OUACHITA PARISH, Louisiana — Jimmie “Chris” Duncan walked free last week after spending 27 years on death row, but Louisiana prosecutors are still seeking to reinstate his death sentence despite a judge overturning his conviction earlier this year. Duncan, now 57, was released after the state Supreme Court declined to block his bail, allowing him to reunite with family the day before Thanksgiving.
Judge Alvin Sharp vacated Duncan’s conviction in April after finding that key forensic evidence used at trial — particularly bite-mark analysis presented by longtime state experts Dr. Steven Hayne and forensic dentist Michael West — was “not scientifically defensible.” A joint investigation by Verite News and ProPublica raised substantial concerns about the original case, including video footage showing West pressing a mold of Duncan’s teeth onto the child’s body during his examination. Multiple experts now view bite-mark evidence as unreliable, and at least nine prisoners have been exonerated after being convicted based partly on work from the same two experts.
Prosecutors, however, are urging the state Supreme Court to restore Duncan’s death sentence, maintaining he is responsible for the 1993 death of 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux. Duncan’s legal team counters that new medical analysis suggests an accidental drowning, and a jailhouse informant has recanted testimony used at trial.
Duncan is living with family as he awaits the next phase of appeals. Oral arguments are expected in early 2026, and the case could ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
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