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How a man exonerated after 24 years behind bars is using his freedom to help others

Darryl Burton spent 24 years in prison for a murder in St. Louis that he didn't commit.

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By
Christina Lorey
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — Darryl Burton spent 24 years in prison for a murder in St. Louis that he didn't commit.

When he got out, he had nothing: no money, no job offer, and no one to help him out.

"I couldn't believe it even when I got outside the prison," Burton said. "I just couldn't believe it. It was an unreal, abnormal feeling."

That was the start of Burton's journey in freedom. When he got out, he says the only thing he did have was God. He got a masters of divinity degree at St. Paul's School of Theology, and started working as an associate pastor at Church of the Resurrection.

Now, Burton says he's getting requests from all over the country for help in other wrongful conviction cases.

"I mean I've gotten calls, I've gotten texts, emails, Facebook requests," Burton recalls. "You know, 'Help my brother, help my husband, help my boyfriend.'"

He adds, "It's a tragedy all the way around: for the victims, for the wrongfully accused. No one wins in these situations. It's double tragedy."

Burton chooses to view his nine years behind bars as a blessing because he says it led him to the path he's on today. He says he knows there are many other innocent people still in prison, and he'll continue to fight for their freedom every day.

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