Court accidentally sets man free, sentences him to 90 years after he turns life around
A Colorado man who turned his life around after being freed on accident due to court error is back behind bars.
Rene Lima-Marin was sentenced to 90 years in prison, and was 19 years old when he robbed two video stores at gunpoint 15 years ago.
He served 10 years of what he thought was a 16-year sentence before a judge sent him back to prison in January.
“It’s that every day, happy, white-picket-fence type of life,” says Lima-Marin, about the world he created with a wife and two kids after leaving prison nearly six years ago.
It’s a life he never imagined could be his as a convicted felon.
“What makes this that much harder, is the fact I constantly have them right here,” as he points to his head.
All of that changed on Jan. 7. Lima-Marin was sent back to prison to finish out a 98-year sentence. He says his appeal lawyer told him 13 years prior that his sentence was just 16 years. But her information was incorrect. Lima-Maria’s attorney assured him that in the appeals process for a reduced sentence, everything would be ran concurrent, totaling up to 16 years in prison.
The court file sent to the Department of Corrections stated that Lima-Maria’s sentences run all at once, instead of back-to-back. His family has created a petition in hopes of getting him released. You can view and sign it here.
Sound off below!