Thanks to substantial financial support from Felhaber Larson, the Innocence Project of Minnesota was able to free Terry Olson from prison after serving 11 years for a crime he did not commit.
Mr. Olson was convicted in 2007 for the 1979 death of Jeff Hammill, who was found dead by the side of the road just outside of Buffalo, MN.
Although law enforcement closed the matter with no charges filed at the time, police reopened the case in 2003 by interrogating and ultimately securing a confession from a mentally ill man after falsely telling him that they possessed evidence proving that he was involved in a murder. This led the man to implicate Olson, who was subsequently convicted and sent to prison.
With his mental health issues stabilized with medication, the witness wanted to clear his conscience and provided a detailed affidavit explaining the circumstances of his false confession. Thereafter, thanks to years of hard work by volunteer attorneys and law students, the Wright County Attorney’s Office agreed that in the interest of justice Mr. Olson should be immediately released from prison.
We are proud to have played our role in making this delayed act of justice happen.
For more information on this case, watch this compelling 5-minute video.