Denver Man Freed After 26 Years After Experts Say Girlfriend’s Baby Died of Pneumonia, Not Abuse

After 27 years of incarceration for a crime he did not commit, a Denver man has been exonerated. Stephen Martinez, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his then-girlfriend’s four-month-old child, was freed after his wrongful conviction was overturned by Judge Andrew Luxen on April 21.

Martinez was accused of killing baby Heather Lynn Mares in 1998. In 2000, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On October 17, 1998, Martinez called 911 reporting that the child was choking. Authorities noted that Mares had a skull fracture, and bloodied sheets were discovered in the washing machine.

Martinez told detectives at the time that he had shaken the baby and that her head struck the crib, which he described as accidental, according to court documents cited by 9News.

The Korey Wise Innocence Project, an organization that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted in Colorado, provided new evidence suggesting the baby died from complications of pneumonia.

When Martinez was wheeled out of the Department of Corrections Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center after his release, he was greeted by his wife, whom he married while in prison, and supporters.

“I’m so happy and so thankful to be out after being locked up for 27 years, innocent. But now I’m going out to absolutely nothing. But bless you, guys, have a great day,” said Martinez as he was helped into a car.

He had a leg amputated while in prison and was bound to a wheelchair, according to CBS News.

Denver District Attorney John Walsh said the Korey Wise Innocence Project presented his office with multiple credible medical experts who challenged the original conclusion that Mares’ death was caused by physical abuse.

“After receiving that information, my office retained independent experts whose opinions largely confirmed those of the defense experts,” Walsh said. “Additionally, and more importantly, the Denver medical examiner who conducted Heather’s autopsy in 1998 recently acknowledged a reasonable doubt about Heather’s cause of death.”

He continued, “In light of the compelling evidence now available, we did not oppose the Innocence Project’s motion to vacate Martinez’ conviction and, unable now to meet our ethical and legal burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, we were obliged to dismiss the case,” Walsh added.

The district attorney emphasized that there was no misconduct by prosecutors or detectives involved in the original investigation in the late 1990s.

Judge Luxen told the child’s family, "I want you to know that this is not an easy decision. And I feel for you and your family."

“The people have moved to dismiss this case based on the information before me, I’m going to grant that motion that the order be dismissed, that the defendant be released from the Department of Corrections,” Judge Luxen said, as per CBS News.

The Korey Wise Innocence Project said the outcome reflects years of “advocacy, investigation, and persistence and Stephen’s own resilience through decades of injustice.”