Minnesota Man Exonerated After 20 Years Wrongfully Convicted

A Minneapolis man is free after spending 18 years in prison after a judge vacated his conviction in a high-profile murder case. 

Marvin Haynes walked out of the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater today after his 2005 conviction for the shooting of a north Minneapolis flower shop employee was vacated. Haynes, who was 16 at the time, claimed he was home sleeping when 55-year-old Harry (Randy) Sherer was killed. Haynes' alibi was supported by family members. 

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office confirms that Hennepin County Judge William Koch signed an order Monday setting aside Haynes' conviction and that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty agrees that Haynes and his legal team have proved his constitutional rights were violated during the 2005 trial. In a statement following the news of Haynes' release, Moriarty said that the conviction was based almost exclusively on eyewitness identification, with no forensic evidence like DNA, fingerprints or surveillance video to connect Haynes to the crime. 

Additionally, Moriarty's statement said “Nearly 28 percent of exonerations involve eyewitness identification. Doing the right thing sometimes means we must seek to undo the harms of the past, not defend them. And that is what we have tried to do today. It is not easy to admit and correct our wrongs. But it is necessary,

The vacating of Haynes' murder conviction came after a November 28th hearing. during which his legal team with the Great North Innocence Project raised a number of challenges to the murder conviction, among them that the suspect lineups used to convict were constitutionally defective. Haynes' legal team maintains that the original trial relied on "false evidence" from witnesses and "constitutionally defective eyewitness identification evidence." Haynes' attorneys claim that important eyewitness testimony in the case "should have been suppressed because it was the result of highly suggestive identification techniques and was wholly unreliable."

Andrew Markquart, Haynes' attorney, said his team was "thrilled" watching him leave Stillwater. He said they're introducing new legislation in an effort to prevent the same outcome in similar cases. He also added that the defense team will explore compensatory options for Hayne's wrongful conviction and incarceration, but said at this point they're "taking one step at a time."

"He is a man who has every right in the world to be bitter, but he’s not," Markquart said. "I can’t wait to see what this next chapter of your life has in store for you."

“I just want to thank everybody that supported me through this whole journey. And how ya’ll can recognize that I’m actually innocent,” Haynes said. “I’m just happy that I can correct my narrative. That’s it. I’m so happy.”

You can visit Justice for Marvin Haynes to read more about his story.