Tim Walz commuted life sentence of teen convicted of murdering 11-year-old girl—he’s since been arrested on drugs and firearms charges

Burrell was handed a lifetime sentence for the 2002 murder of Tyesha Edwards. The girl was struck by a stray bullet while she was doing homework, according to the New York Post. Police at the time said Burrell, who was then 16, shot Edwards while he was attempting to shoot a rival gang member.

Walz in 2020, while he was serving as a member of the Minnesota Board of Pardons, voted to commute Burrell’s sentence. Since his sentence was commuted, Burrell has been arrested twice. His first arrest was in 2023 for illegal possession of a firearm and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.

Burrell was arrested again in 2024 and was handed a separate count of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance. Police said that they found evidence of a controlled substance in his vehicle as well as a pill that tested positive for methamphetamine. The jury trial for the 2023 charges against Burrell, now 37, began in Hennepin County on Monday morning.

The initial sentence was originally handed down by then-prosecutor Amy Klobuchar, with the case being brought back to light after she ran for the presidency in 2020.

Burrell maintained his innocence in the case. An Associated Press investigation raised questions about the case after noting that there was no DNA, fingerprints, or gun tied directly to Burrell that was involved in the case. Instead, eyewitnesses and jailhouse informants were relied on in the case.

Burrell’s sentence was commuted to 20 years, of which he had already served 18. The remainder of his sentence would be served outside prison with supervision. The commutation of Burrell’s case was the first time in 22 years in Minnesota that a murder case was commuted.

Walz said at the time, “We cannot turn a blind eye to the developments in science and law as we look at this case.” Addressing Edwards' family, Walz said, "We’re not here to relitigate the crime committed against your family that took your daughter away. There is nothing I can do to ease your pain, and it will not be made better. But we must act today to recognize the law in this area has changed. Justice is not served by incarcerating a child for his entire lifetime for a horrible mistake committed many years ago."