Wrongful Convictions

A jury convicted Christopher Dunn of a 1990 murder based solely on testimony from two adolescent boys who later recanted. Although a judge has ruled that Dunn would likely not be convicted without them, a quirk of state law means he remains beyond bars.

Dunn is optimistic about his freedom but also cautious: “I've been down this road before.”

Illinois leads nation in overturned wrongful convictions, but has one of the lowest repayment structures.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s predecessor, Kim Gardner, filed a similar motion just days before she left office. Gore withdrew the motion in June to conduct his own review of the case.

Johnson had long maintained he did not shoot and kill Marcus Boyd in 1994. A judge ruled last year that “clear and convincing” evidence showed Johnson was innocent and freed him after 28 years.

Neither Lamar Johnson nor Kevin Strickland have received compensation from the Missouri for the decades they spent wrongfully incarcerated. That’s because Missouri law only allows for payments to prisoners who prove their innocence through specific DNA testing — which was not the case for either man. A new Missouri Senate bill would change that.

Attorney Lindsay Runnels of the Kansas City-based law firm Morgan Pilate has represented Lamar Johnson since 2015. Johnson was freed this week after serving 28 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Lamar Johnson isn’t eligible for state restitution because DNA evidence wasn’t used to overturn his murder conviction.

A Missouri judge says no jury today would convict Christopher Dunn. Why is he still in prison?

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker shares her thoughts on wrongful convictions in Missouri and the motion to vacate conviction filed in the Michael Politte case in Washington County.