Minneapolis man's murder conviction overturned after 16 years; State should review MPD's handling of the case

MINNEAPOLIS – After more than a decade behind bars, Edgar Barrientos-Quintana is a free man. He was serving a life sentence for murder, the county's top prosecutor now says he didn't commit.

“You know it’s going to happen. The system is so slow. It will happen. They just don’t know when,” he said.

In 2008, camera crews from the television show “First 48” followed the murder of 18-year-old Jesse Mickelson in south Minneapolis and followed Minneapolis Police Department detectives until they arrested Barrientos-Quintana.

A 130-page report from the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit found that the detective and then-Minneapolis police Sgt. Christopher Gaiters, who was forced to testify, did not disclose evidence at trial and completely fabricated parts of the episode.

The judge wrote that Gaiters “repeatedly lied” to Barrientos-Quintana, and when he testified at trial, he “either forgot one of the most relevant facts at the beginning of the investigation or he committed perjury in order to convict Mr. Barrientos-Quintana.” .” .”

Last summer, Gaiters was appointed to a new position: Assistant Chief of Community Trust.

“We know that people make mistakes, we all know that. The criminal justice system makes mistakes. Sometimes mistakes slip through the cracks of our legal system,” said Carrie Sperling, who works for the Conviction Review Unit of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

In a ruling overturning Barrientos-Quintana's convictions and ordering his release, Judge John McBride found that Barrientos-Quintana did not receive a fair trial.

Barrientos-Quintana's attorney failed to effectively represent him and prosecutors failed to present substantiated evidence, said Hennepin County Prosecutor Mary Moriarty. Investigators also used coercive employment and interrogation tactics, resulting in unreliable eyewitness identifications, she added.

Security footage showed Barrientos-Quintana at a grocery store shortly before the shooting, and the attorney general's office pointed to phone records not presented in court that captured him at his girlfriend's suburban apartment shortly after the shooting. The Conviction Review Unit found he would not have been able to travel to and from the crime scene during this time.

Reviewers also blamed police for showing an old photo of Barrientos-Quintana with a shaved head to eyewitnesses who had described the suspect as bald. Security footage showed Barrientos-Quintana had short, dark hair at the time of the shooting.

“Nothing can give Mr. Barrientos-Quintana back those 16 years, and for that we are so sorry,” Moriarty said. “When the criminal justice system does not operate ethically, it causes significant harm. Harm to the defendant, who in this case spent 16 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.”

The state's Conviction Review Unit said it has re-examined more than a thousand cases so far. This is the third time a case has been recommended to be dropped.

State law enforcement should review MPD's handling of the case

Minnesota state law enforcement will review how the Minneapolis police handled the case.

Less than two months ago, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said he was confident that police investigating the 2008 murder of Jesse Mickelson in south Minneapolis acted with the “highest integrity.”

On Tuesday, O'Hara said in a statement to WCCO that he had asked the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to take another look.

In September, O'Hara supported Gaiters' work on the case following a review by the Minneapolis Police Department.

“I am confident that the Minneapolis Police Department investigators acted with the utmost integrity and professionalism and followed all evidence available to them using established investigative methods,” O’Hara said at the time.

In his statement Tuesday, O'Hara said of Gaiters: “I have come to know Assistant Chief Gaiters as a deeply committed and humble public servant. “He is extremely qualified to serve as Assistant Chief of Community Trust and Engagement and I am grateful.” He continues to serve our residents every day.

The slain man's family supported Barrientos-Quintana on Tuesday, saying they were grateful he could be home for the holidays.