ST. LOUIS — In the span of three days this week, a Missouri man who has been in prison for more than three decades has had his murder conviction overturned and his release twice blocked.

On the second occasion, Wednesday, Christopher Dunn’s wife says he was just moments away from walking out of prison as a free man. Kira Dunn called the whole ordeal ‘cruel,’ and said she’s been forced to become numb over the rollercoaster legal battle.

“Yesterday was one of the best days and one of the worst days of my life,” Kira Dunn said.

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Christopher Dunn has spent 34 years behind bars for the 1990 murder of Ricco Rogers. But on Monday, St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser overturned his conviction, citing “actual innocence” in the 1990 killing.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey immediately appealed Dunn’s release, and the state Department of Corrections declined to release Dunn.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion Wednesday urging the judge to immediately order Dunn’s freedom.

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“The Attorney General cannot unilaterally decide to ignore this court’s order,” Gore wrote.

On Wednesday, that same judge overruled Bailey.

But just as Dunn was about to walk out of prison, the Missouri Supreme Court halted Dunn’s release, issuing a ruling that put his freedom on hold.

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Kira said she doesn’t understand why Bailey is fighting what she called the judge’s “courageous” order so hard.

“All of this takes courage, and it’s rare. And to see another part of the state try to slap that down and try to kill it, I just don’t understand it,” Dunn said. “The people who should be allies are fighting each other, and in the meantime, there’s an innocent person sitting there in a cage.”

A spokesperson for Attorney General Andrew Bailey issued the following statement to FOX 2:

“Throughout the appeals process, multiple courts have affirmed Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction. We will always fight for the rule of law and to obtain justice for victims.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s office gave FOX 2 this statement:

“We are preparing a response to the Attorney General’s writ to prohibit the enforcement of Judge Sengheiser’s order directing Mr. Dunn’s immediate release, which we will file on or before 5 p.m. July 26, 2024, as directed by the Supreme Court. It is our hope that after the Court fully considers the merits of this matter, Judge Sengheiser’s order directing Mr. Dunn’s immediate release will be enforced.”

Kira Dunn said that in the meantime, they’re caught up in between.

“We just don’t’ know what’s going to happen,” Dunn said. “We hope this is it, but we’re not sure.”

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