MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A convicted felon was sentenced to life in prison Monday for the 2016 killing of a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent.
Brenden Burns pleaded guilty to felony murder and aggravated robbery in the shooting death of Special Agent De’Greaun Frazier, Madison County District Attorney Jody S. Pickens said. Frazier, 35, was killed during an undercover drug investigation in Jackson in August 2016.
Burns, 24, received a sentence of life in prison without parole in a plea deal that resulted from discussions between prosecutors and defense attorneys in the run-up to a trial scheduled in November, Pickens said.
This undated photo provided by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent De’Greaun Frazier. Frazier, 35, was killed during an undercover drug investigation in Jackson, Tenn., in August 2016. Convicted felon Brenden Burns was sentenced to life in prison, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, for killing Frazier. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via AP, File)Frazier was the first agent in the history of the state police agency to be killed in the line of duty.
TBI is building a new laboratory and regional headquarters named after Frazier in Jackson, about 100 miles east of Memphis. In a statement, TBI Director David Rausch called Frazier, who went by “Dee,” a great agent.