Marvin Haynes sues MPD for ‘extraordinary misconduct’ that led to wrongful conviction

Marvin Haynes, a man who spent nearly two decades in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, is now suing Minneapolis and five police officers whose investigation led to his wrongful arrest and conviction.

In 2005, a jury convicted Haynes for the murder of Randy Sherer despite Haynes’ assertion that he was not at the flower shop where the shooting happened nor had any knowledge of the crime. Haynes — who was 16 at the time of Sherer’s murder — was exonerated 18 years later when a Hennepin County judge vacated his conviction.

Haynes, now 37, is seeking damages from the city of Minneapolis, alleging homicide investigators used coercion and suggestion to get witnesses to identify Haynes as a suspect and later testify against him at trial.

The lawsuit further claims police ignored a lack of forensic evidence tying Haynes to the crime and arrested him without probable cause.

“The complaint we filed today tells my story — one I’ve been telling since I was arrested in 2004,” said Haynes. “I’m grateful that people are now listening, but it is devastating that it took so long for the truth to come out. My life was destroyed by the officers who wrongly chose to fabricate a case against me, and I have a long road in front of me to heal.”

Representing Haynes in this lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court is civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger.

“We cannot change the fact that Mr. Haynes was wrongly incarcerated for almost 20 years, or give him back the formative years he spent in prison, but today we have begun the process of seeking justice and accountability for him,” said Emma Freudenberger, a partner with NSBHF. “The Minneapolis Police Department officers who framed Mr. Haynes and the Department that allowed this injustice need to answer for their actions.”

A Minneapolis city spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Haynes filed a separate suit against Minnesota last year seeking $100,000 for every year he was wrongfully incarcerated.

The full civil complaint can be viewed below: