Fifty-two-year-old Christopher Dunn was 19 when he was sentenced to life in jail with out parole for the taking pictures demise of a young person in 1990. Court docket paperwork that have been filed on Friday searching for a Missouri courtroom to dismiss his conviction acknowledged that no bodily proof linked the incarcerated Black man to the homicide of Ricco Rogers, CNN reported.
The paperwork additionally acknowledged that the eyewitness testimony of a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old was used as a foundation to convict Dunn, including that these two people later recanted their testimony beneath oath and admitted they gave a false account of the homicide.
Dunn’s mom and sister additionally took the stand throughout the appeals course of, testifying that the incarcerated Black man was watching tv at dwelling on the night time Rogers was killed. They additional stated that Dunn, who was convicted in 1991, had a cellphone dialog with a pal throughout that interval as effectively, the movement acknowledged.
“For the final 33 years, Mr. Dunn has been incarcerated for against the law in which there’s clear and convincing proof he didn’t commit,” the St. Louis Circuit Legal professional’s Workplace stated in an announcement on Monday. “We’ve an moral responsibility to work to right this injustice.”
The prosecutors, within the assertion, additionally stated, they’re hopeful the Black man’s “wrongful conviction is put aside for the sake of Mr. Dunn, his household, and the individuals of the town of St. Louis.”
The movement acknowledged that Dunn’s case was reviewed by a Texas County Circuit Court docket decide in 2020. After analyzing the proof, the decide reportedly stated “The courtroom doesn’t imagine that any jury would now convict Christopher Dunn beneath these information.”
Regardless of the case evaluation, Missouri legislation doesn’t give the decide the ability to overturn a conviction on the grounds that an individual is harmless, CNN reported. That may solely be carried out if the person has been sentenced to demise.
Legal professionals for Dunn stated that Missouri is the one state that has a legislation of such nature. “Till the legislature modifications the legislation, solely a prosecutor can petition a courtroom to free an harmless defendant sentenced to something lower than demise,” his attorneys stated in a information launch.
Tricia Rojo Bushnell, who’s the chief director of the Midwest Innocence Mission, instructed the information outlet {that a} listening to on the prosecutor’s movement will likely be held by a circuit courtroom, including that different inmates who’ve been wrongfully convicted have gained their freedom via this course of.
Bushnell additionally added that although the Missouri lawyer normal can partake within the listening to, the choice on the movement is made by the decide. Additionally it is unknown if a date has been set for a listening to on Dunn’s case.
“We thank the circuit lawyer’s workplace for her efforts to pursue justice in Chris’ case, and we sit up for presenting the proof of his innocence to the courtroom,” Dunn’s attorneys stated.
