ST. LOUIS — A judge has vacated the sentence of Christopher Dunn, who served 33 years in prison after being convicted of murdering a teenager in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood in St. Louis, a crime Dunn has long held he didn't commit.
Judge Jason Sengheiser on Monday granted St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore's motion to vacate Dunn's conviction for first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action, ordering the state of Missouri to immediately release Dunn from custody.
"The Court finds, even with a few troubling aspects of this case, the Circuit Attorney has made a clear and convincing show of 'actual innocence' that undermines the basis for Dunn's convictions," Sengheiser wrote in his judgment, "because in light of the new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt."
Dunn had been serving a life sentence without parole at the state prison in Licking, Missouri.
He was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers based largely on the testimony of two boys — 14-year-old DeMorris Stepp and 12-year-old Michael Davis Jr. — who said they witnessed the shooting. Both later recanted, claiming they were coerced by police and prosecutors.
A hearing was held in May after Gore's office filed a motion seeking to vacate the 1990 guilty verdict, citing “clear and convincing evidence of Christopher Dunn's actual innocence.” A Missouri law adopted in 2021 allows prosecutors to request such hearings when they see evidence of a wrongful conviction.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.