WATCH: Denver man free after judge overturns shooting conviction 15 years later
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) - A Denver man is free after spending 15 years in prison for a crime that a judge now says he did not commit.
The Korey Wise Innocence Project (KWIP) at the University of Colorado Boulder Law School fought to have the conviction of James "Cass" Garner vacated, after he was sentenced for a triple shooting at a Denver bar in 2009. According to our partners at 9News, Garner was out celebrating his birthday when someone opened fire, hitting three brothers. All three men survived. Garner became the focus of the investigation after his glasses were found at the scene.
According to CU Boulder, none of the victims identified Garner in the photo lineups. However, nearly three years later at trial, all three testified that he was the shooter.
KWIP attorneys Kathleen Lord and Jeanne Segil presented evidence during a hearing earlier this month that challenged the reliability of the eyewitness identifications used to convict Garner. They also brought in experts in human memory and eyewitness identification, who said that the identifications made at trial were unreliable.
Garner was released from prison within hours of the court’s ruling on April 23, 2025.
"This is why we do this work," Segil said. "Today validates that what we do makes a difference for people."
The Korey Wise Innocence Project provides free investigative and legal services to people serving time in Colorado prisons for crimes they did not commit. As part of the University of Colorado Law School and CU Boulder community, KWIP's staff also mentors law students and undergraduate students in both legal and advocacy work.
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