Minnesota frees the human who serves his life after the death of a child in 2002

BAYPORT, Minn. – The Minnesota Pardons Commission on Tuesday released a black man who was sent to prison for life as a teenager in a high-profile murder case that raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system that imprisoned him.

Myon Burrell’s case made headlines earlier this year after The Associated Press and American Public Media discovered new evidence and serious flaws in the police investigation into the 2002 murder of an 11-year-old girl who was hit by a stray bullet while she did homework. Dining room table.

Burrell left a state prison hours after the Minnesota Board of Pardons voted to commute his sentence to 20 years, and the remaining two years to be released under supervision. Several supporters had gathered to greet him.

Burrell, who was 16 when he was convicted, got emotional after the vote, put his hand on his head and said, “Thank you, thank you. I appreciate that.”

Burrell had asked the board for a pardon and for the time already served. He said the request was “in no way, shape or form me trying to minimize the tragedy of the loss of” Tysha Edwards. “I come for you, a 34-year-old man who has spent more than half his life in prison for a crime I did not commit.”

He said he did not know what was going on when he was convicted. He said he converted to Islam and became a religious leader in prison.

“I have tried to make the most of my situation,” he said. “I started to go in and get medicine from the poison. The trials and tribulations that I was going through, I was trying to get something out of it. “

His request was accompanied by testimonials from community leaders and letters from young men in prison, attesting to his strong character and moral leadership behind bars.

“I was just trying to be the best person I could be, hoping that one day I would have the opportunity to go home and live as a productive member of society,” Burrell told the panel in a video conference. from the inside. jail.

Jimmie Edwards III, Tyesha’s brother, told the AP that he and his family are upset with the decision. He said the justice system has failed his family, and media coverage and support for Burrell’s release eclipses his sister’s death.

‘She was never allowed to go to her prom. She was never allowed to go to college. She never went to high or high school, ”he said. “Her life was taken at 11 am. Who is the victim?”

Gov. Tim Walz, a member of the board of directors, recommended the commuted sentence, saying science has established and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teenagers’ minds work differently than adults, and that a teenager’s life sentence is too extreme.

“While this board is not a fact finder, it does have the power to determine when justice is served by the power of leniency and mercy,” Walz said, adding, “We cannot condone developments in science and law. we’re looking at this case. “

Last week, an independent panel of national legal experts also recommended the immediate release of Burrell after reviewing the facts and all available evidence.

Burrell was convicted of the murder of Tyesha, a black sixth grader who was shot in the heart at her family’s home in south Minneapolis. He has always maintained his innocence, and another man has confessed to being the shooter.

Walz addressed the Edwards family at the hearing and said, “We are not here to re-declare the crime against your family that took your daughter. There is nothing I can do to ease your pain, and it will not get better. 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. “

Senator Amy Klobuchar, who was the city’s top prosecutor at the time of the murder, has used Burrell’s conviction throughout her political career to defend her reputation for being tough on crime. She brought it up again last year on the stage of the Democratic presidential primary debate.

The AP’s years of investigation found there was no hard evidence – no gun, DNA, or fingerprints – linking Burrell to the shooting. Among other things, police failed to collect surveillance video from a corner store, which Burrell said he could have released. And video footage showed the homicide investigator offering a man in police custody $ 500 for Burrell’s name, even if it was only hearsay.

Burrell’s co-defendants said the teen was not on the scene that day.

Klobuchar released a statement saying the board has made the right decision. She also urged a sentencing unit to continue investigating the facts.

New questions about Burrell’s case surfaced just before Minneapolis was put in the national spotlight after a police officer held his knee against George Floyd’s neck at a grocery store while Floyd gasped. It was the same Cup Foods store that Burrell said he could have given his alibi had guard tapes drawn.

Floyd’s death sparked protests against racist injustice and brought renewed attention to some law enforcement practices from the 1990s and early 2000s, when tougher policing and punishment led to the highest lock-up rates in the country’s history. Those incarcerations hit black and brown communities the hardest.

Under public pressure following the AP report, Klobuchar threw her support behind the creation of the independent panel, saying it was just as important to protect the innocent as it was to punish the guilty. In its report, the panel expressed concern about the police investigation which mirrored many of the investigations discovered by the AP.

The panel’s report stated that officers suffered from “tunnel vision” while chasing Burrell as a suspect, looking for evidence to support their guilt theory, and ignoring what might have helped him. Officers relied heavily on a single eyewitness, who offered contradictory statements, along with prison informants, who benefited generously from their testimony.

Two of the informants have since filed a revocation. One of them had his 16-year sentence reduced to three. Another said he cooperated with the police in 14 other cases.

The panel said there was no point in keeping Burrell locked up. It pointed to his age at the time of the crime, said he had no previous record and that he was well behaved behind bars. It also cited U.S. Supreme Court rulings in recent years advocating overly harsh punishment for juveniles for not fully developing their brains and decision-making skills.

“In considering the verdict, we became thoroughly aware of how our nation has changed in the way we view youth who become entangled in the criminal justice system,” wrote Mark Osler, who chaired the panel, at Minneapolis last weekend. Star Tribune.

Burrell was imprisoned in an era “marked by racially charged fear of young ‘super predators’ who would be violent throughout their lives,” Osler wrote.

Edwards III, Tyesha’s brother, said the news of Burrell’s release is especially difficult after his mother’s death last year.

“When she lost our sister, she took her. She never recovered, ”he said of his mother. “I’m glad my mom isn’t here to witness this because it would just break her heart.”

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