Myon Burrell, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 for the stray bullet death of an 11-year-old kid, has regained his freedom. Burrel was 16 when he was accused of the offense on November 22, 2002. He was handed a life sentence and never expected to ever leave prison again. But he was released on Tuesday on parole when his life sentence was commuted to 20 years. He will serve the rest of his shortened sentence on supervised release, CBS News reports.
The victim of the 2002 shooting, Tyesha Edwards, died after she was hit by a stray bullet. Burrell had been involved in a gang war. According to local law enforcement agencies who investigated the shooting, Burrell and his gang were trying to shoot an opponent who had been outside Edwards’s home. But Burrell’s bullet went through the walls and struck the 11-year-old girl.
Burrell pleaded not guilty of Edwards’ death, stating that he was not involved in the shooting at all. Media outlets also found some loopholes in the police investigation, stating that there was no physical evidence to verify that Burrell was indeed present at the crime scene. Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and the Attorney General of the state, Keith Ellison, made the decision to shorten Burrell’s sentence to 20 years imprisonment, according to reports.
Walz stated that he decided to commute Burrell’s sentence because of scientific evidence that shows that an adult’s brain functions differently from the way a teenager’s brain functions.
“Our aim is not to belittle the crime that led to the unfortunate incident that took your daughter’s life,” Walz said while addressing the Edwards’ family. “We are only here because we know the law has changed and some things have to be changed to make room for that change. We cannot describe incarcerating a man for the rest of his life for something he did as a teenager is a justice.”
Ellison also echoed Walz’s statement in a tweet, stating that Burrell’s age when he was convicted is one of the reasons why he took the decision to commute his sentence.
“Mr. Burrell’s behavior during his incarceration has been a very positive one, showing that we cannot judge him using an action he committed almost two decades ago,” Ellison wrote. “He walked out of Stillwater Prison today, and he will be on supervised release for the rest of his sentence. I wish him all the best.”
Amy Klobuchar, the chief prosecutor during Burrell’s case, also released a statement to commend the commutation, describing it as “just and right”.
Source: cbsnews.com
