Myon Burrell's trial begins this week; judge orders no cameras

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Myon Burrell, who was released from prison several years ago when his life sentence for murder was commuted to probation, is scheduled to go on trial Monday in Hennepin County District Court on weapons and drug charges.

Burrell was arrested by Robbinsdale police during a traffic stop last year. Investigators allegedly found a loaded gun and drugs in his SUV.

A request by FOX 9 to allow cameras at Burrell's trial this week was denied, a court decision that raised questions and concerns among some media members.

In December 2020, Burrell was released from Stillwater Prison to the cries of joy of a large group of supporters gathered outside the gates after his life sentence was commuted to a pardon by the state's Board of Pardons and Parole, which included the votes of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

As a teenager, Burrell was convicted of the ricochet-gun killing of 11-year-old Tyeshia Edwards, who was shot while she was doing homework in her Minneapolis home. Later reviews of the case revealed problems, including questionable witness testimony, the use of jailhouse informants and investigators' failure to track down potentially exculpatory surveillance video. Burrell has always maintained his innocence.

Now Burrell must return to court on new charges stemming from the Robbinsdale traffic stop, where police allegedly found a loaded Glock with an extended magazine and illegal drugs in Burrell's vehicle. FOX 9's request to have a camera in that courtroom to record the proceedings was denied by Hennepin County Deputy Chief Judge Mark Kappelhoff.

“Basically, it came down to the fact that he [Judge Kappelhoff] said: “I don't think there is enough public interest in this. How can the public be interested in something they don't really know much about?” asked Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota.

Kirtley has been fighting for universal camera access in state courts for 25 years.

“Any type of criminal proceeding is inherently a matter of legitimate public interest,” said Kirtley, who read Judge Kappelhoff's seven-page order banning camera access to the Burrell trial.

Rules on cameras in court proceedings in Minnesota were loosened this year to make it easier for media to potentially broadcast or livestream inside the courtroom. This type of access is allowed in 35 other states. However, judges still retain some discretion in allowing cameras. And they have completely denied nearly half of all media requests under the new rules.

“I think many judges still believe that cameras have no place in the courtroom,” Kirtley said.

The cameras were blocked in at least a dozen court cases, including the Burrell case, where Judge Kappelhoff ruled that interest was not as great as in the high-profile trials of Derek Chauvin and Kimberly Potter during the pandemic.

Kirtley said: “The problem is how our courts work overall. And in many ways I think it's the more mundane processes that fly under the radar where there could actually be problems and where it's useful to have the media on the ground to document what's going on.”

Among the legal issues at stake is that Burrell is seeking a full acquittal from his decades-old murder conviction. His legal team argues that doing so would nullify his gun charge because in such a case his record would be expunged and he could no longer be charged as a felon for gun possession. A motion by the defense to ask Judge Kappelhoff to postpone Burrell's trial until next year was denied late Friday afternoon.