Yesterday, a Hennepin County District Court vacated the 2009 first-degree murder conviction of Edgar Barrientos Quintana after the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office's Conviction Review Unit (CRU) found evidence supporting his innocence. Following this decision, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office dismissed the case against Barrientos, who spent 16 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Barrientos was convicted for the October 2008 murder of Jesse Mickelson, an 18-year-old high school student. The CRU's investigation uncovered significant evidence that had not been presented to the jury during Barrientos's trial. This included corroborating alibi evidence and discrepancies in eyewitness descriptions.
Attorney General Ellison commented on the development: “I established Minnesota’s first-ever Conviction Review Unit to identify and correct wrongful convictions.” He expressed gratitude towards Barrientos's attorneys and acknowledged the collaboration with the Hennepin County Attorney. Ellison also extended thoughts to Mickelson’s family and friends, acknowledging their ongoing wait for justice.
The CRU initiated its review after Barrientos applied for it, leading to an extensive investigation that revealed several critical errors in his original trial. These findings included exculpatory evidence that was never heard by the jury and inaccuracies in how evidence was presented.
The CRU report is available on their page within the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office website. It marks one of three such reports issued by the unit since its inception. Previous cases include Brian Pippitt and Thomas Rhodes, whose convictions were also recommended for vacation by the CRU.
In October 2020, Attorney General Ellison announced the creation of Minnesota’s statewide CRU. The unit began accepting applications from individuals claiming wrongful conviction in August 2021.