A Minneapolis man who maintained his innocence for 19 years has been freed from prison following a judge’s ruling that his original trial was unfair.
Marvin Haynes, 35, was released from prison on Monday after serving 19 years in prison for the murder of 55-year-old Randy Sherer back in 2004, the Associated Press reported. His release came after a judge ruled that eyewitness evidence used in Haynes’ trial was unreliable, an issue on which the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office agreed with defense attorneys.
“I just want to thank everybody that supported me through this whole journey,” Haynes told reporters outside the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater after he was released. “And now y’all can recognize that I’m actually innocent.”
Haynes was 16 when he was accused of killing Sherer, a clerk in a flower shop. After he was convicted in 2005, Hayes exclaimed in court that he “didn’t kill that man!” He looked at the jury as he yelled, adding, “They’re all going to burn in hell for that.”
His attorneys have argued that detectives pressured witnesses to point the finger at Haynes by threatening them, The New York Times reported. Detectives also reportedly ignored evidence that pointed away from Haynes as the killer and an improperly conducted photo lineup.
The sole witness in the crime was initially shown a photo lineup that did not include Haynes. When she picked a photo and said she was 75-80% sure that was the killer, police learned the chosen man had been in a different state at the time of the killing, so the witness was shown a second lineup. This one included an old photo of Haynes with short hair, which he had since grown long. The witness didn’t identify Haynes this time around but did identify him as the killer during a third lineup and in her trial testimony, the AP reported.
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The Innocence Project assisted in Haynes’ release, with attorneys from the organization showing in court that Haynes did not match the description of the killer, who was much older than Haynes at the time, as well as larger and taller.
After being released, Haynes said at a news conference with his attorneys, family, and even Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who works for the same prosecutor’s office that convicted Haynes in 2005. Haynes said at this conference that he hopes to get a job, and the first thing he would do is visit his mother, who had a stroke several years ago.
“I shed tears,” he said, according to the AP. “I haven’t cried so much in 19 years. I’m so excited. Overwhelmed with emotion.”
Moriarty also spoke at the press conference.
“We inflicted harm on Mr. Haynes and his family, and also on Randy Sherer, the victim, his family, and the community,” she said. “We cannot undo the trauma experienced by those impacted by this prosecution. But today we have taken a step towards righting this wrong.”