Haley Oliveaux, the 23-month-old daughter of Duncan's girlfriend, died by drowning on 18/12/1993, while Duncan was watching her. Duncan told investigators he briefly looked away from the girl in the bathtub, then found her face down in the water and unsuccessfully attempted resuscitation. Initially, Duncan was charged with negligent homicide.

However, the case took a different turn after Haley's body was examined by forensic pathologist Steven Hayne. Hayne claimed he found marks resembling bite marks and suggested forensic dentist Michael West examine them. West then told prosecutors that the marks on Haley's body matched Duncan's teeth. Hayne concluded the girl had been sexually assaulted, bitten, and drowned.

Subsequently, the charges against Duncan were elevated to first-degree murder.

However, a previously unreleased 26-minute video showed West pressing and rubbing Duncan's dental molds onto Haley's skin dozens of times during the autopsy.

Many forensic experts stated that these actions created the bite marks used to bolster the prosecution's case against Duncan.

Prosecutors did not present this video as evidence at Duncan's 1998 trial, despite defense attorneys requesting to view it before the trial. Instead, the jury heard testimony from another forensic dentist, who offered an opinion based on photographs rather than the video.

After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Duncan and sentenced him to death in 1998.

The video's content became central to a new appeal effort after the Innocence Project joined Duncan's legal team in 2022. During a 6-day evidentiary hearing in 2024, Judge Alvin Sharp expressed "horror" after watching it.

"He was clearly creating marks on the child's body", the judge stated.

Dental molds being pressed onto the victim's skin. *NBC*

In 4/2025, Judge Sharp vacated Duncan's conviction, citing the "unreliable" scientific evidence presented by Hayne and West, along with deficiencies in Duncan's original trial defense.

On 29/6, the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously upheld this ruling, stating that new post-conviction evidence "undermined the core factual premises relied upon by the prosecution". The court also found that identifying the alleged bite marks on Haley's body as caused by Duncan was "scientifically indefensible".

Duncan is one of at least 10 individuals, and the 4th death row inmate, identified as wrongfully convicted based on discredited forensic conclusions by Hayne or West.

Jimmie "Chris" Duncan embraces his parents upon his release on bail in 11/2025. *Innocence Project*

However, Duncan's legal battle may not be over.

During arguments at the Louisiana Supreme Court in April, prosecutor Steve Tew argued that Duncan's conviction did not rely on bite mark evidence. "We do not need bite mark evidence to prove Mr. Duncan was alone in the apartment with the child", Tew said.

As of July, prosecutor Tew still intends to retry Duncan, despite the Louisiana Supreme Court's ruling.

Duncan, 57, was released on bail in 11/2025. He shared his hope that his case would help prevent similar wrongful convictions.

By Tue Anh (According to People, NBC)