Cass Garner’s Story Featured at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala
In April, the District Court vacated the conviction of Korey Wise Innocence Project client James “Cass” Garner and ordered his immediate release. After 15 long years, Garner is now free—released from Sterling Correctional Facility. He is no longer imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. This past October at KWIP’s Stories of Innocence Gala, attendees had the opportunity to hear Garner’s story in greater detail through a video featuring his children, attorneys Kathleen Lord and Jeanne Segil, and Garner himself. View the full video below.
Garner was wrongfully convicted in connection with a 2009 nonfatal shooting at a local bar—the same night he was there celebrating his birthday. In the initial months after the shooting, none of the three victims (all brothers) identified Garner in photo lineups. But nearly three years later at trial, all three pointed to him in court—a setting that was highly suggestive, especially with Garner being the only man seated at the defense table alongside two female attorneys. To strengthen their case, Lord and Segil brought in nationally recognized experts on human memory and eyewitness identification, both of whom concluded that the trial identifications were unreliable.
Garner has always maintained his innocence. This life-changing outcome was made possible through the work of KWIP attorneysKathleen LordandJeanne Segilwith the assistance of Colorado Law students and alumni, includingIleana Jiménez '21,Chrysten Pacheco '27, andJefferson Caldwell '27. Their case focused on discrediting the unreliable eyewitness identifications that had played a central role in Garner’s conviction.
We invite you to watch the video and learn more about Garner’s story.