1.1Senator Kreun moved to amend Senate Resolution No. 15 as follows (...):
1.2Page 1, delete lines 5 to 24 and insert:
1.3"WHEREAS, on November 22, 2002, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 11-year-old Tyesha
1.4Edwards was killed by a stray bullet during a gang-related shooting while she did her school
1.5homework at the dining room table in her family's home; and
1.6WHEREAS, the African American community at the time expressed fear for their safety
1.7amidst gang and gun violence; and
1.8WHEREAS, on June 10, 2003, Myon Burrell was convicted of murder in the first degree
1.9committed for benefit of a gang and premeditated attempted murder, and sentenced to prison
1.10for life, which conviction was confirmed on April 9, 2008; and
1.11WHEREAS, Senator Amy Klobuchar, who was the Hennepin County Attorney at the
1.12time of the murder, continued to point to this case for decades as a tough-on-crime win; and
1.13WHEREAS, Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, as members of
1.14the Minnesota Board of Pardons, commuted Burrell's sentence to 20 years on December
1.1515, 2020; and
1.16WHEREAS, the victim's father opposed the commutation of Burrell's sentence, and
1.17remains adamant that Burrell killed his young daughter; and
1.18WHEREAS, Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County Attorney in 2020, maintained his
1.19belief that Burrell had committed the crime and should not be pardoned; and
1.20WHEREAS, after his release from prison in 2020, Burrell was pulled over by law
1.21enforcement in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on August 29, 2023, for erratic driving and
1.22subsequently arrested when illegal hallucinogenic drugs and a gun were found in his
1.23possession; and
1.24WHEREAS, Burrell was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and controlled
1.25substances on December 19, 2024, and returned to prison on a five-year sentence; and
1.26WHEREAS, in August 2024, Judge Mark Kapelhoff in Burrell's most recent case stated
1.27that Burrell had been "granted a rare opportunity" with the commutation of his sentence for
1.28murder, and instead Burrell chose "this other path" that led to drugs and guns, and further
1.29found it "a bit disappointing" that Burrell did not appear to express remorse during the
1.30pre-sentence investigation; and
1.31WHEREAS, Governor Tim Walz and his administration, with support from Legislative
1.32Democrats, continue to push for the release of violent criminals from prison through the
2.1Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act, prosecutor-initiated sentence reductions,
2.2and other soft-on-crime initiatives; and
2.3WHEREAS, Governor Tim Walz supported and signed into law in 2023 legislation from
2.4the Democrat-led Legislature that authorized changes to allow the Board of Pardons to more
2.5easily release violent offenders or commute their sentences; and
2.6WHEREAS, Governor Tim Walz and his Democrat appointees take law abiding gun
2.7owners as a more serious threat when they protect themselves than convicted violent criminals
2.8who carry illegal guns and threaten the public's safety; and
2.9WHEREAS, gang violence remains a problem throughout the Twin Cities more than
2.1020 years later; and
2.11WHEREAS, Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison granting
2.12commutations to violent criminals sends a message to Minnesotans that violence is excusable
2.13and that Minnesota lives are expendable; and
2.14WHEREAS, victims, their families, and the public at large should be able to count on
2.15original sentences handed down by judges in crimes of violence, and the violent offenders
2.16should serve out their time in prison; NOW, THEREFORE,
2.17BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota, that it condemns Governor
2.18Tim Walz for releasing violent criminals from prison, who then commit further crimes and
2.19illegally possess firearms, which undermines the safety and well-being of law-abiding
2.20citizens and their families.
2.21BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Minnesota Senate rejects any attempt to abandon
2.22victims and their families and ignore fear instilled by violent criminals on our communities
2.23with the Walz administration's sweeping reforms that are intent on releasing violent criminals
2.24to the public.
2.25BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare a
2.26copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by his signature and that of the Chair of the
2.27Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Governor Tim Walz and
2.28Attorney General Keith Ellison. "
2.29Page 2, delete lines 1 to 15
2.30Amend the title accordingly
2.31The motion prevailed. #did not prevail. So the amendment was #not adopted.