Brian Pippitt

In January 2026, represented by the Great North Innocence Project and Centurion, Brian Pippitt was released from prison after serving over 26 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  

A horrible murder

In 2001, Brian Pippitt was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Ms. Evelyn Malin. Ms. Malin’s body was discovered in February 1998 at her residence, which attached to the Dollar Lake Store in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Based on unsubstantiated rumors fueled by a reward for information, investigators developed a theory that five Native American men, many of whom who came from different families, did not like each other, and had no reason to be together, were involved in Ms. Malin’s murder.

At the time of the murder, investigators theorized that these five men, including Brian, broke into Ms. Malin’s store to steal beer and cigarettes, and murdered her in the process.

The Conviction Review Unit uncovers a deeply flawed investigation

Represented first by Centurion, then later with the Great North Innocence Project joining Brian’s legal team, the two innocence organizations brought Brian’s case to the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit. the CRU found that the State’s theory of Ms. Malin’s murder was “wholly incongruous with the evidence.”

The CRU investigation found new evidence demonstrating that no beer or cigarettes were stolen from the store, nor was any money missing. The store was left untouched, while Ms. Malin’s personal residence was ransacked. Additionally, the supposed means of entry into the store, a very small broken basement window, was staged to appear that it was broken from the outside, but instead had been broken from the inside. Forensic testing on the window found no DNA or other evidence left behind by Brian or any of the other men accused of the crime, despite allegedly having climbed through a small window with shattered glass.

Additionally, the other means of entry or exit to the premises was a front door with a deadbolt lock. When first responders arrived to the crime scene, they found the front door still locked, suggesting the person who entered and exited the premises had a key.

Incentivized Testimonies

Brian was convicted largely based on testimony from Raymond Misquadace, who told the jury that he was present with Brian and three others as they broke into the store, stole cigarettes and beer, and murdered Ms. Malin. Mr. Misquadace testified as part of a plea deal in which he resolved other outstanding felony charges in return for his testimony. The State bolstered Mr. Misquadace’s story with testimony from a jailhouse informant, Peter Arnoldi, who claimed Brian confided in him about his participation in Ms. Malin’s murder. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) also submitted testimony that said Brian and the other men entered Ms. Malin’s residence through the basement window and exited out the front door.

Mr. Misquadace has now admitted to fabricating his confession with the help of police. GNIP and Centurion also learned that Mr. Arnoldi was psychotic at the time of his testimony against Brian, received a secret benefit from prosecutors for his testimony, and now disavows his original testimony, which lacked any credibility to begin with. Finally, forensic evidence supplemented with new forensic analysis thoroughly disproves Mr. Misquadace’s original testimony and supports his recantation.

Additionally, two credible alternative suspects were never fully investigated, nor presented to the jury during Brian’s trial.

A step toward exoneration

In September 2025, the Minnesota Board of Pardons voted to commute Brian’s sentence, clearing the way for his release from prison. The decision by the Pardon Board followed an affirmative vote by the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission in April 2025 recommending that Brian’s sentence be commuted. In recommending clemency, the Commission emphasized the compelling proof of Brian’s factual innocence. 

“I intend to live the rest of my time on Earth in peace.”

— Brian Pippitt

The fight is not over

Centurion and GNIP are committed to pursuing a full exoneration for Brian in court. In June 2024, the organizations filed a petition for post-conviction relief on behalf of Brian on the grounds of his actual innocence. With the clemency process behind him, Brian will continue the fight to clear his name while he navigates his new life of freedom.

Donate now to Brian’s GoFundMe Campaign

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