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Marvin Haynes one step closer to $4.5M after 20 years in prison
State lawmakers unanimously approved a $4.5 million compensation payment for Marvin Haynes, who spent nearly 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. FOX 9's Paul Blume has the story.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minnesota man who spent nearly two decades behind bars for a murder he always said he did not commit is now one step closer to receiving millions in compensation from the state.
House lawmakers approve payment for Marvin Haynes
What we know:
Minnesota House lawmakers voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a $4.5 million payment for Marvin Haynes, who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager and spent almost 20 years in prison for a 2004 Minneapolis flower shop murder he did not commit.
The compensation package is outlined in state law for $50,000 per year and is meant to account for every year that a wrongfully incarcerated person is kept locked up behind bars.
On the House floor, Rep. Luke Frederick (DFL - Blue Earth) said the previous high for an exoneration claim in Minnesota was for eight years.
"We cannot give him those years back, but we are able to put a financial recompense for that time that was taken away," said Frederick. "Four-and-a-half million dollars will be going to him for the years that were unjustly taken."
The backstory:
FOX 9 has reported extensively on Haynes’ case that drew attention because there were no fingerprints, no DNA, and no video evidence that ever linked Haynes to the crime scene. And police never recovered the murder weapon.
Haynes and his family fought for his freedom for years until a judge threw out the jury’s verdict in December, 2023.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty subsequently apologized, blaming poor police work and unreliable eyewitness identification.
"You lost the opportunity to graduate from high school, to attend prom, to have relationships, attend weddings and funerals, and to spend time with your family around the holidays. I am so deeply sorry for that," Moriarty said to Haynes at a news conference just hours after he walked out of prison a free man.
The $4.5 million payment for Haynes is believed to be the largest claim of its kind in Minnesota history.
Federal lawsuit pending
What's next:
The compensation payment still needs to be approved by the state Senate before Haynes receives the money.
Separately, Haynes has a federal lawsuit pending against the city of Minneapolis and the police investigators who worked on his case, claiming constitutional violations and seeking additional financial compensation.
Lawmakers and advocates say the payment is a step toward righting a wrong but acknowledge that no amount of money can make up for the years Haynes lost.