For over 30 years, Christopher Dunn has been in prison in Missouri for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Recently, a judge overturned his conviction and ordered his release. However, the state Supreme Court stopped this decision after the Attorney General requested a hold on Dunn’s release.
This legal battle is the second time in a few weeks that Missouri’s Republican Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, has tried to block the release of someone found to be wrongly convicted.
Last month, Sandra Hemme, 64, who was the longest-serving wrongly imprisoned woman in the U.S., had her conviction overturned, but Bailey appealed to keep her in jail. She was finally released on July 19 after a judge threatened to hold the Attorney General’s office in contempt.
Dunn, now 52, was just 18 when he was accused of killing 15-year-old Ricco Rogers on May 18, 1990. Despite a lack of physical evidence linking Dunn to the crime, he was convicted based on the testimony of two young witnesses, who later admitted they were pressured by prosecutors and police.
Judge Jason Sengheiser overturned Dunn’s conviction on Monday, following a request from St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. Sengheiser ordered Dunn to be released by 6 p.m. Wednesday, but Bailey’s emergency stay prevented this from happening.
The state Supreme Court has given Sengheiser until 5 p.m. Friday to respond to Bailey’s motion, and Bailey has until 5 p.m. Monday to reply.
Dunn’s lawyer, Justin Bonus, said they are working to respond to the Attorney General’s motion. Bonus criticized the Attorney General for opposing the judge’s decision, stating that their job should be to seek justice, not to uphold wrongful convictions.
The Midwest Innocence Project, which worked to free Dunn and Hemme, expressed disappointment on social media. They said Dunn’s release was delayed by the Attorney General’s request and he would remain in prison as his legal team continues to fight for his release.
Dunn’s family is upset and confused by the Supreme Court’s decision. Dunn’s wife, Kira Dunn, called the situation “unimaginably cruel” and “a perversion of justice” in a statement to local news.