Help Edgar Rebuild After 16 Years of Wrongful Incarceration

On November 6, 2024, Edgar Barrientos-Quintana was exonerated and released from prison after spending nearly 16 years behind bars for a crime that he did not commit.

Upon learning of Edgar's exoneration, his family shared, "As a family, we express our gratitude to God for granting Edgar’s freedom. He has missed out on so many precious moments, including watching his children grow up, attending graduations, birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations with the family, and the loss of our beloved dad. He has a lot of ground to cover. Finally, my mom will be able to have her son back at the family dinners, and the place that has been vacant for so long will be filled with his laughter and presence once again. Edgar's journey has been one of resilience, strength, and unwavering faith. Despite the challenges and obstacles that he has faced, he has never lost hope. His spirit is an inspiration to us all, a testament to the power of perseverance and the human capacity for endurance.”

Nearly 11 years ago, the Great North Innocence Project began investigating Edgar's conviction and later represented Edgar in his application to the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit (CRU), a division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. The CRU then completed their own 2-year independent investigation. Both entities discovered problematic, troubling findings, and ultimately concluded Edgar is innocent.

The Crime

Edgar was sentenced to life without parole in May 2009 for a drive-by shooting in South Minneapolis that killed teenager Jesse Mickelson, an innocent bystander to the presumed gang-related violence. His conviction was largely based on testimony from juvenile eyewitnesses who had connections to a rival gang, and a juvenile who was a supposed accomplice to the shooting. No physical evidence ever linked Edgar to the crime and the murder weapon was never recovered.

A Flawed and Troubling Investigation

The Great North Innocence Project and CRU investigations found that Edgar had a credible alibi for the time of the shooting. Although the crime occurred in South Minneapolis, Edgar was seen on surveillance video at a grocery store in East Saint Paul less than 33 minutes prior to the first 911 call regarding the shooting. Phone records from Edgar’s phone also disproved the supposed-accomplice's claim that Edgar contacted him by phone to coordinate the shooting.

Additionally, the CRU agreed with the Great North Innocence Project that investigators used highly problematic eyewitness identification procedures that went against established best practices. Similar to the case of Marvin Haynes, the Great North Innocence Project client who was exonerated in December 2023, investigators used an old photo of Edgar in photo lineups that more closely matched eyewitness descriptions of the shooter. Furthermore, according to the CRU report, investigators “contaminated witnesses’ memories on the shooter’s hair length through leading questions.” Investigators also failed to utilize a double-blind procedure when administering lineups, despite it being Hennepin County policy at the time.

The CRU’s comprehensive review of the case file found that investigators used interrogation tactics that were suggestive, threatening, and coercive to juvenile witnesses. The CRU report also notes that investigators “fed a juvenile accomplice witness details of the crime.” Furthermore, the CRU determined that the state either failed to provide, or did not provide in a timely fashion, exculpatory evidence to Edgar's attorney before his trial as required by the United States and Minnesota Constitutions. Finally, the Great North Innocence Project and CRU investigations determined that Edgar’s defense counsel was ineffective on numerous fronts, including failing to present exculpatory evidence and failing to challenge the investigators’ and eyewitnesses’ testimony during trial. In sum, the jury did not receive all of the information related to witness descriptions of the shooter, the various impossible stories told by the juvenile so-called accomplice, or Edgar’s credible alibi.

Progress Toward Justice for Edgar

In August 2024, the CRU released the findings of its comprehensive investigation. The report stated that the results of their investigation “convincingly establishes Barrientos’ innocence and that he was convicted of a crime that he did not commit.” Shortly thereafter, the Great North Innocence Project legal team filed a petition for post-conviction relief based on Edgar’s actual innocence.

In response, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed a petition in support of post-conviction relief for Edgar. The filing stated that the office “can no longer stand behind the integrity of the convictions that resulted from the trial.”

The following November, Judge John McBride vacated Edgar’s conviction and the state filed to dismiss all charges, exonerating Edgar on the basis of his innocence.

What Now?

Reentering society after nearly 16 years of incarceration, especially while innocent, is no easy task. Exonerees re-join society with virtually nothing – no savings, no bank account, no driver’s license, no car or home, no credit or rental history, and no employment history. Edgar will need support as he rebuilds his life, bonds with his children and family, and heals from wrongful incarceration.