United States ยท Minnesota, Hennepin County
Marvin Haynes: wrongly convicted, exonerated
Convicted of Murder in a 2004 robbery at a Minneapolis flower shop, committed when he was 16.
Convicted2005
Years in prison19
Exonerated11 December 2023
How the conviction was overturnedCourt vacated the conviction, ruling the eyewitness identification evidence was unconstitutionally admitted, and dismissed all charges with prejudice, Hennepin County District Court (Judge William Koch), with the agreement of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office1,2
What went wrong
- Mistaken witness identification from flawed photo lineups
- No fingerprints, DNA or video linked him to the crime
From conviction to exoneration
- Convicted at trial of murder.1,2
- Judge William Koch vacated the conviction and dismissed all charges with prejudice, and he was released from prison at age 35.1,2
Today
Exonerated and free since December 2023.
Sources
- Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Marvin Haynes release (11 December 2023)
- Associated Press (via PBS NewsHour), Man imprisoned as teen for flower shop killing is released after judge throws out his conviction (11 December 2023)