ST. LOUIS – The Supreme Court of Missouri has found that the state has the right to appeal Christopher Dunn’s exoneration, according to a court ruling Tuesday.
Dunn spent 33 years in prison for a wrongful murder conviction in the 1990 murder of Ricco Rogers. He maintained his innocence the entire time. In July 2024, a St. Louis Circuit Court Judge vacated Dunn’s first-degree murder conviction, ultimately leading to his release from prison.
However, in a ruling returned Tuesday, the state’s high court determined that Missouri is an “aggrieved party with a statutory right to appeal.”
That ruling allows the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to challenge Dunn’s exoneration, a move Attorney General Andrew Bailey has sought since the vacated conviction.
The Missouri Supreme Court has now re-transferred the case to the Court of Appeals for further consideration. It’s unclear when the appellate court could take up the matter or if that could lead to further legal proceedings that might affect Dunn’s freedom.