Man freed after 26 years in prison for murder he maintains he did not commit

Today, Centurion Ministries d/b/a Centurion and the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that their client Brian Pippitt is free. This morning, the Department of Corrections released Mr. Pippitt from custody following the Minnesota Pardon Board vote to grant him a sentence commutation in September. About his release, Mr. Pippitt said, “After many hurdles, I…

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Sentence commuted in case of man who Minnesota Conviction Review Unit determined is innocent

Today, Centurion Ministries d/b/a Centurion and the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that the Minnesota Pardon Board voted to commute the sentence of their client, Brian Pippitt, clearing the way for his release from prison after 26 years of incarceration. 

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Bryan Hooper, Sr. exonerated after spending 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced Thursday that Bryan Hooper, Sr. has been exonerated and is expected to be released from Stillwater Correctional Facility today. In her decision vacating the conviction, Judge Marta Chou found that “Mr. Hooper’s conviction was tainted by false evidence and that without this…

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Great North Innocence Project client pardoned, exonerated 18 years after release from prison

Today, the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that its first-ever client, Sherman Townsend, received a full pardon on the basis of innocence for his 1998 conviction of first-degree burglary. The Pardon Board voted unanimously to grant Mr. Townsend’s pardon request. 

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Great North Innocence Project client’s convictions vacated after 16 years of wrongful incarceration

Today, the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that its client Edgar Barrientos-Quintana’s convictions have been vacated. Mr. Barrientos-Quintana was convicted of murder and attempted murder in the tragic death of teenager Jesse Mickelson in Hennepin County and sentenced to life without parole in May 2009. In his decision, Judge John McBride found that defense…

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Genetic genealogy proves Great North Innocence Project client’s innocence, identifies actual perpetrator

The Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) and its pro bono partners at the Minneapolis law firmChestnut Cambronne, PA, announced today that their client Robert Bintz, along with his brother David Bintz who isrepresented by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, will be released from Oakhill Correctional Institution after spending 25 years in prison for a crime he…

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Hennepin County Attorney’s Office agrees Great North Innocence Project client’s conviction should be vacated based on actual innocence

Today, the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) filed a petition in support of post-conviction relief for GNIP client Edgar Barrientos-Quintana based on his actual innocence. Mr. Barrientos-Quintana has spent nearly 16 years wrongfully incarcerated for a homicide that he did not commit. The HCAO’s filing states that…

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Great North Innocence Project to review number of embattled Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s cases

Today, the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) announced that it will participate in Phase 3 of the independent review of Ramsey County cases involving the medical opinions of Dr. Michael McGee. Dr. McGee is the retired Chief Medical Examiner for Ramsey County and served in the role from 1985 to 2020.

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Minnesota Conviction Review Unit (CRU) finds Great North Innocence Project client innocent, recommends exoneration

Today, the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) filed a petition for post-conviction relief in Hennepin County District Court for their client Edgar Barrientos-Quintana based on his actual innocence. Mr. Barrientos-Quintana has spent nearly 16 years wrongfully incarcerated for a homicide that he did not commit. The filing comes after a comprehensive review of his case…

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