Connect with us

Crime

Missouri judge overturns murder conviction of man sentenced to more than 30 years in prison

Published

on

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge on Monday overturned the conviction of Christopher Dunn, who spent more than 30 years in prison for a murder he long said he didn’t commit.

The ruling will likely free Dunn from prison, nevertheless it was not immediately clear when that will occur. He is serving a life sentence without the chance of parole.

Saint Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser’s decision got here weeks after he presided over a three-day hearing on Dunn’s fate.

Dunn, now 52, ​​was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting death of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. St. Louis District Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion in February to overturn the conviction. A hearing was held in May.

Sengheiser wrote in his ruling that “the district attorney presented clear and convincing evidence of ‘actual innocence,’ which undermines the basis for Dunn’s conviction because, in light of the new evidence, no juror acting reasonably would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Dunn’s attorney, Midwest Innocence Project executive director Tricia Rojo (*30*), said she was “overjoyed” with the judge’s decision.

“Chris now looks forward to spending time with his wife and family as a free man,” (*30*) said in an announcement.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposed the trouble to overturn Dunn’s conviction. Lawyers for the state argued at a hearing in May that the initial statements of two boys on the scene who identified Dunn because the shooter were correct, although they later recanted them as adults.

“This verdict was correct and should be upheld,” Deputy Attorney General Tristin Estep said on the hearing.

Spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said the Attorney General’s Office will appeal.

The decision in Dunn’s case got here days after Sandra Hemme was free of a western Missouri prison after serving 43 years for murder that a judge found unconvicted. Bailey’s office also opposed Hemme’s release.

Featured Stories

A Missouri law passed in 2021 allows prosecutors to request hearings once they see evidence of a wrongful conviction. While Bailey’s office doesn’t have to oppose such actions, he also opposed one other motion in St. Louis that led to Lamar Johnson’s release last yr after serving 28 years for a murder case in which a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted.

Rogers was shot May 18, 1990, when a gunman opened fire while he was with a bunch of other teenage boys outside a house. DeMorris Stepp, 14, and Michael Davis Jr., 12, each initially identified Dunn because the shooter.

In a taped interview played on the trial, Davis said he lied because he thought Dunn was related to a rival gang.

Stepp’s story has modified several times over the years, Gore said on the hearing. Most recently, he said he didn’t see Dunn because the shooter. Gore said one other judge had previously found Stepp to be “a completely unreliable witness” and urged Sengheiser to ignore him entirely.

Dunn said he was at his mother’s house on the time of the shooting. Childhood friend Nicole Bailey testified that she spoke to him on the phone that night and that he was on the phone at his mother’s house.

Estep, the deputy attorney general, said the alibi was not credible and Dunn’s story had modified again and again over the years. Dunn didn’t testify on the trial.

The 2021 law led to the discharge of two men who had spent many years in prison. In addition to Johnson, Kevin Strickland was freed in 2021 after more than 40 years for 3 slayings in Kansas City, after a judge ruled he was wrongly convicted in 1979.

Next month shall be the subsequent trial for Marcellus Williams, who narrowly escaped lethal injection and now faces one other execution.

St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell filed a motion in January to overturn Williams’ conviction in the 1998 fatal stabbing of Lisha Gayle. Bell’s motion stated that three experts determined Williams’ DNA was not on the handle of the butcher knife used in the slaying.

Williams was hours away from execution in 2017 when then-Gov. Eric Greitens halted it and appointed a commission to investigate his claim of innocence. The commission never issued a ruling, and Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican like Greitens, disbanded it last yr.

This month, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Parson had the appropriate to dissolve the board and set a brand new execution date of Sept. 24.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crime

Luigi Mangione, 26, in police custody in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Published

on

By

UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, UnitedHealthcare CEO death, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, Luigi Mangione UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, theGrio.com

New York authorities have identified 26-year-old Luigi Mangione as an individual of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

According to police, a McDonald’s worker recognized Mangione in a photograph taken by NYPD Crime Stoppers and called authorities to report that he was eating at the restaurant, which led to his arrest.

Police say Mangione was carrying an anti-corporate manifesto, false identification and a ghost gun.

Black Girl Disney co-founder Dominique Brown dies from an allergic reaction during the brand's holiday event

“It fits the description we were looking for,” Mayor Eric Adams said. An early NYPD report drew criticism online for calling the suspect a “light-skinned male” fairly than simply saying he was white.

The New York Post reports that Mangione previously attended the University of Pennsylvania, was valedictorian of the highschool in 2016 and had ties to Towson, Maryland. His social media posts indicate motivation related to dissatisfaction with the health care industry.

The shooting gained national attention because of the lukewarm response to Thompson’s death from many voters, who criticized the high insurance denial rate and greed that contributed to the American loss of life.

NYPD officers will now travel to Pennsylvania to query Mangione. Watch the entire press conference below:

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Crime

OJ Simpson’s audio testimony claims have been proven false

Published

on

By

OJ Simpson, O.J. Simpson

OJ Simpson, OJ Simpson

Iroc Avelli, OJ Simpson’s former bodyguard, claimed to have a recording of the late NFL player admitting to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. According to .evaluation of the audio recording showed the claim to be false.

In June 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) contacted the Bloomington, Minnesota police department to realize access to thumb drives confiscated during Avelli’s 2022 arrest.

Bloomington Police Department arrested Avelli for alleged assault in 2022; upon arrest, the police seized Avelli’s backpack and obtained an order to gather relevant evidence on the scene. The backpack contained multiple flash drives that the previous security guard said contained Simpson’s confessions.

According to Peasant! News“search warrant filed in Hennepin County requested by Officer George Harms seek for image pendrives in order that “a full forensic examination could possibly be carried out on all of the pendrives to acquire the recording.”

The Bloomington Police Department didn’t return the drives, opting as an alternative to conduct an internal forensic examination. After a digital forensics specialist examined the drives, Bloomington police didn’t disclose any information of “probative value” to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The further investigation into the Simpson and Goldman murders is strange because on October 3, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of all charges. The former San Francisco 49er maintained his innocence until his death from cancer on April 11, 2024.

After his acquittal, OJ Simpson continued to benefit from his fame. In 1996, the Buffalo Bills player published a book titled If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer. Many found the book’s title and content distasteful and criticized it Naked weapon the actor’s constant presence in celebrity culture.

However, many individuals imagine that Simpson’s acquittal ought to be enough to just accept his presence in all spaces. BLACK ENTERPRISES reports on rapper Cam’Ron’s response to criticism after Simpson was invited on his sports show before his death.

The It is what it’s the host and businessman believes that the accusations – proven in court – shouldn’t result in ostracization. Cam’Ron believes that Simpson’s race may have played a job in continuously questioning his innocence throughout his life.

“Look, if he was guilty, we wouldn’t have him on the show,” he said. “You wish to proceed convicting an innocent man. He is innocent. If it was another person, whiter, you’d all say, “Oh, he’s innocent.” TO BE reported.

It appears that the hearings and investigation into Orenthol James Simpson’s role, or lack thereof, in his ex-wife’s murder will proceed even after his death.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
Continue Reading

Crime

Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

Published

on

By

Suspect Charged In Fatal Shooting Of 3-Year-Old On Thanksgiving

Suspect charged with fatally shooting 3-year-old on Thanksgiving Day

Tatisha Refuge, a 47-year-old New Orleans resident, turned herself in to authorities after the death of 3-year-old Rudy Ratliff. Refuge is charged with “manslaughter by negligence.”

Rudy’s mother, Leshawn Ratliff, lives in Texas but visited Refuge, her foster mother, in the previous few days of Thanksgiving. Nov 8 News.

“I came here on Saturday to pick up my older son. He was here over Thanksgiving break, and I came down on Saturday to pick him up so we could go home on Sunday and they could go back to school on Monday.” Ratliff he said.

While playing UNO, Refuge’s unsecured gun fell from her belt and fired, striking Rudy. Ratliff she recounted how the scene unfolded when she discovered Rudy had been shot.

“I began seeing blood coming out of his chest. That’s once I knew he had been shot. So I called 911.

The mother didn’t wish to wait for 911. Instead, she decided to take Rudy to University Medical Center for treatment. She said that after they arrived at the ability, Rudy seemed to be alive. Unfortunately, 20 minutes later she was informed of his death.

Ratliff she nurtured her relationship with Refuge and is torn now that the accusations involve her foster mother.

“It was a random shooting. His grandfather’s gun fell. It wasn’t within the secure. It wasn’t within the gun position. I believe it went into the pocket and fell out and shot my son,” Ratliff said. “I understand it was a mistake. I imagine in my heart that it was a mistake. I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand.

The grieving mother began a GoFundMe and is asking the general public for help with Rudy’s burial. To support the Ratliff family of their time of need, click here.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending