Albert Burrell
State: Louisiana
Convicted: 1987
Exonerated: 2001
Race: Caucasian
DNA used in exoneration? No
Reasons for wrongful conviction:
False accusation
Prosecutorial misconduct
Albert's Wrongful Conviction
After spending 13 years on death row, Albert Burrell was released from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola on January 3, 2001, shortly after the Louisiana Attorney General dismissed charges against him and his co-defendant, Michael Graham. They had been sentenced to death in 1987 for the murder of an elderly couple. Their convictions were thrown out because of a lack of physical evidence and dubious witness testimony used at trial. Albert came within 17 days of a scheduled execution in 1996 before his attorneys won a stay. Prosecutor Dan Grady acknowledged that the case was weak and “should never have been brought to [the] grand jury” to begin with.
During the trial, prosecutors withheld key information from the defense, failed to produce any physical evidence, and relied only on witness testimony, which has since been discredited. Dismissing the charges, the attorney general's office cited a “total lack of credible evidence” and stated, “Prosecutors would deem it a breach of ethics to proceed to trial.” DNA tests later proved that blood found at the victims’ home did not belong to Albert or Michael Graham. The trial attorneys appointed to defend Albert were later disbarred for other reasons.
Upon his release, Albert was issued a denim jacket several sizes too large and a $10 check for transportation. He climbed into his stepsister Estelle's pickup truck and rode to her small ranch in East Texas. Maintaining his innocence, Albert said, "I didn't have nothing to do with that," referring to the crime.
Albert's Work Today
Albert currently lives and works in Center, Texas, and since his release has been active in the movement against the death penalty with other exonerated former death row prisoners. He is particularly active in Texas, including attending events through the Texas Moratorium Network.
Publications:
A short documentary about death row exonerees Albert Burrell, Shujaa Graham, Ron Keine, and Greg Wilhoit
Directed by Alvaro Corcuera and Guillermo Abril
Free with Amazon Prime
In The Media:
8.26.12 America: How Exceptional?
10.21.16 Meeting the survivors of death row
2.12.17 Surviving Death Row