How prosecutors say professed Bloods leader killed a Durham club promoter
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Prosecutors say Ring video, phone records and DNA show Tyson was responsible.
- Prosecutors say Burton's blood was found in Henderson’s house, his truck and Tyson’s.
- Defense argues lack of struggle, delayed 911 call and missing “pieces” weaken the case.
Ring cameras, phone records and DNA samples showed how a club promoter disappeared four years ago and how a professed Bloods gang leader was responsible, the prosecution in a Durham murder trial said in its opening statement Wednesday.
Darrius Lavale Tyson, 34, is accused of killing Shawn Burton, 33, who was last seen on March 22, 2022.
Authorities never found Burton’s body, The News & Observer previously reported.
Tyson, who told prosecutors he is the top-ranking Blood in North Carolina, was originally charged with kidnapping Burton in May 2022. A grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge in February 2023. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Tyson’s trial began Monday with jury selection, which lasted until Wednesday afternoon.
In its opening statement, his defense argued there was no evidence of a struggle between Tyson and Burton, and Tyson would have no reason to murder his friend.
‘Nobody has seen or heard from him’
The night of March 22, 2022, when Burton was last seen, he was visiting Ebony McGill at her Front Street apartment in Durham, Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow told the jury.
Burton had recently been released from federal prison after being convicted of drug charges, Darrow said. He was living with his dad in Danville, Virginia, who suffered from dementia. Burton was in a relationship with McGill and had three kids with her, so he would occasionally visit Durham.
Burton planned to go to the 919 Club to sign a contract and become a music promoter for the south Durham nightclub, Darrow said. McGill was doing laundry when she heard a scream from Burton outside. She saw a few cars and a few men she thought were carrying guns.
Someone she didn’t recognize got into Burton’s truck, and the group drove off, Darrow said. She thought it was odd but didn’t know what to make of it. So she waited.
Later that night, McGill received a call from Rayshawn Henderson, Burton’s cousin, Darrow said. Henderson checked the Ring cameras from his North Duke Street duplex and caught Burton’s dark gray truck and two other vehicles, a white Kia and dark Sedan, in the background.
Behind Burton were men with guns as he opened the door, Darrow said. Then the Ring cameras were ripped off.
Henderson called McGill to figure out what was going on, Darrow said. McGill then called 911.
Having no luck with local surveillance camera footage, Durham Police Department officers went to Henderson’s duplex, Darrow said. The place was trashed, and there was blood in the bathroom.
A forensics team collected swabs and fingerprints from Henderson’s home, Darrow said. Blood found in Henderson’s house, Burton’s truck and Tyson’s rented Kia all matched Burton’s DNA, she said.
The next morning, no one had heard from Burton, Darrow said. Durham police eventually identified Burton’s license plate, using license plate readers to find the truck driving north on Interstate 85 near Creedmoor. Two cars that matched McGill’s description and the Ring camera followed behind him.
Police then looked at Burton’s phone records, which showed four calls in the span of 20 minutes from a number belonging to Tyson, Darrow said. Police also found the white Kia following Burton’s truck was the same one Tyson rented from a Sanford company.
Still, police couldn’t find the vehicle until they got a call from Warren County, where they found Burton’s truck atop railroad tracks in the Soul City area. Search-and-rescue dogs were brought to several possible locations, but they found no sign of Burton.
“Nobody has seen or heard from him,” Darrow said.
‘They were friends’
Darrow compared her opening statement to the cover of a jigsaw puzzle box, telling the jurors their goal was to piece it together.
So Tyson’s defense attorney, Daniel Meier, told the jury in his opening statement to “make sure you look at the pieces that are missing.”
Meier said that the Ring camera footage would show the men were calm and casual, showing no urgency. Henderson was also in his duplex for an hour and a half before police arrived and found his home trashed.
Meier emphasized that McGill did not call 911 until an hour and a half after Burton left her apartment. There was blood in Henderson’s house, but it was a few drops and not indicative of an assault, Meier said.
Burton was a big man — at least 6-foot-3 and over 300 pounds — so he wouldn’t go down without a struggle, for which there is no evidence, Meier said.
The defense contended there was no evidence for any of the charges, especially not a conspiracy to murder, Meier said. Tyson’s musical career was about to pop off before Burton’s disappearance, and Burton was going to promote Tyson at the 919 Club.
“They were friends,” Meier said of Tyson and Burton. “They called each other a lot.”
Tyson was attentive but did not show any visible reaction to the opening statements. The trial will resume with the prosecution’s witnesses at 9:15 a.m. Thursday.
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 5:33 PM.
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