Myon Burrell, whose life term in girl's murder was commuted, charged with 2 felonies

Felony weapon and drug charges were filed Friday against Myon Burrell, the man whose life sentence for the murder of an 11-year-old girl in Minneapolis was commuted in late 2020 after he served 18 years.

Burrell, 37, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with illegal weapon possession and fifth-degree drug possession after being pulled over late Tuesday morning by a Robbinsdale police officer who said Burrell's SUV was traveling erratically on N. 42nd Avenue. Police say they found a loaded handgun in the front center console and illicit drugs.

The Dakota County Attorney's Office is handling the prosecution to allow prosecutors in Hennepin County to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Burrell was a paid member of Mary Moriarty's campaign staff in 2022, when she successfully ran for Hennepin County attorney.

In December 2020, Burrell left Stillwater prison after the Minnesota Board of Pardons voted to immediately release him from a life sentence in connection with the 2002 fatal shooting of Tyesha Edwards, who was killed when a stray bullet penetrated her Minneapolis home while she was doing her math homework at her dining room table. Burrell has always declared he had nothing to do with Tyesha's killing.

Gov. Tim Walz, a member of the Board of Pardons, proposed commuting Burrell's life term to 20 years and requiring him to serve the remainder of the time — two years — on supervised release. That supervision expired in December. At the time, Walz noted that the board's commutation was not a determination of guilt or innocence, but that it was motivated by the "exceptionally long" sentence Burrell received as a juvenile.

"Like in so many criminal cases things may not be what they appear to be," Burrell's attorney, Paul Applebaum, said Friday. "I am particularly interested in the circumstances surrounding the initial traffic stop. We look forward to seeing the State's evidence and will respond accordingly."

Burrell appeared in court Friday afternoon and remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail ahead of an Oct. 17 court appearance.

Shortly before 11 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the charges, a police officer spotted Burrell's SUV going over the 30 mile per hour speed limit.

The charges say the officer pulled over Burrell and smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana when the driver's side window was rolled down. He also saw "marijuana remnants" in the center console. He noticed that Burrell's eyes were red, glassy, and his pupils were dilated.

Burrell was ordered out of the SUV, and a field sobriety test indicated a degree of intoxication.

He objected when the officer told him his vehicle was going to be searched for marijuana and started walking away when told to sit in the squad car. The officers "took [Burrell] by the arm to sit in his squad, and [Burrell] pulled away and began to actively resist the officer," according to the charges.

Burrell was placed in handcuffs and led into the squad car.

The officer located in the center console a loaded 9-millimeter handgun with an extended magazine and a backpack in the back seat that had two bags of marijuana and 21 clear capsules of a crystal-like powder with the "appearance of a controlled substance." Sixteen of those capsules tested positive for methamphetamine.

Another bag held 16 suspected ecstasy pills. Also in the backpack were more bags and a digital scale.

Police filed a search warrant affidavit to have Burrell's blood or urine tested for drug or alcohol use.