Left: Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Capitol Hill, June 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Right: Christopher Dunn arrives in court on the first day of his hearing to decide whether to vacate his murder conviction, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, Pool).
A St. Louis, Missouri, judge vacated Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction on Monday and ordered that the man, who has spent 34 years behind bars, should be released from custody “immediately.” However, despite the finding that Dunn was wrongfully convicted, he is still incarcerated — making him the second inmate in two weeks to have been kept in prison after being exonerated.
Dunn was convicted in 1991 for the first-degree murder of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. Dunn was 18 years old at the time, and the case against him was based entirely on eyewitness accounts of a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, both of whom eventually recanted. Dunn maintained that on the night of the murder, he was at home with his mother, and two friends testified they had lengthy phone conversations with Dunn that night during which his behavior was normal.
Dunn’s attorney filed a motion to vacate the conviction arguing that the young eyewitness’ recantations were enough to constitute “clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence.”
In a statement Tuesday, Dunn’s attorneys said their client now looks forward to spending time with his wife and family as a free man.
The statement went on to argue that legal changes are needed to protect the rights of the innocent.
Dunn’s case mirrors that of Sandra Hemme, the longest-known wrongly incarcerated woman in the U.S., whose release was also opposed by Bailey.
Hemme’s conviction for the 1980 murder of Patricia Jeschke was overturned on June 14, 2024, after Hemme served 43 years in prison. Hemme was not linked to the murder by witnesses or physical evidence. Rather, she was convicted based on her own confessions, which were ultimately deemed to be the false product of Hemme’s being forcibly medicated against her will.
Although Hemme’s conviction was overturned in mid-June, she was not freed until July 19. Ultimately, Hemme was released from prison only after a judge threatened to hold Bailey in contempt for calling prison officials and telling them not to release Hemme.
Law&Crime reached out to Bailey for comment, but did not receive a response.
Editor’s note: This piece was updated from its original version to include comment from the Missouri Department of Corrections.
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