It was smiles all around after Edgar Barrientos-Quintana walked out of a Minnesota prison a free man on Wednesday evening.

Barrientos-Quintana was convicted of murdering a Minneapolis teenager over 16 years ago. On Wednesday, a Hennepin County judge vacated that conviction.

“I think today is a really good day for justice,” said Anna McGinn, one of Barrientos-Quintana’s lawyers with the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP). “So many errors by many, many different actors contributed to the wrongful conviction of Edgar for 16 years.”

Barrientos-Quintana was serving life with no parole for the murder of 18-year-old Roosevelt High School senior Jesse Mickelson.

Judge John McBride vacated Barrientos-Quintana’s 2009 murder conviction after he found that the defense counsel’s representation was flawed and the prosecutors committed Brady violations, according to the GNIP. Judge McBride also stated that the prosecution failed to disclose crucial evidence.

“That the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office argues to this Court it lacks confidence in the convictions its own attorneys obtained says it all,” McBride said during court proceedings.

According to a release from GNIP, a two-year investigation by the Minnesota Conviction Review Unit (CRU) uncovered missteps by the state as well as Barrientos-Quintana’s defense team.

The CRU also found that Barrientos-Quintana had a credible alibi at the time of the murder, and the prosecution used “problematic eyewitness identification procedures.” In addition, Barrientos-Quintana’s alibi of being at the store before the shooting wasn’t fully heard by the jury during the initial trial.

Judge McBride also ruled that Barrientos-Quintana’s defense team “was ineffective on numerous fronts, including failing to present exculpatory evidence and failing to challenge the investigators’ and eyewitnesses’ testimony during trial.”

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At the time of the shooting in 2008, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke to Mickelson’s sister, Tina Rosebear. “Didn’t do nothing, he stayed to himself,” she said of her brother. “I wish he was here, the hurt is there when we think about him.”

After reading the state Attorney General’s review of the case, Rosebear supported Barrientos-Quintana’s release. “I feel bad, that he had to endure everything he went through,” she said. “The whole time he was innocent, and he claimed his innocence, I’m just glad it was finally proven.”

However, Rosebear says she’s upset with the system. “We’ll never get justice, for my brother, whether there’s somebody in prison or not in prison, because our brother is not here, physically with us.”

Some officials have expressed uneasiness over the conviction being overturned.

A statement from the Minneapolis Police Department on Thursday, said, “We are concerned that the conviction has been overturned based solely on a review of old evidence rather than the existence of new information.  We remain committed to holding Jesse Mickelson’s Killer accountable for his murder.  We are reviewing our options for next steps.”

A statement on Wednesday from McGinn with the Great North Innocence Project said, “We are thrilled with today’s outcome and that justice has finally prevailed for Edgar. The tragedy of Mr. Mickelson’s murder was compounded by Edgar’s wrongful conviction and incarceration. We are all looking forward to seeing the impact he will inevitably make outside of the prison walls.”

Barrientos-Quintana’s family also shared a statement, saying, “As a family, we express our gratitude to God for granting Edgar’s freedom. He has missed out on so many precious moments, including watching his children grow up, attending graduations, birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas celebrations with the family, and the loss of our beloved dad. He has a lot of ground to cover. Finally, my mom will be able to have her son back at the family dinners, and the place that has been vacant for so long will be filled with his laughter and presence once again. Edgar’s journey has been one of resilience, strength, and unwavering faith. Despite the challenges and obstacles that he has faced, he has never lost hope. His spirit is an inspiration to us all, a testament to the power of perseverance and the human capacity for endurance.”

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