Durham police said Tuesday that three men linked to the disappearance of a Durham club promoter now face murder charges.
Shawn Burton, a father of six who was on his way to work at Club 919 when he was last seen, has not been found, police said, but "new evidence developed in the case supported adding murder charges," according to a police department spokesman.
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A grand jury indicted Darrius Tyson, Tariq Henderson and Brentley Yancey on murder charges this week.
Tyson has a lengthy criminal history, including a second-degree murder conviction in 2010 for which he served 10 years in prison.
Shawn Burton's wife reacts
The wife of Shawn Burton, who prefers to not be named, said their family does not have closure and they do not have peace. However, she said they are happy with the upgraded charges in the case.
"This is a tremendous loss for our family," she said. "He's a husband, a father, a son, a brother.
Burton's wife said his father died in January without answers of knowing what happened to his son. She said Burton was a big-hearted person who liked to help a lot of people. She said he was a giving person and a good father.
Father of six last seen in March 2022
Durham Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow said Burton was last seen March 22, 2022. He was picked up from a home on Front Street and driven to Duke Street in Durham.
Darrow said video from a Ring doorbell showed Burton using a key to get into the building with three men behind him holding guns. Authorities said they believe one of those three men is Tyson.
When law enforcement arrived at the Duke Street building, they said it had been ransacked and there was blood in the kitchen. Law enforcement tracked phone numbers and vehicles, prosecutors said, and established that Tyson's car, Burton's car and a third car drove together from Durham to Henderson.
Darrow said the vehicles stayed in Henderson for a period of time, then traveled to Warren County, back to Henderson and back to Durham.
On March 23, Burton's truck was found parked on a railroad track in Warren County with blood inside. Authorities then tracked Tyson’s vehicle and seized it. That vehicle allegedly had blood inside as well.