1991 Shooting Conviction Led to Life Sentence

ST. LOUIS, MO (February 7, 2024) — St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore today filed a motion with the 22^nd Judicial Circuit Court seeking to vacate the murder conviction of Christopher Dunn, 54, for the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers on May 18, 1990, in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood.

Dunn was convicted in 1991 of first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The case against Dunn rested on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy – both of whom later recanted.

“The eyewitness recantations alone are enough to show clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence in this case,” Gore said. “Justice requires that Christopher Dunn’s murder conviction be vacated.”

Last year, Gore appointed Booker Shaw as Special Assistant Circuit Attorney to assist the Circuit Attorney’s Office in reviewing Dunn’s case. Shaw is the former Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, and served as a judge in the 22^nd Judicial Circuit Court from 1983 to 2002. He is currently a partner in the St. Louis law firm of Thompson Coburn and has been working on a pro bono basis on the Dunn case review since mid-July.

“My office is indebted to Booker Shaw, whose experience and legal acumen were invaluable in helping conduct an exhaustive review of the facts of the case,” Gore said.

The next step in the process is for the court to order a hearing before a judge in the 22^nd Circuit to consider the evidence presented at Dunn’s original trial, additional evidence presented in Dunn’s direct appeals and post-conviction proceedings, and additional information and evidence presented at the hearing.

There will be a media availability with Circuit Attorney Gore at noon today in Room 500 of the Carnahan Courthouse, 1114 Market St., St. Louis 63101.

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