Christopher Dunn will remain in prison after the Missouri Supreme Court entered a last-minute stay Wednesday evening, essentially pausing a St. Louis circuit court ruling that overturned his conviction on Monday.
The ruling, made by St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser, was put on hold after Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Wednesday obtained assistance from the higher court in halting Dunn’s release.
Dunn has been in custody for more than 33 years after he was convicted of murder and assault in 1991. In Sengheiser's ruling, he found the evidence was lacking and that Dunn was innocent of the charges.
But Dunn remained in custody at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking two days after the circuit judge ordered his immediate release. In a virtual emergency hearing Wednesday afternoon, Sengheiser gave South Central's warden until 6 p.m. to release Dunn or face being held in contempt. He noted that defiance of a court order would not be tolerated.
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