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Judge Vacates 2008 Minneapolis Murder Conviction After New Forensics

New 3D ballistics with blood-spatter analysis led prosecutors to conclude Brown was not the shooter.

Overview

  • Prosecutors dismissed the case after the conviction was vacated, clearing the way for Brown’s release after nearly 18 years.
  • Two experts using advanced 3D microscopy, including one hired by the county, found the fatal bullet did not come from Brown’s gun.
  • An independent blood-spatter review supported that finding and prosecutors said the shot likely came from a friend of the victim.
  • The 2008 case rested on circumstantial accounts and jailhouse informants who received benefits after lab work then was inconclusive, and prosecutors later flagged a First 48 episode that aired before trial as a risk to the process.
  • Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Brown did not kill Darius Miller and that prosecutors see no basis for other charges.