PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Remove the politics from the controversy surrounding the role that presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar played in convicting what may well be an innocent black youth - and playing on the case in order to project herself as a champion of victims - and you are left with the possibility that an innocent black youth is still behind bars as the result of an oppressive prosecution tainted by questionable police tactics including an investigator who offered cash for information, and interviewed a prison inmate who said that he was the triggerman and that Burrell was not on the scene when Tyesha Edwards was shot and killed. Without the politics, the injustice done to Myon Burrell, who was only 16 when he was apprehended in the 2002 death of an 11-year-old African American girl, killed by a stray bullet while doing her homework, would be locked up with him in his prison cell. At least Klobuchar is facing allegations against her - as leader of the prosecution office that pursued the case against Myon Burrell - and unequivocally calling for a review of his case. That review cannot come soon enough.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I mean, how do you defend something like that, to someone like me, who is the mother of a black boy, a black teenager?” asked Sunny Hostin, co-host of the ABC show “The View.” “This case would be my worst nightmare.” Klobuchar, a Minnesota senator who has drawn enthusiastic crowds following her debate performance Friday night, said, “All of the evidence needs to be immediately reviewed in that case. The past evidence and also any new evidence.”
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The back-and-forth between Hostin and Klobuchar, the former top prosecutor in Minneapolis, concerned an Associated Press investigation into the case of Myon Burrell. Burrell was 16 when he was apprehended in the 2002 death of an 11-year-old African American girl, killed by a stray bullet while doing her homework. No gun, fingerprints or DNA were ever recovered, and the case against Burrell relied on the testimony of a teen rival who offered conflicting stories when identifying the trigger man, who was standing 120 feet away, mostly behind a wall, the AP reported. The AP also uncovered questionable police tactics in the case, including an investigator who offered cash for information, and interviewed a prison inmate who said that he was the triggerman and that Burrell was not on the scene when Tyesha Edwards was shot and killed."
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STORY: "Klobuchar faces tough questioning in case of juvenile lifer," by reporters Michael Rezendes and Robin McDowell, published by The Associated Press on February 11, 2020.
GIST: "As voters made their way to the New Hampshire polls,
Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar faced pointed questions
Tuesday about her oversight of a high-profile murder case in which a
black teen was sentenced to life after a flawed police investigation. “I
mean, how do you defend something like that, to someone like me, who is
the mother of a black boy, a black teenager?” asked Sunny Hostin,
co-host of the ABC show “The View.” “This case would be my worst
nightmare.” Klobuchar,
a Minnesota senator who has drawn enthusiastic crowds following her
debate performance Friday night, said, “All of the evidence needs to be
immediately reviewed in that case. The past evidence and also any new
evidence.” The
back-and-forth between Hostin and Klobuchar, the former top prosecutor
in Minneapolis, concerned an Associated Press investigation into the
case of Myon Burrell. Burrell was 16 when he was apprehended in the 2002
death of an 11-year-old African American girl, killed by a stray bullet
while doing her homework. No
gun, fingerprints or DNA were ever recovered, and the case against
Burrell relied on the testimony of a teen rival who offered conflicting
stories when identifying the trigger man, who was standing 120 feet
away, mostly behind a wall, the AP reported. The
AP also uncovered questionable police tactics in the case, including an
investigator who offered cash for information, and interviewed a prison
inmate who said that he was the triggerman and that Burrell was not on
the scene when Tyesha Edwards was shot and killed. Klobuchar,
whose office prosecuted the case, has raised the case throughout her
political career — even during her 2020 presidential campaign — as an
example of how she helped find justice for victims of violence. After
the AP’s story, Klobuchar said evidence in the case should be reviewed.
But her exchange with Hostin was especially heated and took place at a
pivotal moment in her candidacy. “You’re a U.S. senator now,” Hostin said. “You’re a powerful woman. What do you intend to do to right this wrong?” Klobuchar
replied: “It must be reviewed. Sunny, I think you know that I care so
much about justice, and this case must be reviewed.""
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https://apnews.com/11f92de6fd0fc2740739f4c7a9617cdf
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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