He was 18 when the door closed on him and 52 when it finally opened again. Christopher Dunn’s life split in half the night he was convicted of a murder he always said he did not commit. He was a teenager in St. Louis in 1991, accused of killing 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. There was no physical evidence. No clear link. Just the words of two boys, 12 and 14, who later admitted they were pressured and afraid. But those words were enough to give him life without parole.

Dunn watched the world change from behind bars. He grew from a young man into an older one, living decades under a sentence that never allowed hope. He kept saying he was innocent, even when no one was listening. Even when courts said the law couldn’t help him. Even when the years kept stacking.

Then the truth finally caught up. Both boys recanted. New witnesses came forward. The St. Louis prosecutor reviewed the case and agreed the conviction could not stand and that no jury today would find him guilty.

On June 17, 2024, after 34 years, a judge vacated his conviction. But the Missouri Attorney General's office appealed, attempting to keep Dunn incarcerated despite the judge's order. The judge had to threaten the warden with contempt for them to release him.

Dunn walked out of prison a free man, his hair gray, his body older, but his voice steady. He entered as a boy. He returned as an elder. But he finally returned.

His case highlights the complexities of the justice system and the ongoing challenges faced by those wrongfully convicted. Dunn is now advocating for reform, sharing his story to raise awareness and support efforts to correct wrongful convictions in Missouri...