After getting fifteen years of his life stolen by a justice system that failed him, an innocent American has regained his freedom.
James “Cass” Garner was finally released after spending a decade and a half behind bars for a crime he never committed.
He was sentenced for a triple shooting at an Adams County bar where three brothers were injured but survived.
The Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Boulder Law School led the fight to overturn his conviction.
It presented compelling evidence that the case against him was fundamentally flawed from the beginning.
The most disturbing aspect of Garner’s case was how the government’s evidence evolved over time.
Initially, none of the victims could identify Garner in photo lineups. Yet somehow, by the time the trial rolled around, these same witnesses suddenly pointed the finger at him with certainty.
Critics argue that this kind of “evolving testimony” should alarm every American concerned about overreach in the criminal justice system.
National experts on human memory and eyewitness identification later examined the case and concluded that the trial testimony against Garner was completely unreliable.
The only physical evidence linking Garner to the scene was a pair of glasses.
Still, prosecutors repeatedly made false claims about blood being present on those glasses—a factual error that went unchallenged through the appeals process.
The Colorado Supreme Court previously upheld the witness identifications in a dangerously close 4-3 decision.
The three dissenting justices called for stronger legal safeguards in eyewitness identification cases, recognizing the constitutional rights at stake.
Their concerns were finally validated when District Attorney Brian Mason’s office conceded several arguments during an evidentiary hearing and ultimately supported vacating the conviction.
Despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence, the three brothers who were victims still objected to Garner’s release, insisting they had identified the right man.
“My job is to do the right thing in every case, and in this case, this was the right thing to do,” said District Attorney Brian Mason, whose office will not pursue new charges against Garner.
We carefully reviewed the jury trial transcript, considered the new witness testimony, and ultimately determined that there were significant issues that justified this decision. Our commitment to justice means doing what’s right,” he added.
“We are thrilled that Mr. Garner, an innocent man, will be able to return home,” said Jeanne Segil, who worked on Garner’s case.
“He’s overjoyed, in disbelief, feeling every imaginable feeling. There’s a bittersweet component to it, too. He has been in prison for years for a crime he didn’t commit,” she continued.
Garner now faces the outstanding challenge of rebuilding his life after having 15 irreplaceable years stolen by incompetence and constitutional violations.
