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Christopher Dunn freed from prison after 1991 murder conviction overturned

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Christopher Dunn freed from prison after 1991 murder conviction overturned


A Missouri man was freed from prison Tuesday after his murder conviction was overturned after 34 years behind bars, despite the state attorney general’s efforts to keep him there.

“I never gave up because my family never gave up,” Christopher Dunn said from the steps of the downtown St. Louis courthouse. “It’s easy to give up in prison when you lose hope. But when the system throws you away, you have to ask yourself if you wanted to just settle for it or fight for it.”

Dunn, 52, reunited with his wife, Kira Dunn, as he was officially released from the St. Louis city jail Tuesday night. As his release drew imminent, he was driven by van from the state prison in Licking, Missouri, to St. Louis, about 140 miles away.

A St. Louis circuit judge overturned Dunn’s murder conviction on July 22 and ordered his immediate release. But Dunn remained imprisoned amid a chaotic process that began when Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed to try and keep Dunn locked up.

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When asked about the delay since the judge’s ruling, Dunn said, “It was testing. To hear the decision by the judge and then be prepared to leave on Wednesday, only to be brought back to prison. It was torture.”

Wrongful Conviction Missouri
Christopher Dunn emerges from a St. Louis courtroom with his wife, Kira, in St. Louis, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, after being freed following 34 years in prison. A judge overturned Dunn’s conviction on July 22.

Jim Salter / AP


Dunn’s release marks the second time in recent weeks that a person was freed from prison despite Bailey’s appeals to keep them in custody after a murder conviction was overturned.

Sandra Hemme was freed July 19 from a western Missouri prison after serving 43 years for a murder that a judge deemed there was evidence of her “actual innocence.” Bailey’s office also opposed Hemme’s release while an appellate court reviewed the case. She walked out of the prison only after a judge threatened Bailey with contempt if she wasn’t freed.

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Political scientists and some attorneys have said Bailey was taking the tough stance to shore up votes in advance of a contested Republican primary. He faces a challenge from Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, in the Aug. 6 primary.

At one point last week, Dunn was minutes away from getting out of prison after the circuit judge, Jason Sengheiser, threatened a warden with contempt if he wasn’t released. But then the Missouri Supreme Court agreed to consider the case, temporarily halting his freedom.

Then on Tuesday, the state’s highest court issued a ruling stating that the St. Louis circuit attorney needed to confirm it had no plans to retry Dunn before he could be freed. Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore immediately filed a memorandum stating he would not seek a new trial, setting in motion the process toward Dunn’s freedom.

A statement from the Midwest Innocence Project said Dunn “is coming home.”

“We are thrilled that Chris will finally be reunited with his family after 34 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit,” the statement read. “We look forward to supporting Chris as he rebuilds his life.”

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Earlier Tuesday, leaders of the Missouri NAACP and other organizations said that politics and racism were behind Bailey’s effort to keep Dunn behind bars. State NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. said at a news conference that Bailey “superseded his jurisdiction and authority” in appealing Sengheiser’s ruling.

“What’s happening now is another form of lynching,” said another speaker, Zaki Baruti of the Universal African People’s Organization.

Bailey’s office, in an earlier statement, said the effort to keep Dunn in prison was warranted.

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

Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion in February seeking to vacate the guilty verdict. A hearing was in May.

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

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposed the effort to vacate Dunn’s conviction. Lawyers for the state said at the May hearing that initial testimony from two boys at the scene who identified Dunn as the shooter was correct, even though they later recanted as adults.

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

In a recorded interview played at the hearing, Davis said he lied because he thought Dunn was affiliated with a rival gang.

Stepp’s story has changed a few times over the years, Gore said at the hearing. Most recently he has said he did not see Dunn as the shooter. Gore said another judge previously found Stepp to be a “completely unreliable witness” and urged Sengheiser to discount him altogether.

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

Tristin Estep, the assistant attorney general, said that alibi could not be trusted and that Dunn’s story has shifted multiple times over the years. Dunn did not testify at the hearing.

A Missouri law adopted in 2021 lets prosecutors request hearings when they see evidence of a wrongful conviction. While Bailey’s office is not required to oppose such efforts, he also opposed another effort in St. Louis that resulted in Lamar Johnson being freed last year after serving 28 years for a murder case in which a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted.

The 2021 law has resulted in the release of two men who each spent decades in prison. In addition to Johnson, Kevin Strickland was freed in 2021 after more than 40 years for three killings in Kansas City after a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted in 1979.

Another hearing is approaching for Marcellus Williams, who narrowly escaped lethal injection and is now facing another execution date.

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St. Louis County’s prosecutor believes DNA evidence shows that Williams didn’t commit the crime that landed him on death row. DNA of someone else — but not Williams — was found on the knife used in the 1998 killing, experts said.

A hearing on Williams’ innocence claim begins Aug. 21. His execution is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Bailey’s office is opposing the challenge to Williams’ conviction, too.



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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Midday: 9-4-0

Midday Wild: 0

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Evening: 5-3-9

Evening Wild: 1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Midday: 9-7-1-7

Midday Wild: 5

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Evening: 4-8-6-3

Evening Wild: 8

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

Early Bird: 10

Morning: 10

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Matinee: 14

Prime Time: 10

Night Owl: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

05-20-24-28-33

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Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

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Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

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When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
  • Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
  • Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
  • Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
  • Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Missouri lawmakers propose water and power usage requirements for data centers

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Missouri lawmakers propose water and power usage requirements for data centers


Data centers in Missouri would have to follow a set of requirements on electricity and water usage under legislation recently introduced in the House.

“It’s going to work on keeping our utility rates stable so that our folks throughout Missouri, not just St. Charles, but throughout Missouri, are not subject to price jolts and shocks,” said Rep. Colin Wellenkamp, R-St. Charles.

Wellenkamp and another St. Charles County Republican, Rep. Mike Costlow of Dardenne Prairie, have filed legislation titled the AI Infrastructure, Grid Integrity and Water Resource Protection Act. They spoke to reporters about the bill on Wednesday.

The legislation focuses on both electricity and water regarding data centers and, according to the sponsors, extends off a utility bill passed last year in the legislature.

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On the electric side, the legislation requires large-load consumers, like data centers, that come to Missouri to pay for the necessary costs to provide them with electricity, including grid infrastructure upgrades.

“We have to make sure that that cost is not passed on in any situation to consumers. We want to protect our residents first, before we start to look to reap the benefits of this kind of investment into our state,” Costlow said.

The water infrastructure section of the bill involves a permit requirement from the Department of Natural Resources for large water users.

“If your facility is going to use more than 2 million gallons of fresh water per day, which is a lot, or 80% of the available capacity of that locality, you have to seek a DNR permit to do that,” Wellenkamp said.

If water usage goes even further, Wellenkamp said the bill would require the building out of freshwater capacity for the locality so that “no one is left in an insecure water environment.”

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“We want AI infrastructure. We want a data driven economy. We want that development in our city. We want it in our county. It has to be done right,” Wellenkamp said.

According to Wellenkamp, doing it right means not compromising resources.

Cities are grappling with how to proceed concerning the increase in data centers in Missouri.

Wellenkamp’s district includes part of the city of St. Charles, where a yearlong moratorium on data centers was enacted last year. The St. Charles Planning and Zoning Commission voted this month to delay a vote on a proposed ban on data center development.

In March, St. Louis’ Zoning Section will hear a data center proposal after months of debate over the project.

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Ultimately, Costlow said his bill is not intended to be against data centers or AI.

“We have a lot of the strengths that data centers are looking for. We have a lot of water. We have some of the cheapest power in the United States. We have some of the best data connectivity on long haul, dark fiber of anywhere in the Midwest,” Costlow said. “This is a place that data centers can come with very little impact, as long as we put the right guardrails around them.”

The legislation in the House hasn’t been sent to a committee yet, meaning it still has a long path to passing both the House and Senate.

Wellenkamp hopes the legislation gets a hearing quickly.

“It has a lot of interest. It has a lot of movement. But I would say, more importantly, and this is the best arrow in the quiver, it has a lot of urgency,” Wellenkamp said.

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The legislation is HB 3362 and HB 3364





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Kansas City man faces charges in 2025 shooting death of Missouri State student

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Kansas City man faces charges in 2025 shooting death of Missouri State student


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, man faces charges in the November 2025 shooting death of Elayjah Murray, 18.

Eric R. Phillips II is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse.

He was previously identified as a person of interest in the case.

Phillips was charged on Dec. 3, 2025, in Jackson County under seal. The case was unsealed Feb. 25.

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Kansas City, Missouri, police were notified early Nov. 28 of the shooting, which took place in Independence.

The reporting party told police Phillips shot her girlfriend, Murray, three times in the face, according to a court document.

RELATED | Family seeks answers 2 months after Missouri State student found shot to death in Independence

While officers were speaking with the victim, a witness came up to police and said she had video from a Ring device that covers the hall between her apartment and the apartment the victim was in.

The witness told police she heard Phillips and the victim arguing, with Phillips saying he would “take care of it” after mentioning there was a dead person in the backseat of his car, per the court document.

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Multiple reports were made to the Independence Police Department on the morning of Nov. 28 by family members of Murray, who were worried she had possibly been shot or was dead.

Because of the circumstances, Independence police entered Murray as a missing person.

The following day, Nov. 29, Independence was notified about a death investigation in Kansas City. Investigators were able to match the description of the deceased to Murray.

Murray’s girlfriend told investigators the night, Nov. 27 into Nov. 28, started with her, her cousin, Murray and Phillips going to multiple family locations, having a good time listening to music and taking shots.

Shortly before 3 a.m., Phillips said he had to abruptly take everyone home.

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Phillips dropped off the cousin before heading toward Independence to take Murray home.

When he arrived, the girlfriend got out to open the door for Murray to exit. That’s when Phillips shot Murray.

RELATED | KSHB 41 confirms murder suspect worked for Raytown School District in 2025

The girlfriend told police Phillips said he was told to kill her, and he refused to go to a hospital. She also said Phillips threatened she would be next if she didn’t get back in the car.

Phillips drove the two to their uncle’s residence, where the victim ran inside. Once Phillips left, she called police.

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Surveillance video from the intersection of 23rd Street and Liberty in Independence captured the shooting, which happened shortly before 4 a.m. Nov. 28.

A court document stated the footage captured the sound of three gunshots and at least two muzzle flashes from inside the vehicle.

Investigators located the phones of Murray and Phillips in gas station trash receptacles. But through historical cell phone data, investigators were able to determine Phillip’s phone pinged in the area where Murray’s body was located about 90 minutes after the shooting.

Additionally, the neighbor’s Ring video captured Phillips telling a story around 10:15 p.m. Nov. 27 about a gay man who was shot in the face in Florida.

The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office reports Phillips is not in custody.

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As law enforcement continues to work to locate him, anyone with information is urged to call Independence police at 816-325-7300.

Anonymous tips can be called in at 816-474-8477 or submitted online at kccrimestoppers.com.

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.

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