The Minnesota Board of Pardons Tuesday commuted the life sentence of a man convicted of hitting and murdering an 11-year-old girl with a stray bullet in 2002, CBS Minnesota reports. Myon Burrell’s sentence was shortened to 20 years, the remainder of which he will be released under supervision.
Tyesha Edwards was killed on November 22, 2002 after a stray bullet ripped through the wall of her Minneapolis home. Authorities say the shooting was part of a gang war and the intended target was outside next to Edwards’ house when the shooting took place. Burrell was then 16 years old.
Burrell was first convicted in 2003 of Edwards’ death, and was convicted again in 2008 after the first sentence was thrown out, according to CBS Minnesota.
Burrell has denied any involvement in the crime. The case received national attention earlier this year after an investigation by The Associated Press concluded that there was no physical evidence linking Burrell to the murder and alleged major flaws in the police investigation.
The decision to commute Burrell’s sentence was made by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Chief Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Lorie Gildea, who would normally participate in the vote, rescinded herself due to previous involvement in the case, CBS Minnesota reported.
In support of his decision to commute Burrell’s sentence, Governor Walz cited scientific evidence and Supreme Court rulings highlighting the difference between a teenager’s brain and an adult’s.
“We are not here to prosecute again the crime committed against your family that took your daughter. There is nothing I can do to ease your pain, and it will not get better,” Walz said during the meeting against Edwards’ family. to The Associated Press. “But we must act today to recognize that the law has changed in this area. Justice is not served by locking up a child all his life for a terrible mistake committed many years ago.”
Ellison expressed a similar opinion on Twitter. “The age of Mr. Myon Burrell at the time of his conviction is extremely convincing to me in terms of a lump sum payment,” he says wrote. “The Supreme Court has said it is unconstitutional to give a young person life in prison.”
“Mr. Burrell has shown tremendous rehabilitation, positive programming and leadership during his incarceration,” he added. ‘For those reasons I voted in favor of his commutation. He was released from Stillwater Prison today under surveillance. I wish him and his family the best. ‘
Burrell, now 34, has spent nearly two decades in prison.
His case also made headlines earlier this year because of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign. Klobuchar, who was the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County when Burell was first convicted, has long touted his conviction as evidence that she is tough on crime.
But Klobuchar was criticized for her role in his case, and in March she called for an independent investigation.
Klobuchar released a statement Tuesday calling the commutation “the right and just decision,” according to CBS Minnesota.