After spending nearly three decades on death row at Louisiana’s notorious Angola prison, Jimmie “Chris” Duncan walked out on bail today, marking a pivotal moment in a case that legal experts call a gross miscarriage of justice involving “junk science” and forensic fraud.
The release follows a ruling in May 2025 by Judge Alvin Sharp of the 4th Judicial District, who determined that clear and convincing evidence proves Duncan is factually innocent of the crime that put him behind bars.
Duncan was originally convicted for the 1993 murder of toddler Haley Oliveaux, a charge that Judge Sharp ruled was based on discredited forensic analysis and ineffective legal counsel.
While the State appeals the order overturning the conviction to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the court granted Duncan’s release on bail.
“Mr. Duncan’s release marks a significant step forward in his decades-long fight for justice — but the fight is not over,” said Chris Fabricant, an attorney with the Innocence Project representing Duncan. Fabricant noted that Duncan’s incarceration was based on “fraudulent forensics” and “patent misconduct” by the State, calling the potential execution a “moral outrage.”
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The case against Duncan relied heavily on the testimony of Dr. Steven Hayne and Dr. Michael West, two analysts who have since been linked to at least nine other wrongful convictions.
During a six-day evidentiary hearing in September 2024, the defense presented shocking new evidence, including a videotape showing Dr. West using a mold of Duncan’s teeth to press “bite marks” into the victim’s body—marks that were later used to match Duncan to the crime at trial. The jury in 1998 never saw this footage.
Furthermore, evidence emerged regarding Dr. Hayne’s workload at the time of the autopsy. Records show Hayne was performing between 1,200 and 1,300 autopsies annually, more than five times the maximum recommended by the National Association of Medical Examiners. Two board-certified pathologists testified recently that Hayne’s autopsy was superficial and his conclusions scientifically unsupported.
The court’s order highlighted a “wide divide” between the narrative presented at the original trial and the medical reality. Evidence presented at the recent hearings suggests the death of 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux was a tragic accident rather than a homicide. In the weeks leading up to her death, the child had suffered seizures and skull fractures from a fall. Medical experts now believe these injuries likely triggered a seizure while she was in a warm bathtub, leading to accidental drowning.
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A Mother’s Reversal
Duncan’s release was welcomed by his own family as well as surviving relatives of the victim, including Haley’s mother, who has publicly supported claims of Duncan’s innocence. During his 27 years on death row, Duncan maintained a clean disciplinary record, worked as a GED tutor for other inmates, and was a dedicated participant in the prison ministry program.
Allison Layton Statham, whose 23-month-old daughter Haley Oliveaux died in the incident, told the court she is now convinced of Duncan’s innocence.
For years, prosecutors argued Duncan raped and drowned the child. However, Statham testified that she now believes her daughter, who had a history of medical issues, died from an accidental drowning triggered by a seizure in the bathtub.
According to the Innocence Project, the toddler had suffered a series of seizures and fall-related injuries leading up to her death—medical context that paints a very different picture than the one presented to the jury in 1998.
“Haley died because she was sick,” Statham said, according to court records. She told the judge that her family and Duncan had been “destroyed by the lie” concocted by forensic experts and prosecutors.
“The horror story that they put out and desecrated my baby’s memory makes me infuriated,” Statham said.
The legal battle is not entirely finished. The Louisiana Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the State’s appeal in early 2026. However, Judge Sharp’s recent bail order noted that the proof of guilt is not evident and there are no legally sufficient grounds to prosecute Duncan further.
“Mr. Duncan is one step closer to the life stripped away from him so many years ago,” said attorney Scott Greene. “We are committed to reaching the moment when he walks as a fully free, innocent man.”
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