CONVICTION AS HE WAS ABOUT TO BE FREE
Dunn, now 52, shared a heartfelt reunion with his wife, Kira Dunn, upon his formal release from the St. Louis city jail on Tuesday evening. As his release approached, he was transported by van from the state prison in Licking, Missouri, to St. Louis, a journey of roughly 140 miles.
A St. Louis circuit judge invalidated Dunn’s murder conviction on July 22, ordering his immediate release. However, he remained behind bars amidst a tumultuous process initiated by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who appealed in an attempt to keep Dunn confined.
Christopher Dunn stands free after his murder conviction was overturned after 34 years behind bars, on the steps of a courthouse in downtown St. Louis, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)
When questioned about the delay following the judge’s decision, Dunn remarked, “It was excruciating. To hear the judge’s ruling and then be ready to leave only to be sent back to prison — it felt like torture.”
Dunn’s release follows closely after another individual was released, even amidst Bailey’s appeals to maintain custody following an overturned murder conviction.
Sandra Hemme was released on July 19 from a western Missouri prison after serving 43 years for a murder that a judge ruled she had “actual innocence.” Bailey’s office also pushed against Hemme’s release while an appellate court reviewed the case, with her freedom only granted after a judge threatened Bailey with contempt.
Political analysts and certain attorneys speculate that Bailey’s hardline stance is aimed at securing votes ahead of a competitive Republican primary, where he faces challenger Will Scharf, an attorney connected to former President Donald Trump, in the upcoming Aug. 6 primary.
At one point last week, Dunn was on the verge of being released when Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser threatened a prison warden with contempt if Dunn wasn’t freed. However, the Missouri Supreme Court stepped in to temporarily halt his release.
On Tuesday, the state’s highest court ruled that the St. Louis circuit attorney needed to assert that there were no plans to retry Dunn before he could be set free. Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore promptly filed a memorandum confirming he would not pursue a new trial, thereby initiating the process for Dunn’s freedom.
A statement from the Midwest Innocence Project expressed relief, stating Dunn “is coming home.” The organization conveyed, “We are ecstatic that Chris will finally reunite with his family after 34 years for a crime he did not commit. We look forward to assisting Chris as he rebuilds his life.”
Earlier on Tuesday, leaders from the Missouri NAACP and other groups claimed that political motivations and racial elements influenced Bailey’s efforts to keep Dunn imprisoned. State NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. commented at a press conference that Bailey “overstepped his jurisdiction and authority” in appealing Sengheiser’s ruling.
“What’s happening now resembles another form of lynching,” added another speaker, Zaki Baruti from the Universal African People’s Organization.
In an earlier statement, Bailey’s office defended its actions, stating, “Throughout the appeals process, multiple courts have upheld Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction. We will consistently advocate for the rule of law and justice for victims.”
Dunn faced charges of first-degree murder for the 1990 shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. In February, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion to vacate Dunn’s guilty verdict, with a hearing conducted in May.
Sengheiser noted in his ruling that Gore “presented a clear and convincing case of ‘actual innocence’ that undermines the rationale for Dunn’s convictions, since new evidence suggests that no reasonable juror would have found Dunn guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposed the motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction, with state lawyers asserting that the initial testimonies from two boys at the scene identifying Dunn as the shooter remained credible, despite their later recantation as adults.
Rogers was shot on May 18, 1990, when a gunman opened fire on a group of teenage boys gathered outside a residence. Initially, 14-year-old DeMorris Stepp and 12-year-old Michael Davis Jr. identified Dunn as the shooter.
A recorded interview presented during the hearing revealed Davis admitting he lied because he thought Dunn was part of a rival gang. Stepp’s account has changed several times over the years, with the most recent claim being that he did not witness Dunn as the shooter. Gore indicated that another judge previously deemed Stepp a “completely unreliable witness” and advised Sengheiser to dismiss his testimony altogether.
Dunn has asserted that he was at his mother’s home during the time of the shooting. A childhood friend, Nicole Bailey, testified that she spoke with him by phone that evening, confirming he was at his mother’s house.
Assistant Attorney General Tristin Estep contested that alibi as untrustworthy, claiming Dunn’s narrative has altered multiple times over the years. Notably, Dunn did not testify during the hearing.
A law enacted in Missouri in 2021 permits prosecutors to request hearings in cases of suspected wrongful convictions. While Bailey’s office is not mandated to oppose such motions, he similarly opposed a previous effort leading to the release of Lamar Johnson last year after he served 28 years for a murder for which a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted.
This 2021 law has facilitated the release of two men each wrongfully imprisoned for decades. Besides Johnson, Kevin Strickland was exonerated in 2021 after over 40 years for three murders in Kansas City, following a judge’s ruling of wrongful conviction in 1979.
Another hearing is on the horizon for Marcellus Williams, who narrowly escaped execution and now faces a new execution date.
The prosecutor in St. Louis County claims DNA evidence indicates that Williams did not commit the crime for which he was sentenced to death, as DNA from another individual—distinct from Williams—was found on the knife used during the 1998 murder.
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A hearing regarding Williams’ innocence claim is set to commence on Aug. 21, with his execution scheduled for Sept. 24.
Bailey’s office is also opposing the challenge to Williams’ conviction.
