A Missouri man who spent 33 years in prison for a murder he always insisted he did not commit has had his conviction overturned, but the state attorney general has filed an appeal, delaying his release.
Christopher Dunn, now 52, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers and was serving a life sentence without parole. On Monday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser ruled that new evidence showed a 'clear and convincing' case of actual innocence, stating that no reasonable juror would have found Dunn guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge noted that the only evidence against Dunn came from two teenage witnesses who later recanted their statements. One admitted he lied because he thought Dunn was in a rival gang, while the other changed his story multiple times. An eyewitness expert also testified that it was unlikely the boys could have identified the shooter in the dark from a dozen feet away.
Dunn's attorney, Tricia Rojo Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project, said she was 'overjoyed' and that Dunn looks forward to spending time with his wife and family as a free man. However, a prison spokesperson confirmed that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office has filed an appeal, making Dunn's release uncertain.
The case was reopened under a 2021 Missouri law allowing prosecutors to request hearings when evidence of wrongful conviction emerges. That law has already led to the release of two other men who spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit.
