Wrongful convictions are, of course, devastating for the individual who is wrongfully incarcerated. A wrongfully convicted person loses their freedom, time with loved ones, and the opportunity to build up savings. They miss out on holidays, funerals, and the chance to build a career. Some lose out on the opportunity to have children. Others have their name plastered across media channels labeling them a criminal, when they did nothing wrong.
A wrongful conviction has devastating ripple effects across time, across families, and across communities, too. There is no instruction manual or one-size-fits-all model to heal from a wrongful conviction, not for the freed person or their loved ones. It demands time and space for the sharpness of these ripple effects to dull and for individuals, families, and communities to metabolize the injustice.
Starr Hansen knows this more than most. As the daughter of exoneree Michael Hansen, she has born the brunt of a wrongful conviction’s ripple effects and is an example of how an individual and a relationship, in this case that of father and daughter, can persevere and evolve in the face of loss, grief, and protracted injustice.
Starr, Mike, and Mike’s partner Shayley at the Benefit for Innocence
A Father is Wrongfully Convicted
Starr, who is now 24 years old, was born and raised in Wadena, Minnesota. When she was three years old, her father, Michael Hansen, was convicted of murder in the death of her baby sister, Avryonna. Mike would go on to spend over 6 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. The Great North Innocence Project ultimately succeeded in winning Mike a full exoneration, and he was freed from prison in 2011. Starr was nine years old.
Her father’s wrongful conviction and incarceration took a toll on Starr. She recalls how hard it was to grow up in a community where many people really believed her dad had committed murder, and the anger she would sometimes feel because of this.
She mourns for her younger self who grew up without a physically present father figure. Even though she talked to her dad at least once a week on the phone and they consistently exchanged letters, Starr acknowledges it’s not the same as having a dad physically in her life.
“A lot of people don’t understand how much was taken from me and my sister. In my case, I didn’t allow myself to have a dad figure. I knew my dad was there and fighting for me, and so I never gave myself a figure like that in my life. I spent six and a half years wanting something I couldn’t have, and that was incredibly difficult. I think that really changed something in the chemistry of me growing up. I love the person I am today, but it’s easy to think about the what if’s.”
Starr didn’t visit her dad very much in prison. Her mom was mindful of how young she was and how difficult it would be for a young kid to see her father in that context. She remembers one of the two times she did visit her father with particular clarity, though. It was right before Mike was ultimately released.
“I remember my grandma got me all dolled up in a pink shirt, and I hated pink,” she laughed.
Starr walked into the visiting area holding her grandfather’s hand. She was given instructions about the rules for visitation—she could give her dad a hug and a quick peck on the cheek but then needed to stay seated.
“I remember it very clearly. I was looking around the room and I see him stand up. He had a big smile on his face and he opened his arms. From that moment, it’s like I had a third person view. I watched myself walk over there, and he scooped me up. We pecked each other on the cheek. I don’t remember what we talked about. I just remember, I couldn’t stop looking at him.”
It felt surreal to be in her father’s physical presence.
“You make a relationship through the phone, but it’s entirely different having someone in front of you. I could not stop looking at him…It was kind of this moment that was like, that’s my dad, that’s the guy I’ve been waiting on forever.”
A New Kind of Anxiety
Starr was nine years old when Mike was finally released and exonerated. The experience of welcoming her dad back into her life post-incarceration was exciting, but very confusing, and also painful.
“After he got out, I realized that of course there was relief and that feeling of finally, my dad is here and he’s back and we can try and rebuild this relationship. But, I also grew this anxiety and fear that I wasn’t going to be the person he made me to be in his head, or he wouldn’t be what I imagined in my head. This anxiety built up over years until I was about 15 or 16. I really struggled with that and built a wall between us.”
Starr not only had to navigate the normal hardships and complexities of becoming a young woman, but had to do so while also learning about who her dad was now, and what a father and daughter relationship looked like after a wrongful conviction. There is no guidebook for this journey, and Starr says it took a lot of time for her and her father to find their footing.
Starr also notes the importance of loved ones on this journey. She specifically credits her father’s partner, Shayley, for being a helpful mediator as she and her father dove into difficult conversations.
A Relationship Renewed
Starr and her father’s relationship evolved and progressed after she and her boyfriend decided to move to Northfield, where her dad and Shayley live. In her young 20’s, Starr was trying to decide what career she wanted to pursue. Like her dad, Starr is an artist.
Mike and Starr at Kinship Collective
“I always knew I wanted to do something in the realm of helping people. I also wanted to do something in the art realm–I’m a big crafter of many mediums, and I really like painting, jewelry-making, and drawing.”
In 2021, Starr and her boyfriend Gibson decided they needed a change and moved from Wadena to Northfield. It was a decision that would change the trajectory of Starr’s career and her relationship with her father, both for the better.
“It was one of the best decisions because it made me and my dad so much closer. We have an entirely different relationship now than when I first moved.”
Mike owns his own tattoo shop, Kinship Collective, and is a successful tattooist. After the move, Starr began wondering if pursuing a career in tattooing like her dad could be a good fit for her, too. She slowly introduced the idea to her dad.
Sometime later, the piercer at her dad’s shop was moving, and her dad offered her the opportunity to join the team as a piercing apprentice. She jumped at the chance. She was first trained by the shop’s piercer, Frank. After he left, her dad took over her apprenticeship supervision. The experience only served to bring Starr and her father closer, and taught her more about him and herself.
“My dad really taught me the science behind piercings–the angles, things to look out for. He’s a really good teacher in that respect. My dad has also taught me that you always have to own up to your mistakes, and ask for an opportunity to fix them. He’s encouraged me to be honest with myself and with my clients about my capabilities.”
After completing 500 piercings as an apprentice, Starr became a fully licensed piercer, and now she’s been working as a piercer for a little over a year. After she completed her piercing apprenticeship, she moved on to beginning a tattoo apprenticeship, requiring 500 hours of training. She’s excited about her career trajectory, and enjoys the blend of creativity and helping people that the field offers.
“I really like working with people. I’ve made a lot of connections with people, and I’ve had a lot of people come back multiple times. Everytime you learn something new about a person, and you give someone something that makes them feel better or more connected to themselves.”
Throughout her piercing apprenticeship and now well into her tattoo apprenticeship, Starr has learned other lessons about work and life from her dad.
“He always has told me to believe what I believe, and don’t just take what other people tell me. He says to make my own decisions based on what I feel inside, and not based on what people want you to believe or feel–have your morals.”
For now, Starr is continuing to advance in her tattoo apprenticeship. She is loving the journey, and starting to practice tattooing on fake skins. As for the future, she hopes to stay put.
“I want to be at Kinship for the foreseeable future. We love the area, and my dad would love for me to stay here forever. For now, I don’t have a pull to go anywhere else.”