Court mistake sets man free, but he’s been sent back for 90 years after turning life around

AURORA, Colo. -- A Colorado man who turned his life around after a court error set him free from prison for six years has now been put back behind bars, sentenced to 90 years.

According to FOX31 in Denver, Rene Lima-Marin was 19 years old when he robbed two video stores at gunpoint. Lima-Marin served 10 years for the crimes and was released.

After his release, he married, had a child and turned his life around. He even bought a house with a white-picket fence.

Rene Lima-Marin from KDVR.com

But the release was later found out to be wrong. A court order mistakenly stated Lima-Marin should serve his sentence all at once instead of consecutively. Lima-Marin's lawyer was wrong too, telling him when he went into jail that he would only serve 15 years.

Courts summoned Rene Lima-Marin back, and on January 7 declared he finish his original, which means to 90 more years behind bars.

Lima-Marin told KDVR he served his time, and that 90 more years for two robberies as a 19-year-old where no one was hurt is too much.

“People have raped, molested kids, taken lives and 15, 20, 25 years. And I made a mistake and tried to steal some money and I am given my entire life in prison? It just doesn’t make sense,” he says.

His family has set up an online petition to help generate support for his immediate release.

They’re also accepting any donations to help pay for a lawyer that has accepted the case.

To learn more about this story, click here or watch the video above.