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Crime, Law and Justice
MPR News Staff

Man wrongfully convicted of 2008 Minneapolis murder freed from prison

A man stands near a tree.
Edgar Barrientos-Quintana, pictured here, was released from the state correctional facility in Rush City Wednesday following an order issued by a Hennepin County judge.
Courtesy of Great North Innocence Project

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A man imprisoned for a 2008 Minnesota murder is now out of prison after a judge vacated his sentence. 

Edgar Barrientos-Quintana was released from the state correctional facility in Rush City Wednesday following an order issued by a Hennepin County judge. 

In 2009, Barrientos-Quintana was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Jesse Mickelson in Minneapolis. Earlier this year, the state’s Conviction Review Unit determined that serious flaws were made in the case, and that Barrientos-Quintana should be freed. Most significantly, new evidence showed Barrientos-Quintana was miles away from the shooting scene. 

“We are thrilled with today’s outcome and that justice has finally prevailed for Edgar,” said Anna McGinn, an attorney from the Great North Innocence Project, who represented Barrientos-Quintana. “The tragedy of Mr. Mickelson’s murder was compounded by Edgar’s wrongful conviction and incarceration. We are all looking forward to seeing the impact he will inevitably make outside of the prison walls.”

A spokesperson for the innocence project issued a statement from members of Barrientos-Quintana’s family expressing their gratitude for his release. 

“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,” reads the statement. “He has a lot of ground to cover.”