Wrongful Conviction Day is October 2, and we’d love for you to join us for a special evening of film, conversation, and reflection on the realities of wrongful conviction.
On Friday, October 2, from 6–8 p.m., we’ll gather at the University of Montana’s North Underground Urey Lecture Hall for excerpts from the unreleased documentary The Murder That Never Happened, which tells the story of Jimmie “Chris” Duncan, who spent 27 years on Louisiana’s death row before being released in 2025.
In 1993, Chris was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the alleged murder of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux. His conviction relied heavily on testimony from forensic analysts Steven Hayne and Michael West, including bite-mark evidence that is now widely discredited. Years later, a videotape surfaced showing West using a mold of Chris’s teeth to create the supposed bite marks on Haley’s body—evidence that the jury never saw.
New evidence ultimately showed that Haley’s death was a tragic accident, and in 2025 a Louisiana judge found Chris factually innocent and overturned his conviction. He was released after 27 years on death row. In June 2026, the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the finding of factual innocence.
Chris’s story raises difficult questions about what happens when junk science is presented as fact, when the desire to hold someone accountable overtakes the evidence, and when the systems we rely on to uncover the truth fail.
Following the screening, Chris will be joined by fellow exoneree Maria Shepherd and award-winning documentarian Catherine Legge for a conversation about the film and the larger questions it raises about justice.
Together, they’ll explore junk science, the responsibility of juries to critically examine evidence, the emotional pressure to hold someone accountable, bad actors within legal systems, the death penalty, and the ways these issues can contribute to wrongful convictions.
Montana Innocence Project leadership will also join the conversation, connecting the themes of Chris’s story to the work we do every day to represent people who have been wrongfully convicted and unjustly incarcerated in Montana.
We hope you’ll join us. The event is free and open to everyone.
Content Warning
This event will discuss junk science used to falsely accuse someone of sexual assault of a child.
Please use care when deciding whether to attend. We will provide additional warnings when particularly difficult topics arise, and attendees are always welcome to step out.
We believe these conversations matter. Talking openly about how junk science and other failures can lead to wrongful convictions is essential to understanding what went wrong and how we can work toward more just outcomes.
Watch the trailer for The Murder That Never Happened:
EVENT DETAILS
Wrongful Conviction Day: Film Screening & Conversation
Friday, October 2, 2026 | 6–8 p.m.
North Underground Urey Lecture Hall | University of Montana
Free and open to the public
Refreshments provided
CLE credits pending
We hope to see you there!
