Marvin Haynes was 16 years old when he was accused of killing Harry “Randy” Sherer in Minneapolis. Haynes was prosecuted for the crime and sentenced to life in prison. In 2023, a judge vacated that murder conviction, citing 'unconstitutional eyewitness evidence' and a lack of physical evidence linking Haynes to the crime scene.
Now, Minnesota taxpayers are on the hook for a $4.5 million to Haynes for that wrongful conviction.
And guess who the Hennepin County Attorney was at the time of Hayne's prosecution?
Amy Klobuchar.
This case is now calling into question her fitness to be governor.
Amy Klobuchar put an innocent man in prison with false evidence from her time as Hennepin County Attorney.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 15, 2026
Today, taxpayers paid out $4.5M for her incompetence.
Now she wants to be Governor.
Under Minnesota law, individuals who are exonerated may seek compensation from the state. Now, Haynes is poised to receive $4.5 million from the state via HF 5074.
Authored by DFL Rep. Luke Frederick and DFL Sen. Doron Clark, HF 5074 passed in the Minnesota House of Representatives on Wednesday in a 134-0 vote. In addition to giving $4.5 million to Haynes, the bill awards hundreds of thousands of dollars to two others.
On Friday, the bill was passed by the Senate in a 64-2 vote.
Describing his bill as “the annual claims settlement appropriation bill,” Clark explained that the legislature “hears and recommends whether [to pay] claims against the state by various people who cannot proceed against the state under state tort claims.”
In his remarks, Clark spoke about Haynes’ case, saying Haynes’ conviction “was based on false evidence and unreliable identification, leading to his conviction being vacated and a dismissal with prejudice of all charges.”
During debate on the bill, Republican Sen. Michael Holmstrom said HF 5074 “is about the state messing up and coming forward.”
According to Fox 9, the compensation package includes a payout of $50,000 per year to account for every year that a person is wrongfully kept behind bars. Fox 9 also reported that current Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty issued an apology to Haynes. When Haynes' conviction was overturned in 2023, a spokesperson for Klobuchar said, "the senator respects the judicial process. She has worked closely with the Innocence Project on reforms and has long supported their work, and will continue to do so."
"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," she said to Haynes in a news conference. Haynes also filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the police investigators who worked his case. That case is still pending.
A little over a week ago, Klobuchar vowed to tackle fraud as her top priority if elected Minnesota's next Governor. Few believed her, and now Minnesota taxpayers have to spend another $4.5 million to atone for the failed leadership of Democrats. While Moriarty blamed the police, Klobuchar's office had a professional responsibility to look at the evidence before prosecuting the case. They did not.