’60 Days In’ Star Nate Burrell Dies by Suicide

Nate Burrell, one of the stars of A&E Network‘s 60 Days In has died. According to TMZ, Burrell, who was 33 years old, died by suicide. His sister, Chelsey Walker, told TMZ that he shot himself in public at an undisclosed location in downtown Allegan, Michigan, on Saturday night.

Burrell posted a note on Facebook before his passing. “This isn’t an admission of guilt,” his message read. “I’m just tired, I’ve been through so much in my life, the pain of my situation now hurts more than I ever imagined. I can’t keep going on.” Burrell had recently turned 33 years old. He had a child on the way with his wife, but it appears as though they had split. He continued, “I can only imagine how bad this would all turn out, all of the legal crap that would ensue after this with custody and everything else. You win! You have promised for weeks, you will ruin my life and I had no idea who I was messing with. You are right, I didn’t know who I was messing with.”

A&E’s series 60 Days In followed Burrell and eight other volunteers who entered jail for two months under assumed identities. The goal was to highlight the problems that those behind bars face. Burrell’s sister, Walker, released a statement on his passing, which read, “Nathan loved his country, loved his family and was a very caring guy. He was just in a bad place. He was very proud of being on 60 Days In, and he really cherished his time on that show.” According to TMZ, Burrell previously served in the military as a Marine from 2006 to 2010. He served three years in the reserves before being honorably discharged in 2013, per the New York Daily News. The late serviceman was in the infantry and served two tours in Iraq. In 2014, he received his associate degree in criminal justice and law enforcement. Burrell was working as a Fish and Wildlife officer in Michigan.

“Nate was disappointed that, while he was stationed in Iraq on one of his two combat tours, his older brother had been arrested and was facing prison time again,” his biography on A&E reads. “He believes that the Criminal Justice System should be much tougher on criminals in order to dissuade them from returning, and he argues prisons should be more militaristic and less flexible when it comes to inmate liberties.”

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.