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Wrongfully convicted Minneapolis man wins yearslong fight for pardon

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Published  July 10, 2025 9:46pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9
State grants pardon to wrongfully convicted man

State grants pardon to wrongfully convicted man

The state has pardoned Sherman Townsend after he was wrongfully convicted of a burglary. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the story.

The Brief

    • Sherman Townsend, 75, of Minneapolis, was exonerated by the Minnesota Board of Pardons on Wednesday.
    • The pardon, which he had fought for since his 2007 release from prison, clears the felony burglary conviction from his record.
    • A witness placed Townsend at the Dinkytown crime scene in August 1997; that witness later admitted to the crime but was never charged.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A wrongfully convicted man who spent a decade in prison before being freed after the witness who helped put him away later admitted to the crime secured a pardon on Wednesday, clearing his record.

Minneapolis man exonerated for home invasion he didn’t commit

The backstory:

On August 10, 1997, Minneapolis police arrested Townsend after someone broke into a home in Dinkytown. A witness had identified him as the person who ran from the crime scene. 

The witness’ testimony helped prosecutors secure a felony burglary conviction, which sent Townsend to prison for a decade. In 2007, David Jones, the witness who helped put Townsend away, admitted to the crime. Townsend walked out of prison after serving half of his 20-year sentence, but he still had a record for a crime he did not commit.

In addition, as part of his deal with prosecutors, he agreed not to sue the county over his wrongful conviction.

The Great North Innocence Project, which seeks to free wrongfully convicted people, accepted Townsend as its first client in 2002. But he faced setbacks on his journey to clear his name. In 2013, the state denied his pardon request, saying it did not have the power to exonerate someone. That same board granted him a pardon on Wednesday.

What they're saying:

"I just didn’t want to die with it still on my record," said Townsend. "No, I did not commit the crime. It’s as simple as that, you know?"

Townsend was not there for some of life’s most important moments.

"It made me miss a lot of my grandchildren growing up, and I’m finding it hard to make bonding relationships with them now," he said.

Gov. Tim Walz, who voted in favor of the pardon, said: "Mr. Townsend, I recognize that there is no apology for the 10 years that you spent in prison, but it’s clear to me that we are lucky to have you in our community."

Crime and Public SafetyMinneapolis