ST. LOUIS — Christopher Dunn, sentenced in 1991 to life in prison for a murder he maintained he didn’t commit, is a free man after prosecutors dismissed charges on Tuesday, a move that was largely procedural following weeks of wrangling between the courts and the Missouri attorney general.
Dunn, who spent the past 34 years in prison for a 1990 St. Louis murder, was met with cheers as he stepped out onto the steps of the Carnahan Courthouse just before 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Joined by St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts, Dunn addressed a crowd that had gathered outside the courthouse, thanking prosecutors, advocates, and family members for supporting him.
By his side was his wife and his attorneys with the Midwest Innocence Project.
"St. Louis, listen. It was 34 years ago that they took me away from you," Dunn said. "It shouldn't have been this long. Nor should it have taken this long for everyone to want to come forward now.
"All I can ask you to do is give the system a chance to work itself out. You have to give the system a chance to work itself out. But at the same time, we can't give up on each other. That's what St. Louis has done for the last 34 years. I had to watch it from afar. And now, let's see if we can get things together."
Dunn was convicted for the murder of 15-year-old Recco Rogers. The witnesses, who were 12 and 14 at the time, have since recanted their testimonies. Dunn has maintained his innocence during the 34 years he spent behind bars.
St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser last week granted Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore's motion to vacate Dunn's conviction, ordering the state of Missouri to immediately release Dunn from custody.
But his release was put on hold when the state prison in Licking, where he was being held, ignored the court’s order, saying it was awaiting the outcome of an appeal by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey against Sengheiser’s ruling.
Sengheiser, in response, ordered the warden to release Dunn from custody by 6 p.m. Wednesday or be found in contempt of court.
Dunn was “literally a few steps away from freedom,” his wife Kira Dunn said, when he learned the Supreme Court of Missouri had granted Bailey’s request for an emergency stay of his release.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled Sengheiser had the authority to vacate the conviction of Dunn, but not to order his immediate release from prison. Instead, the court said in a 10-page ruling that Gore had to formally drop the charges against Dunn.
It was largely a procedural move, as Gore, who filed the initial motion to vacate Dunn’s sentence, had advocated for Dunn's release for months.
Gore’s office dropped the charges Tuesday afternoon, roughly 90 minutes after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Dunn was transferred to the custody of the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office and released shortly after arriving back in St. Louis.
“Throughout the appeals process, multiple courts have affirmed Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction," Bailey's office said in a statement last week. "We will always fight for the rule of law and to obtain justice for victims.”
When asked if he had a message for Bailey, Dunn said, "Have a nice life."
Dunn said he forgives those who participated in his prosecution.
Bailey's office did not respond Tuesday to multiple requests for comment regarding Dunn's release.
After speaking to reporters, Dunn tightly squeezed his mother.
Martha Dunn reacted by saying, "It was great, it was great."
Dunn said the first thing he wanted to do was get a St. Louis baseball cap and go to Busch Stadium to watch the Chicago Cubs.
He added, "It's time to move forward. But until then, y'all take care. Don't forget those still left behind."
It was the second time in weeks a Missouri prison had ignored an order to release a wrongly convicted inmate.
Dunn's situation is similar to what happened to Sandra Hemme, 64, who spent 43 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a woman in St. Joseph in 1980. On June 14, a judge cited evidence of “actual innocence” and overturned her conviction. She had been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to the Midwest Innocence Project, which worked to free Hemme and Dunn.
However, appeals by Bailey — all the way up to the state Supreme Court — kept Hemme imprisoned. During a court hearing earlier this month, Livingston County Judge Ryan Horsman said if Hemme wasn’t released within hours, Bailey would have to appear in court with contempt of court on the table. She was released later in the day.
The Midwest Innocence Project created a GoFundMe for Dunn. The link can be found here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.