A man who has served 33 years in a Missouri prison for a murder he says he did not commit is getting a new day in court. A hearing on the matter of wrongful conviction is in progress, and his wife is going public with her hopes for his success.
52 year-old Christopher Dunn received a sentence of life without parole for his conviction on the charge of first-degree murder in the death of 15 year-old Rico Rogers, who was shot down in May of 1990.
Dunn, who was 18 at the time of the crime, was not linked to the murder by physical evidence. Instead, his conviction cam courtesy of eyewitness testimony by two young men, aged 12 and 14, who claimed to have seen Dunn near the scene just before hearing the gunshots which killed Rogers.
The two witnesses, Michael Davis Jr. and DeMorris Stepp, recanted their testimonies in 2015 and 2005 (respectively). They claimed that their testimony had been coerced by police and prosecutors. Officials with Missouri’s office of the Attorney General point out that prosecutors and detectives have testified that they never coerced, threatened, or manipulated the witnesses into giving their incriminating statements.
Christopher Dunn met his wife, Kira Dunn, when she was tasked with writing an article on his case. She later married him in a prison ceremony. She spoke with Linsey Davis of ABC News Live Prime, saying that she has been working with Dunn’s family over the last several years to fight for her husband’s release. They are, she said, allowing themselves some cautious hope—but that they know from experience that such hopes can be dashed on a moment’s notice.
During the hearing, the defense argued that the witnesses’ testimony was unsure, uncertain, and inconsistent. Such testimony should not be enough to send a man away for life.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, maintained that despite the recantation, both witnesses identified Dunn from a photo lineup. They are confident in the integrity of the conviction.
