60 Days In's Nate Burrell was charged with rape days before suicide (2024)

Nate Burrell, the star of the A&E docuseries 60 Days In, was charged with rape and multiple counts of assault just days before he committed suicide over the weekend, court documents have revealed.

The former Marine, 33, fatally shot himself ‘in public’ in downtown Allegan on Saturday night, his sister Chelsey Walker first revealed to TMZ.

Hours before, Burrell had posted what appeared to be suicide note to Facebook, writing in the 3000-word post that ‘he ‘can’t keep going on’ and alluded to troubled relations with his estranged wife, with whom he was expecting a child.

However, Michigan court records obtained by People revealed he had been charged with five felony counts - including criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder – just days earlier on October 22.

Burrell was scheduled to be arraigned in court on November 9, nine days after his death.

‘This isn’t an admission of guilt,’ he began his Facebook post on October 31. ‘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.

‘I want to apologize to my family and friends for failing you. I know alot of you will think you could have changed my mind I ensure you, you wouldn't. This isn't a spontaneous thing.’

The reality TV star, who had just turned 33, had recently split from his wife, according to Walker.

In his Facebook message, he spoke directly to his estranged partner - referred to only as Jordan - and an apparent custody battle over their unborn child.

‘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,’ Burrell wrote. ‘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.’

He continued by thanking family and friends for giving him ‘so much support through this,’ insisting he was grateful for everything they had done.

‘But we all have our day, our time to go, most feel like we shouldn’t decide that but I’m here to tell you I’ve made that decision and as hard as it was I am happy with my decision. I’m done fighting the demons of my past, I’m done fighting the demons of today, and the demons of tomorrow.

‘For those who are mourning know I'm in such a better place. I'm no longer fighting the battles that have been causing so much pain in my mind and life. Waking up feeling worthless, lost, confused, and tired/exhausted. I know you all have told me that's not who I am and I'm talented and have a good head on my shoulders, I appreciate you, but it doesn't help how I feel.’

His note went on to reference a number of family members and friends by name, before urging America to ‘revamp’ the ‘behavioral health’ sector.

‘Our military and their families need it… Our military and their families need it. I checked myself into the hospital for wanting to commit suicide and from the beginning I felt like a criminal going to jail. Stripped of my dignity and identity and personal property.

‘I needed my family and friends during this time and you took that away. Not being able to communicate put me in such a darker hole than I was in originally that was so hard on me mentally. I would have told you anything to get me out of that place even if it meant I was okay when I wasn’t. You didn’t help me you held me prisoner so I couldn’t hurt myself?’

He concluded the post with a bible verse and the quote, ‘Let our lives not be defined by our mistakes but instead our hearts.’

Burrell was a veteran, having served in the military as a Marine from 2006 to 2010. He was in the infantry and served two tours of Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 2013 and went on to receive his associate degree in criminal justice and law enforcement in 2014.

He later became a household name after appearing in two seasons 60 Days In, a documentary series aiming to uncover the injustice done to inmates behind bars.

The show followed Nate and eight others who entered jail for 2 months under assumed identities which they did of their own free will. He starred in seasons three and four of the series and was incarcerated at the Fulton County Jail.

According to his sister, Chelsey Walker, Nate was proud of his participation in the show.

‘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,’ Walker said.

According to his biography on A&E, he was inspired to take part in the show following the arrest of his brother.

'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 A&E biography 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.'

Burrell had been working as a Fish and Wildlife Officer in Michigan at the time of his death.

The Allegan Police Department has not yet returned a DailyMail.com request seeking further information on his death and the charges brought against him.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or know somebody who is, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline on 800-273-8255.