Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Monday defended presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar for the conviction of Myon Burrell in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl.
The statement came as Burrell was scheduled to appear on national TV to address his prosecution in the 2002 killing of Tyesha Edwards, which has come under new scrutiny because of an Associated Press investigation and article.
Burrell was convicted in 2003 when Klobuchar served as Hennepin County attorney at the time, and again in 2008 when Freeman ran the office.
"Amy Klobuchar was not the trial attorney on the case," Freeman said in a written statement. "It should not be treated like a political football."
Burrell was 16 the first time he was convicted of murdering Edwards.
Burrell, now 33, was granted a new trial and was convicted of first-degree murder in a bench trial and was sentenced to life in prison.
The AP article raised questions about the credibility of jailhouse informants, the lack of physical evidence and apparent missteps by investigators.
It quoted a man who said he had fired shots at a rival that instead tore into Edwards' south Minneapolis home and killed the girl while she was doing homework at the dining room table.
