Justice for Christopher Dunn
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On Monday, July 22, 2024, the Honorable Judge Sengheiser overturned the murder conviction of Christopher Dunn, and ordered that the state of Missouri release him immediately.
The Missouri Attorney General's office, which had unsuccessfully opposed Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore's attempt to address Christopher Dunn's wrongful conviction, called the prison where Chris was held and told them to ignore the judge's order to release Chris. The prison complied, and two days passed as Chris' imprisonment continued.
On Wednesday, July 24, Judge Sengheiser called an emergency hearing. He told the Attorney General's office in no uncertain terms that if Chris was not released by 6:00 p.m. that day, the prison warden would be held in contempt.
As Chris was prepared for release and his family rushed toward the prison to pick him up, the Attorney General filed an emergency stay with the Eastern District Court of Appeals. It was denied immediately. The Attorney General filed the same request with the Missouri Supreme Court. Incredibly, the Court allowed the stay.
Chris was feet away from the exit, dressed in the civilian clothing he had selected months before, when the warden received the call that Chris' release had been stayed. Chris had gotten rid of all of his property, even his toothbrush.
Instead of walking out into the arms of his family, Chris had to change back into a prison uniform and return to his cell.
Chris is no longer an inmate. He is no longer a ward of the State of Missouri. Yet, he is being held in prison, unlawfully confined, at the behest of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, until the Missouri Supreme Court determines whether Bailey has the right to appeal Judge Sengheiser's release of Chris.
Judge Sengheiser is the second judge to rule in favor of Chris' innocence. In 2020, Circuit Judge William Hickle did the same, but was unable to order Chris' release because Missouri law recognizes innocence only for those sentenced to death. Chris was sentenced "only" to life without parole.
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore is the second prosecutor to file a motion to vacate Chris' conviction.
Despite having twice lost the battle to keep an innocent man in prison, the Missouri Attorney General's office is being allowed to stop his release.
Isn't 34 years of wrongful imprisonment enough? Isn't the support of two judges and two prosecutors enough?
Why is the Missouri Attorney General's office defying court orders and wasting taxpayer funds instead of defending the rule of law and ensuring justice for the people of Missouri.
As we begin another wait of indeterminate length, our hearts brim with hope that the truth, which has been brought to light by many brilliant and diligent minds, will finally prevail.
On May 21 and 22, 2024, Chris' second evidentiary hearing was held in the St. Louis City Circuit Court of the Honorable Judge Jason Sengheiser.
This is a momentous step, and we deeply thank Circuit Attorney Gore, Ret. Judge Shaw, Layla Husen, Rachael Moore, the Midwest Innocence Project team, and Bryan Cave associates for their rigorous investigation and presentation of the clear and convincing evidence of Christopher Dunn's innocence.
Chris, his family, and his supporters are filled with gratitude and enormous hope that this nightmare is nearing its end.
Photo credit: Laurie Skrivan, St. Louis Post Dispatch
On February 7, 2024, echoing and significantly bolstering the innocence findings of a Missouri Circuit judge in 2020 and a St. Louis prosecutor in 2023, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore filed a motion to vacate Christopher Dunn's conviction.
The full motion is available for viewing in the St. Louis Post Dispatch article below.
Messenger: Innocence Will Be Enough When Christopher Dunn Gets His New Day in Court
Watch KMOV's Deion Broxton report on Circuit Attorney Gore's filing and possible next steps.
We have kept the light of hope burning, especially when dawn seemed far away.
Despite proving his innocence before Missouri's 25th Circuit Court, prompting the judge to write in his September 2020 order that Chris clearly meets the standard for freestanding actual innocence and the Court believes no jury would convict him now, Christopher Dunn is still in prison.
Watch Erin Moriarty's surprising report on CBS Mornings.
We were, and still are, overwhelmingly grateful for Circuit Attorney Gardner's action of filing a motion to vacate the conviction of Christopher Dunn. It takes courage and integrity for a prosecutor to examine past convictions and seek to address errors in the judicial process.
Christopher Dunn asked the Supreme Court of the United States - does innocence matter in the U.S.? Is it cruel and unusual punishment to keep an innocent person locked in prison? Sadly, the Court declined to hear the case. Read the SCOTUS habeas corpus petition here.
Amherst College Professor Austin Sarat highlighted Chris' case, writing for Slate that it's time for SCOTUS to end the unconscionable practice of knowingly incarcerating the wrongfully convicted.
The PBS affiliate in St. Louis discussed how Missouri law is keeping Christopher Dunn in prison. Retired Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Wolff and St. Louis University Professor Brumfield-Young join the roundtable on Donnybrook Next Up.
Christopher Dunn Conversation - Nine PBS
Read Professor Kenya Brumfield-Young's op-ed in the Missouri Independent.
In Missouri, the Truth Doesn't Always Set You Free
Listen to Elaine Cha of NPR's St. Louis affiliate discuss Christopher Dunn's case on "St. Louis on the Air."
Christopher Dunn proved his innocence. Missouri law demands he die in prison.
Below, Linsey Davis of ABC News Live Prime talks with Christopher Dunn
Why isn't innocence enough in Missouri? Every U.S. state has a process in place to release a proven innocent person, regardless of their sentence – except Missouri.
Proving your innocence isn't enough to win back your freedom in Missouri unless you happen to be a death row inmate or can prove that your constitutional rights were violated at trial.
A 2021 law gave Missouri prosecutors the power to address wrongful convictions in their jurisdiction. The Missouri Attorney General's (AG) office has vehemently opposed every prosecutorial attempt to correct these wrongs. Our state and the rest of the nation is left to wonder - why are Missouri prosecutors fighting each other rather than joining together in good faith to pursue just outcomes?
The Missouri AG office's opposition to correcting wrongful convictions is neither new nor unique to Christopher Dunn's case. For decades now, once a conviction is in place, the office has refused to acknowledge or address any mistakes, even when a person successfully proves their innocence in court.
Missourians hope that the new AG, Andrew Bailey, has the clarity of conscience to start a new chapter in which justice outweighs finality.
This New Republic article explores in-depth.
Of course, a sentence of life without parole is no less deadly than a lethal injection or an electric chair. It just takes longer for the person to die. This unbelievable situation is owed to the 2016 Lincoln v. Cassady precedent.
In his three-part series, attorney Peter Tomasek of Interrogating Justice takes a unvarnished look at the evidence - and lack thereof - that sent 19-year-old Christopher Dunn to prison for the rest of his life.
Christopher Dunn Series - Part III - Presumption of Innocence
Below, CBS Inside Edition asks why Christopher Dunn is still in prison after a judge declared him innocent.
Missouri's failure to acknowledge innocence is unbefitting a territory of the United States of America. It doesn't belong in a place that calls itself the Land of the Free
Instead of protecting society from criminals, wrongful convictions create more victims. They prevent victims and their families from receiving justice, and they seriously erode public trust in the justice system.
If innocence doesn't matter, then guilt doesn't matter - so why have laws at all?
Change may be coming, but so far, Missouri is in no rush. Missouri 2023 House Bill (HB) 360 would empower judges to review, decide, issue orders, and vacate a claim if there is clear and convincing evidence supporting the claim. Sponsored by Representative Kimberly Ann Collins, HB 360 still has not been sent to the House Judiciary Committee.
If HB 360 or a similar bill gains bipartisan support someday, Missouri may join the remainder of the country in recognizing innocence.
The question is - will Christopher Dunn be around to see that day? The 18-year-old locked up in 1990 is now a 51-year-old man with three heart attacks under his belt. How long can Chris wait on the wheels of justice to turn?
KCTV5's Angie Ricono investigates Chris' case and follows up after the Missouri Supreme Court declines to hear the case without explanation.
Investigative report
Supporters are demanding justice for Christopher Dunn
Supporters are asking the Missouri Supreme Court to hear Christopher Dunn's case.
What does it take to free an innocent person in Missouri?
Supporters around the U.S. cry out, "Free Christopher Dunn!"
#JusticeforChristopherDunn #JusticeforRecco #FreeChrisDunn #FreetheMissouriThree #FreeChristopherDunn