A Minnesota man yelled “Y’all don’t stop fighting” to his supporters after a judge decided Thursday not to free him from custody as he appeals his conviction in a gun and drug case that drew attention because it followed the commutation of his life sentence in a high-profile murder case.
Myon Burrell was locked up at 16 for the 2002 death of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, a Minneapolis girl who was hit by a stray bullet. He maintained his innocence. The Associated Press and APM Reports in 2020 uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in that investigation, leading to the creation of an independent legal panel to review the case.
Ultimately, Burrell was freed after 18 years behind bars. But then police in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale found drugs and a handgun in his SUV during a traffic stop last year. That was a problem because, while a state pardons board had commuted Burrell’s sentence, his pardon request was denied. That meant his conviction for first-degree murder remained on his record, making it still illegal for him to have a gun.