Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDuncan was held here at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana (AFP/Getty)Jimmie "Chris" Duncan was released from Louisiana's death row after nearly three decades, following the overturning of his 1998 first-degree murder conviction. His conviction for the rape and murder of 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux was vacated after courts deemed the original bite-mark evidence "junk science" and "not scientifically defensible." The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that "no rational juror" would convict Duncan based on the new scientific evidence, which suggests the toddler's death was consistent with accidental drowning. Haley Oliveaux's mother, Allison Layton Statham, testified that she no longer believes Duncan killed her daughter, stating Haley died from an accidental drowning and accusing prosecutors of creating a false narrative. Duncan was released on a $150,000 bond, though prosecutors continue to seek reinstatement of his conviction and the death penalty, with the case remaining under review by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In fullHe spent 27 years on death row. Now a judge says the science used to convict him couldn’t be trustedMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
How bite marks sent a man to death row—and helped set him free decades later
Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDuncan was held here at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana (AFP/Getty)Jimmie "Chris" Duncan was released from Louisiana's death row after nearly three decades, following the overturning of his 1998 first-degree murder conviction. His conviction for the rape and murder of 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux was vacated after courts deemed the original bite-mark evidence "junk science" and "not scientifically defensible." The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that "no rational juror" would convict Duncan based on the new scientific evidence, which suggests the toddler's death was consistent with accidental drowning. Haley Oliveaux's mother, Allison Layton Statham, testified that she no longer believes Duncan killed her daughter, stating Haley died from an accidental drowning and accusing prosecutors of creating a false narrative. Duncan was released on a $150,000 bond, though prosecutors continue to seek reinstatement of his conviction and the death penalty, with the case remaining under review by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In fullHe spent 27 years on death row. Now a judge says the science used to convict him couldn’t be trustedMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
