“I didn’t kill that man. They all going to burn in hell for that, I swear.” The final article in our investigative series The Case of Marvin Haynes focuses on the trial that led to Haynes’ conviction and life sentence for a 2004 Minneapolis murder despite no physical evidence and based on false allegations by coerced and threatened teenage jailhouse witnesses. Read part four here or click the image below. Haynes awaits a response from the Conviction Review Unit - see our new special here.
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Marvin Haynes was only 16 when he was locked up. Now a grown man of 35-years-old, Haynes, his family and advocates have been working tirelessly to get him exonerated and freed from prison. On May 19, 2023, the 19th anniversary of his incarceration, a rally demanding his release took place at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. Watch the rally as it occured in the embed below.
Rally Demands Marvin Haynes’ Release from 19 Years Wrongful Imprisonment in Minnesota
In December 2022, Minnesota's first-ever Conviction Review Unit (CRU) received an application for Haynes' full exoneration. The CRU has received nearly 1,000 applications of wrongful incarceration to review but with only a couple paid staff and four grants in two years, impacted families complain about lengthy waits while the CRU say they lack capacity and funding. Created to prevent, identify, and remedy wrongful convictions, the state’s first-ever CRU began accepting applications in August 2021 — after the first quarter of 2023, it had completed only one official investigation.
Seeking transparency on the unit as time continues to pass, advocates and families of many wrongfully incarcerated people languishing in Minnesota prisons have publicly confronted the CRU, complaining of inaction. One of the main organizers behind the demands for expediency is Marvina Haynes, the sister of Marvin Haynes.
Relatedly - A prisoner in MCF-Faribault tells Unicorn Riot that inmates are mistreated by indignant correctional officers, are not provided promised educational opportunities and are shoveled into “working in the sweat shops” for less than 50 cents an hour. Read Minnesota Inmate Calls on DOC to ‘Value Us as Human’ and the full statement here.
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