Minnesota frees man sentenced to life for 2002 murder

[December 16, 2020]  (Reuters) - The U.S. state of Minnesota on Tuesday released a Black man who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002 after he was convicted of the murder of an 11-year old girl, officials said.

The Minnesota Pardons Board commuted Myon Burrell's sentence to 20 years from life plus 12 months, and said he will serve the remainder of his sentence on a supervised release, according to an internal memo from Commissioner Paul Schnell of the Minnesota Department of Corrections to various officials.

"Based on the Board's action, I authorize you to immediately process Mr Burrell for release from secure custody to serve out the remainder of his time on supervised release status," Schnell said in the memo, a copy of which was emailed to Reuters.

Burrell was sentenced as a teenager for the murder of Tyesha Edwards, who was killed when she was hit by a stray bullet that struck her in the chest.

The Associated Press (AP) in February reported  that his sentencing and his age at the time of the killing raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system and uncovered flaws in the police investigation of the case.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which had been seeking recourse for Burrell since the AP report was published, said the case was a reflection of how much work needs to be done to repair the criminal justice system.

Myon Burrell (C) is joined by friends and family as he walks free after having his life sentence commuted by the Minnesota Board of Pardons and being granted immediate release from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater, Minnesota U.S. December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Maturen

"We will continue to hold the justice system accountable for its transgressions in criminalizing Black youth and rushing to put them behind bars for a long time," the NAACP said in a statement.

(Reporting by Derek Francis in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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