Missouri Prison Defies Court Order Again, Keeps Wrongfully Convicted Inmate Behind Bars

Dunn’s predicament is comparable to that of Hemme, 64, who was incarcerated for 43 years after fatally stabbing a woman in St. Joseph in 1980. On June 14, a court reversed her conviction after citing proof of her “actual innocence.”

The Midwest Innocence Project, which spearheaded the efforts to liberate Hemme and Dunn, claimed that she had been the longest-held wrongfully jailed woman in American history.

Hemme, however, remained incarcerated at the Chillicothe Correctional Center as a result of Bailey’s appeals, which went all the way to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Judge Ryan Horsman stated at a Friday court session that Bailey would have to appear in court with contempt of court on the table if Hemme wasn’t freed in a few hours. Later that same day, she was set free.

In addition, the judge chastised Bailey’s office for phoning the warden of Chillicothe and instructing prison authorities not to release Hemme following his directive for her release on her own recognizance. It was unclear if Dunn’s jail authorities received a similar call from the attorney general’s office.

Kira, Dunn’s wife, stated that they wouldn’t fully celebrate until he is out from jail.

In the shooting death of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers in 1990, Dunn was found guilty of first-degree murder. In an attempt to overturn the guilty decision, Gore submitted a request in February.

Prosecutors have the right to ask for hearings upon discovering evidence of erroneous convictions, according to a Missouri statute passed in 2021.

Bailey’s office did object to such efforts during a hearing for Lamar Johnson, who served 28 years in prison for murder, even though they are not obligated to. Johnson was released in February 2023 when a different St. Louis court declared that he had been unfairly convicted.

Marcellus Williams, a prisoner on death row, will have another hearing on August 21. Additionally, the challenge to Williams’ conviction is being opposed by Bailey’s office.

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There is a sense of urgency around this hearing. Williams’ execution is set for September 24.

Wesley Bell, the prosecutor for St. Louis County, submitted a move in January to overturn Williams’ conviction for the 1998 fatal stabbing of Lisha Gayle. According to Bell’s motion, three experts concluded that Williams’ DNA was not found on the butcher knife handle that was used in the murder.

Williams had previously narrowly avoided execution. In order to look into the innocence claim, then-Gov. Eric Greitens created a board of inquiry and issued a stay in 2017. Like Greitens, a Republican, Gov. Mike Parson abolished the board last year without issuing a verdict.

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