‘It’s the best week’: After being wrongly incarcerated, a Minnesota man is now free

For 16 years, Edgar Barrientos-Quintana served a life sentence for a crime he didn't commit. On Tuesday, he thanked the people who helped him walk out of prison as a free man.

"I just wanted to thank everybody behind me who had a role for me to be free," said Barrientos-Quintana at the Hennepin County Government Center. "I'm telling you they were fighting hard. And then my family, without them I couldn't. They were my support from day one. I'm happy to be out here, man."

Barrientos-Quintana was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2008 murder of Jesse Mickelson in Minneapolis.

Earlier this year, the state's Conviction Review Unit determined that the jury didn't hear key evidence supporting his innocence.

The Great North Innocence Project (GNIP) spent nearly 11 years trying to free Barrientos-Quintana, even before the review unit stepped in.

"Today, we move forward, and we're thankful that even though justice was delayed, it was not denied," said Julie Jonas, former GNIP legal director.

Despite the quality time with family lost to his wrongful incarceration, Barrientos Quintana is looking ahead.

"It's the best week, man," he said laughing. "And more to come."

Barrientos-Quintana was released from prison last week after a judge vacated his sentence and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office dismissed the charges.