For the second time in weeks, a Missouri prison has ignored a court order to release an inmate whose murder conviction was overturned. This is similar to what happened with Sandra Hemme. The state’s attorney general is keeping Christopher Dunn in prison.
On Monday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser overturned Dunn’s 1990 murder conviction. Dunn, 52, has been in prison for 33 years, but he was still in custody on Tuesday. Sengheiser’s ruling said Dunn should be released immediately.
Dunn wasn’t let out because Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed the ruling. “We’re waiting for the outcome of that appeal,” said Karen Pojmann from the Missouri Department of Corrections.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, whose office found that Dunn was wrongfully convicted, was confused by the decision to keep Dunn in prison. Gore said they are looking into legal options to secure Dunn’s release but didn’t specify what they might do.
The Attorney General’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Dunn’s case is similar to Hemme’s. Hemme, 64, spent 43 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. A judge overturned her conviction on June 14, but appeals by Bailey kept her imprisoned until she was released later that day after a judge’s order.
Bailey’s office had previously instructed prison officials not to release Hemme, which led to a judge scolding them in court. It’s unclear if the same thing happened with Dunn.
Dunn’s wife, Kira, said they are holding off on celebrating until he is actually out of prison. “We’re overjoyed but afraid to relax until Chris is free,” she said.
Dunn was convicted of murdering 15-year-old Ricco Rogers in 1990. After reviewing the case, Judge Sengheiser ruled that there was clear evidence of Dunn’s innocence.
Lawyers for Bailey’s office argued that initial witness testimonies were correct, even though the witnesses later recanted.
A 2021 Missouri law allows prosecutors to request hearings for wrongful convictions, but Bailey’s office has opposed these efforts in other cases, such as Lamar Johnson’s, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 28 years. Another hearing for death row inmate Marcellus Williams begins on August 21. Williams is scheduled to be executed on September 24, despite evidence suggesting his innocence.