Conviction Review Unit
The CRU seeks to identify, remedy, and prevent wrongful convictions. Each case the CRU accepts for review will have a strong indication that the person imprisoned could be innocent of the crime for which they were convicted. Minnesota’s CRU also will develop policy proposals to address the most frequently identified causes of wrongful convictions and, when possible, identify the person or people who actually committed the crime. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman submitted letters of support and have vowed to work cooperatively with the CRU in cases that might arise from their counties.
To view the charter of the CRU, which outlines our mission, goals, and guiding principles, please click HERE.
To view reports and recommendations released by the Minnesota CRU, please use the links below. The reports are from Minnesota Court Records Online.
- CRU Report regarding the 1998 conviction of Thomas Rhodes (dated 01/11/2023)
- 34-K6-97-001529 Amended Sentencing Order (filed 01/13/2023)
- CRU Report regarding the 2001 conviction of Brian Pippitt (dated 05/28/2024)
- CRU Report regarding the 2009 conviction of Edgar Barrientos-Quintana (dated 07/29/2024)
- 27-CR-08-53942 Order Granting Petition for Postconviction Relief (filed 11/06/2024)
- 27-CR-08-53942 State’s Dismissal of Charges (filed 11/06/2024)
- 27-CR-08-53942 Amended Order (filed 11/07/2024)
Application Process
For detailed information about the application process, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.
The CRU is currently accepting applications from incarcerated people who are claiming that they were wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. The CRU’s Application will be available at all Minnesota Department of Corrections facilities, and Applicants may request the Application through the Transitions Resource Center or the Facility Library.
Although friends or family members may want to help applicants fill out the CRU application, applicants must review and sign the application themselves. If for some reason you believe the applicant is incapable of completing the application themselves, please let us know and special arrangements may be made to assist them. Please do not send any additional materials unless we specifically request that you do so. We do not have the capacity to store additional materials, and we cannot guarantee that documents submitted to this unit will be returned.
The CRU application is available in the following languages:
Or you may request an application from the Attorney General’s Office by email, phone, or mail.
Email: CRUinfo@ag.state.mn.us
Phone: (651) 296-3353
Mail: Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Attn: Conviction Review Unit, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1400, St. Paul, MN 55101
More Information
For more information, click on the buttons below to see frequently asked questions and the CRU process flowchart.
Communications
- November 7, 2024
Edgar Barrientos murder conviction vacated after AGO uncovered evidence of innocence
AGO’s Conviction Review Unit helps free man wrongfully convicted in 2009; Barrientos released from prison, case against him dismissed - August 21, 2024
Conviction Review Unit recommends 2009 Hennepin County murder conviction be vacated
Edgar Barrientos files petition for post-conviction relief. After three-year investigation, CRU issues 293-page report highlighting exculpatory evidence jury never heard, inaccuracies in how evidence was presented to jury. - June 6, 2024
Conviction Review Unit recommends first-degree murder conviction be vacated after 23 years
Brian Pippitt files motion in Aitkin County to vacate 2001 conviction. Recommendation to vacate Pippitt’s conviction marks the first person the Conviction Review Unit has recommended for full exoneration. - January 13, 2023
Conviction Review Unit Vacates First and Second-Degree Murder Sentence; Thomas Rhodes Released from Prison after nearly 25 years
Rhodes’ release marks the first person who will be freed from incarceration because of an investigation and case review by Minnesota’s Conviction Review Unit; Rhodes stands convicted of second-degree manslaughter - August 3, 2021:
First-ever Conviction Review Unit begins accepting applications
AG Ellison also announces hiring of CRU director - January 21, 2021:
Attorney General Ellison announces Conviction Review Unit Advisory Board
16 members include former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, national criminal-justice experts, Hennepin and Ramsey County Attorneys, community activists - October 8, 2020:
Minnesota awarded federal grant to review legal cases for people believed to be innocent
Attorney General’s Office to partner with Innocence Project of Minnesota on state’s first-ever Conviction Review Unit
CRU Advisory Board
The CRU Advisory Board will advise the Attorney General on the establishment, functioning, and hiring of the unit. View more information about the Advisory Board including member profiles.