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MN CRU recommends to vacate 1998 murder conviction
The Minnesota Conviction Review Unit (CRU) has recommended that Brian Pippitt be "granted post-conviction relief based on his actual innocence" after the CRU determined he was wrongfully convicted in the 1998 murder of Evelyn Malin, who was found dead in her Aitkin County home.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man who was convicted in a 1998 murder in Aitkin County has had his sentence commuted Wednesday.
Brian Pippitt's sentence commuted
What we know:
The Minnesota Board of Pardons voted to commute the sentence of Brian Pippit after he was convicted of first-degree murder in 2001, according to the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.
The sentence commutation comes after a 2024 recommendation from the Conviction Review Unit (CRU), which said that Pippitt should be exonerated based on the "insurmountable reasonable doubt of Pippitt's guilt."
According to the Attorney General's Office, the vote to commute Pippitt's sentence was also based on good behavior in prison and the length of time Pippitt served compared to his codefendants.
Pippitt has spent over 20 years in prison for the murder.
The CRU shared the 118-page report which shows the rationale behind its recommendation:
What they're saying:
"I am glad Mr. Pippitt’s sentence was commuted today, and I am proud of the work my office’s Conviction Review Unit did to help get us to this point," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. "I created our Conviction Review Unit because, while no system of justice is perfect, we should always strive for perfection and when wrong is done, we must work to correct it. I will continue to do everything I can to help build a more perfect justice system that does right by all Minnesotans."
The murder of Evelyn Malin
The backstory:
In February 1998, Evelyn Malin was found dead in her Aitkin County home, which was attached to the Dollar Lake Store. During the trial, a man testified he was with Pippitt and three other men when they broke into the store and took cigarettes and beer. They proceeded to enter the woman’s residence through the basement window, killed her and left through the front door.
In June 2024, the Great North Innonence Project and Centurion Ministries filed for post-conviction relief for Pippitt. They argued that Pippitt's conviction was largely based on the testimony of that man, who has since "admitted to fabricating his confession with the help of police." At the time, he had a plea deal to testify in exchange for other felony charges to be resolved.
READ MORE: Post-conviction relief sought for Brian Pippitt in 1998 murder case