Last year on August 29, 2008, Darryl Burton was released from prison after being incarcerated for 24 years for a murder he did not commit.
This year Burton was able to spend Christmas with his daughter, Tynesha Lee, for the very first time.
Burton had not seen his daughter since she was two years old, but this Christmas they met in St. Louis to spend the holidays together.
“It was a very overwhelming experience to go from no family to an immense amount of people,” said Tynesha Lee.
“And just to know that I had a father who had been wanting to see me, who had wanted to embrace me, and wanted to experience my life, he just was not able to. That gave me such a sense of hope, and I’m happy to be here.”
While wrongfully incarcerated, Burton would send his daughter presents for her birthday and at Christmas. This year, he was able to give his daughter the present he always wished to give her in person: a Barbie doll.
Growing up, Tynesha always loved Barbie dolls and she was so happy to receive one from her father, even at the age of 26.
“It was the first chance I had to give my child a Barbie doll,” Burton said.
“It was a 26-year gift, long in the waiting, and it was very special.”
Burton’s life has been no easy burden to bear. He remembers how dismal the holidays were in prison, just wanting to be with his family.
“Prison in itself is a depressing place. It’s discouraging, especially when you’re innocent,” Burton said.
“And then compound that with the holidays and you’re separated from your family or your child, it really makes Christmas hard. It makes all the holidays hard.”
After getting a break by receiving a confession from someone who lied to assist the prosecution, Burton worked with Centurion Ministries of New Jersey to have his wrongful conviction overturned.
Ward of the State
While Burton languished in prison, his daughter’s life was not easy either. Tynesha moved around much of her life. As a child she lived in St. Louis, where her father was wrongfully convicted in 1985 of the murder of Donald “Moe” Ball, but she was never fully aware of where her father was or what had happened to him.
“I knew the story of my father but I didn’t know the details, because I was so young and my mother was young as well,” Tynesha said.
“I knew that he had been imprisoned, but I didn’t know the true reason. My father would call me randomly as a child when I still lived in St. Louis. I only can recall one phone conversation that he and I had, and that was when he called to see if I received my Christmas bicycle and Cabbage Patch doll. That’s all I remember.”
She moved from St. Louis to Indiana with her mother and two siblings to be with her maternal grandmother. She was raised in an environment plagued by drug abuse, but never succumbed to the pressure.
After her grandmother died, they all moved to Georgia. Sometimes they had no place to stay, and for a time lived in a semi-vacant building with no lights or running water. Soon Tynesha and her siblings were put under the care of the State of Georgia’s foster care system.
“I became a ward of the State at 13, and I emancipated myself from the State’s custody at 17 and a half,” Tynesha said.
“I relocated and went to Atlanta, Georgia where I went to Morris Brown College, and after three years they lost their accreditation. My mother had moved to Indianapolis five years prior, and I followed her to Indianapolis. And that’s where my father located me.”
Tynesha’s mother is doing much better now. Tynesha hopes to have a reunion with her siblings like the one she has had with her father. Tynesha is currently in school for finance and works for an insurance agency in Indianapolis.
‘Peace and forgiveness’
All the while, Darryl Burton never forgot his daughter or his family. After being freed from prison, Burton relocated to Kansas City. Currently he works helping youth, which is his passion, at a local high school.
“Now I’m working with the youth. I’m what’s called a ‘life coach,’” Burton said.
“I just teach them about life experiences. Being from the inner city and knowing that a lot of times young Americans, particularly urban and minorities, you have some challenges that you have to be able to deal with. And I talk to them about my own life experiences and what I went through.”
What is so remarkable is Burton’s ability to find forgiveness. He has made it his duty to use his situation to help others and attributes his freedom to the grace of God.
“I said, ‘Jesus, if you’re real then help me get out of this place. Not only will I serve, but I’ll tell the world about you,’” Burton said.
“And that wasn’t a prayer or a plea, it was a challenge. And so here I am. And as a testament to me being released, physically is one thing, but spiritually is the biggest thing I got, because that is what ushered in the peace and forgiveness for me.”
Tynesha, like her father, also became a Christian through adversity. Darryl was so thrilled and delighted to know how alike they both are and how they have similar interests.
They both have a passion for helping young people. Burton helps youth to make good choices and teaches them from his own experiences with his work as a life coach, and Tynesha wants to help children in foster care. Next year and for all Christmases in the future, they both intend to work to feed the hungry.
“Christmas was great this year,” Darryl said.
“It was the first Christmas I had a chance to spend with my daughter Tynesha in 26 years. It was the best Christmas ever.”
Darryl Burton is available for speaking engagements. Call 816-506-4673, email darrylaburton@gmail.com or visit www.dabex.org.
