LOUISIANA — April 28, 2025 — A Louisiana judge has dismissed the conviction of Jimmie Christian Duncan, a man who spent 26 years on death row at the state’s Angola prison for the death of his girlfriend’s toddler daughter. Duncan’s conviction was overturned last Thursday after what Mother Jones described as a “fierce, decades-long effort to prove his innocence.”
Originally arrested in 1993, Duncan was charged with negligent homicide after the child, Haley, drowned in a bathtub under his care. His charges were later upgraded to capital murder based on controversial bite mark analysis. The case was detailed in a report published by Mother Jones and Bolts.
Mother Jones noted that from 1976 to 2015, 80% of Louisiana’s death row cases were reversed. Duncan’s trial relied heavily on bite mark analysis by Dr. Steven Hayne and dentist Michael West—two forensic figures now widely discredited and associated with multiple wrongful convictions. The method itself has since been classified as junk science.
In dismissing the case, District Court Judge Alvin Sharp ruled that Duncan had “successfully demonstrated his claim of factual innocence” through new evidence unavailable at the time of trial. This evidence included a videotape showing West pressing a mold of Duncan’s teeth into the victim’s body—effectively fabricating bite marks.
According to Mother Jones reporter Piper French, Duncan is the last man on Louisiana’s death row whose conviction stemmed from work by Hayne and West. The dismissal marks the end of their death penalty-related cases. However, Duncan remains incarcerated as state officials weigh whether to challenge the ruling or pursue new charges.
Duncan’s case is the first to be overturned under Louisiana’s 2021 “factual innocence statute,” signed by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards. The law expanded post-conviction relief options by allowing incarcerated individuals to present new facts, not just constitutional claims.
“I’m scared to have full joy because I ain’t walked out that gate yet,” Duncan told Mother Jones. “It’s been a really, really long and difficult time.” He praised his legal team, saying, “I would need a notepad to write down all the attorneys I owe thanks to.”
The evidentiary hearing in 2024 marked a turning point. Experts testified that the bite mark evidence was scientifically invalid and that Haley’s death was likely accidental. Capital defense attorney Jim Boren also testified that Duncan’s original lawyers lacked experience in capital cases. The court ultimately found Duncan had “carried his burden” under the new factual innocence statute.
Still, Mother Jones reported that Duncan’s future is uncertain. Ouachita Parish District Attorney Steve Tew could appeal the ruling or pursue lesser charges. With much of the evidence now discredited or lost, and key figures such as Dr. Hayne deceased, a retrial would be difficult.
The DA’s office did not respond to requests for comment, and Duncan’s legal team declined interviews.
The case comes amid a broader political push in Louisiana to accelerate executions and restrict post-conviction relief. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who took office in 2024, has criticized the factual innocence statute as a “woke, hug-a-thug policy.” He has advocated for harsher sentencing laws and shifted post-conviction authority from local DAs to the attorney general.
Landry’s administration has legalized new execution methods, including nitrogen gas, and shielded them from public scrutiny. In March, Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman—Duncan’s close friend—via nitrogen gas, the state’s first execution in 15 years. “The state has got the wrong agenda, and Jessie had to pay the price,” Duncan told Mother Jones.
Lawmakers have also introduced bills that limit compensation and relief for the wrongfully convicted, placing others like Duncan at risk of losing legal pathways to freedom. Duncan warned that such laws would “make it easier to send inmates to the execution chamber,” especially those whose cases involve procedural failures but not newly-discovered evidence of innocence.
“How is that okay?” Duncan asked.
