MINNEAPOLIS — Myon Burrell, the Minnesota man freed from a life sentence in 2020 following a much-publicized case, has been arrested for a second time since his release and is charged with 5th-degree drug possession.
The Hennepin County violent offender task force received information this month that Burrell was recently seen selling fentanyl and MDMA from his truck while in possession of a gun, according to the criminal complaint.
After deputies pulled Burrell over Thursday afternoon, they allegedly found a meth pill, chunks of drugs on the floor, and at his home -- a suitcase with $60,000 cash and business card with his name.
Search warrants filed Friday go into further detail about the drug investigation.
The affidavit says authorities believe Burrell is a part of the "Rolling 30s" Bloods gang and is frequently seen at 38th St. and Chicago Ave., "a very high drug and crime area" in Minneapolis.
Investigators seized two cell phones that they will inspect for evidence of drug dealing, according to the affidavit.
Burrell faces an unrelated upcoming trial on separate allegations of weapons possession by a felon and drug charges following an arrest in Robbinsdale in August 2023.
Burrell served 18 years in prison after being convicted twice for the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards in south Minneapolis in 2002. Edwards was killed by a stray bullet that went through her house while she sat at the table doing her homework.
Prosecutors believe Burrell, who was 16 at the time, was trying to shoot a rival gang member. Burrell always maintained his innocence and provided differing alibis throughout the years. He was convicted in two separate trials - one before a jury and one before a judge - and the second conviction has been upheld by appeals courts.
But a movement to free Burrell began in 2020 when an Associated Press article raised questions about the police investigation and subsequent prosecutions.
Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, influenced by a report penned by a group of six attorneys from around the country, decided to commute Burrell’s life sentence and immediately release him from prison on the basis he was only 16 years old when he allegedly committed his crime.
In an interview with KARE 11 last year, Burrell said he hopes the Attorney General Office's new Conviction Review Unit will help overturn his conviction and wipe his record clean.
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