Man wrongfully accused of murder is released from prison after 34 years

A Missouri man who spent more than three decades in prison for a murder he didn't commit was released last week. 52-year-old Christopher Dunn was incarcerated for a murder in 1990. He was kept in prison despite a judge order to overturn the conviction. The court ruling granting his freedom was ignored

The court's decision, made by Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser, stated, "The State of Missouri shall immediately discharge Christopher Dunn from its custody." However, The Missouri Department of Corrections has not followed this order, according to The Independent.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey was who appealed the judge's decision. "We're awaiting for the outcome of that legal action," said Karen Pojmann, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, in an email at the end of July.

The decision to hold Dunn in prison raised concerns about the decision from St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, whose office conducted an investigation into Dunn's case and concluded that he was not guilty of a wrongful conviction.

"In our view, the judge's decision was very clear, ordering his immediate release," Gore said at a news conference. Gore also said his office is looking into legal alternatives to get Dunn's release. He didn't mention the options available.

Dunn's case is similar to that of Sandra Hemme, who spent 43 years in prison before the judge overturned her conviction on June 14th in the light of the evidence to prove her "actual innocence." Bailey's office delayed Hemme's release by appeals filed.

In the case of Hemme, a judge threatened to have Bailey appear to the court if she was not released. The judge also criticized Bailey's office for instructing prison officials not to release Hemme once the court's decision was made.

Dunn was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. Gore submitted an appeal in February to overturn the guilty verdict

After reviewing the case and analyzing the evidence, Judge Sengheiser found that there was "a clear and convincing showing of 'actual innocence', that undermines the basis for Dunn’s convictions because in light of new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt. Bailey's legal team maintains that the initial evidence from two boys who recognized Dunn as the perpetrator was true, although they later retracted their testimony as adults.

His wife, Kira, expressed mixed feelings about the incident. "We are overjoyed, and at the same time, we’re also afraid to really exhale until Chris actually takes his first free steps and feels the free ground against his feet,” she said at the news conference.

A Missouri law passed in 2021 enables the prosecutor to request hearings whenever they discover evidence of wrong convictions.

Although the law has resulted in some dismissals, including those of Lamar Johnson, who was freed in February 2023 following 28 years in prison, Bailey's office has been against various such initiatives.

The Midwest Innocence Project, instrumental in the release of Dunn and Hemme is still advocating for those who believe they are wrongly convicted. The group had previously acknowledged Hemme as the longest-held and wrongly imprisoned woman throughout the U.S.