After spending 18 years in prison, Myon Burrell walked out of the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater as a free man on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, Burrell, 34, had his life sentence commuted to 20 years in the killing of Tyesha Edwards, who was shot by a stray bullet while she sat in her South Minneapolis home.
The crowd welcomed Burrell as he was released. Burrell's attorney, Kari Moriarty, spoke on his behalf.
"Mr. Burrell wants to thank the governor and attorney general for the action they took today," Moriarty said. “He is very happy to have the opportunity to get home to his family and start the next chapter of his life.”
Myon Burrell Jr. was only a year old when his father was sentenced.
"It's like dying and going to heaven," Burrell Jr. said. "I never experienced nothing like that in all of my lifetime. This is the best feeling I've ever had. I've been waiting for this for all my life."
The remainder of Burrell's sentence will be served on supervised release, effective immediately.
