BACKGROUND: "(Myon) 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.
The Associated Press;
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The evidence is quite strong which is why he was convicted twice,” Freeman said in his statement. Freeman took aim at several of the points raised in the AP’s investigation. He said at trial, Burrell offered two different alibis in the case — alibis the state did not find credible. He also said that Burrell confessed to a cousin about his involvement in Edwards’ death —though there is no recording of that call, which allegedly took place while Burrell was locked in a cell in segregation 23 hours a day. And Freeman also said Burrell told a jailhouse informant — a paranoid schizophrenic who testified he “sometimes hears voices” — that he shot the little girl. Freeman said shifting statements by Burrell’s “accomplices” were found “not credible” by a judge at Burrell’s second trial.Though he acknowledged there was no gun, fingerprints, DNA or hard evidence, the prosecutor noted many convictions “do not have those elements.”
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STORY: "Minnesota prosecutor defends Burrell conviction, reporter by AP News on February 25, 2020. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The evidence is quite strong which is why he was convicted twice,” Freeman said in his statement. Freeman took aim at several of the points raised in the AP’s investigation. He said at trial, Burrell offered two different alibis in the case — alibis the state did not find credible. He also said that Burrell confessed to a cousin about his involvement in Edwards’ death —though there is no recording of that call, which allegedly took place while Burrell was locked in a cell in segregation 23 hours a day. And Freeman also said Burrell told a jailhouse informant — a paranoid schizophrenic who testified he “sometimes hears voices” — that he shot the little girl. Freeman said shifting statements by Burrell’s “accomplices” were found “not credible” by a judge at Burrell’s second trial.Though he acknowledged there was no gun, fingerprints, DNA or hard evidence, the prosecutor noted many convictions “do not have those elements.”
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STORY: "A Minnesota prosecutor said Monday his office has spent weeks reviewing a murder conviction
raised by Amy Klobuchar on the presidential debate stage, saying he
believes the evidence that sent a black teenager to prison for life was
“quite strong.” Hennepin
County Attorney Mike Freeman said he would meet soon with attorneys for
Myon Burrell, who was 16 when he was arrested in the 2002 shooting that
killed an 11-year-old girl, and with representatives of the Innocence
Project. His
statement came just before Burrell was scheduled to appear on ABC-TV to
discuss a yearlong Associated Press investigationthat found serious
flaws in his case, which relied heavily on a single eyewitness, who
offered contradictory accounts about the shooter. The
AP also uncovered questionable police tactics, including a detective
who was seen on videotape offering a man in custody cash for “hearsay,”
and then only paying for Burrell’s name. Reporters also interviewed
Burrell’s two co-defendants, both of whom say Burrell was not even at
the scene when Tyesha Edwards was shot and killed. One of them — Ike
Tyson — has long been saying he was in fact the triggerman. Klobuchar
was county attorney when the case was first prosecuted, and has cited
it during her political career as an example of finding justice for
victims of violence. Since the AP published its findings, she has said
any new information in the case should be reviewed by Freeman’s office. “The evidence is quite strong which is why he was convicted twice,”Freeman said in his statement. Freeman
took aim at several of the points raised in the AP’s investigation. He
said at trial, Burrell offered two different alibis in the case — alibis
the state did not find credible. He also said that Burrell confessed to
a cousin about his involvement in Edwards’ death —though there is no
recording of that call, which allegedly took place while Burrell was
locked in a cell in segregation 23 hours a day. And Freeman also said
Burrell told a jailhouse informant — a paranoid schizophrenic who
testified he “sometimes hears voices” — that he shot the little girl. Freeman said shifting statements by Burrell’s “accomplices” were found “not credible” by a judge at Burrell’s second trial. Though
he acknowledged there was no gun, fingerprints, DNA or hard evidence,
the prosecutor noted many convictions “do not have those elements.” Though
Klobuchar raised the case during the Houston Democratic debate this
fall, Freeman noted that the conviction that landed Burrell in prison for life happened under his watch. He said the case“should not be
treated like a political football.” Burrell, however, told ABC News that he feels the senator “is the source of everything that happened.""
The entire story can be read at:
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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