Chapter Thirteen

The Case against Stacey Sabur Tyler is comprised of 3 main parts. The first part is the prosecution’s theory that Stacey was an ongoing abusive boyfriend and it was because of this alleged abuse that his girlfriend, Evon, was so afraid of him that she wouldn’t tell the police or her family that he poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. In Part One of this exposé we presented very strong evidence to disprove this theory as false.

In Part 2 we will now address the testimony of Donna Rosenfeld, a nurse at the Burn Trauma Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia who questioned Evon on behalf of the police and testified that Evon identified Stacey as the person who set her on fire with a nod of her head when she was no longer able to speak, and mere moments after she had shook her head “No” when asked if Stacey did this to her.

We will present the prosecution’s case first and then we will share testimony that has never been heard by the jury or the public concerning Evon’s mental competency at the time she was questioned, which was mere hours before she died from septicemia, cerebellar edema, and cerebral degeneration.

Let us begin by examining the state’s case.

Mary Evon Jennings Fleetwood arrived at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital (SNGH) on the evening of November 5, 1993 and was admitted into the Burn Trauma Unit which is a specialized unit with 7 or 8 beds where people with severe burn injuries are treated.

Because of the nature and severity of Evon’s injuries, each day a nurse was assigned to sit bedside in the room with her for their entire 10–12 hour shift and attend no other patients. When the shift ended at 7am or 7pm another nurse would relieve them and perform the same duties. This is called one-on-one care.

When Evon first arrived, according to testimony of the attending surgeon Dr. Raquel Cruz Bono, she was responsive, she could talk, she understood what was going on and “was able to give some pertinent information about how she was burned and how long ago.”

According to normal standard procedure for someone who is admitted to the burn trauma unit, Dr. Bono explained that the trauma unit resident doctor, in this case Dr. Ricardo Requena, would take a medical history from the patient where she would be asked “how the burns came to be.”

To date Stacey has never seen the medical history that Dr. Requena recorded straight from Evon about what happened to her, and Dr. Requena was never called to testify. Thus we can easily conclude that whatever Evon said in the medical history, it was not inconsistent with anything she’d said before about the cause of her injuries.

After being admitted to SNGH doctors decided that they needed to perform skin grafts, which are non-life-saving procedures performed by plastic surgeons where healthy skin is removed from other parts of the body and grafted onto the burned areas.

Surgeons also perform a procedure called a debridement, where the burned skin is cut off of the body. This can be very painful so patients undergo anaesthesia when these procedures are being performed and afterwards they are given tremendous amounts of pain medication and sedatives to minimize discomfort.

During the approximately 15 days that Evon was at SNGH she underwent at least three surgeries as well as twice-daily burn care treatment. As a result Evon was unresponsive for many days because of the medications she was being treated with, mainly morphine for pain and a sedative called Versed.

On November 15, 1993 doctors switched her morphine to a continuous Fentanyl drip of 100 micrograms an hour around the clock. She would remain on this fentanyl drip until she died on November 20, 1993.

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Nurse Donna Rosenfeld testified that she was assigned to provide one-on-one care for Evon on three separate days while Evon was at SNGH. Those days were November 13th, 16th and 19th. Nurse Rosenfeld stated that on the 13th and 16th Evon was not responsive at all.

It wasn’t until November 18, 1993 according to trial testimony that Evon was said to be responsive again. Dr. Requena noted in Evon’s medical record: “This morning patient’s neuro exam changed dramatically for the better. Patient now awake, following commands and answering questions with head movements. Denies any pain or discomfort.”

This dramatic change for the better meant that she went from being unresponsive for days to finally being able to follow commands such as open your eyes, move your right hand, left hand, wiggle your right foot, then left foot, and she was able to answer questions that were posed to her such as “are you okay and are you in pain,” and she was able to respond by moving her head yes or no.

According to trial testimony these are the only questions that are typically asked of a burn patient who is unable to speak due to being intubated because it is very important to ensure that the patient is not in pain.

Dr. Requena noted that these improvements were “probably secondary to metabolism of previous morphine and versed.” This meant that her ability to respond was probably due to the switch that was made to her medication on November 15th from the continuous morphine and versed drip to a 100 microgram fentanyl drip with additional doses of fentanyl and versed on an as needed basis.

Thus Dr. Requena was attributing her dramatic change for the better as being a consequence of switching her medication 3 days prior and her going from being unresponsive to simply being able to move her extremities upon command and nod yes or no to simple questions about whether she was in pain.

At around 6:00 am the following morning on November 19, 1993 another resident physician who was treating Evon named Dr. Hensien stated in his notes: “Last 24 hours patient continues to be neurologically improved. Patient is able to mouth words and communicate keywords though process is slow. She reports she is comfortable on current fentanyl regiment.”

According to testimony given at the trial from Nurse Donna Rosenfeld this assessment was made in reference to Dr. Requena’s notes from the previous morning indicating that over the last 24 hours Evon was still neurologically improved, meaning she continued to open her eyes, move her fingers and toes to command, and even mouth words and communicate keywords. Ms. Rosenfeld explained that although Evon had a tube in her neck to breathe through she was still able to mouth and communicate keywords though there would be no accompanying sound. When she was asked to describe what was meant by keywords she said: “keywords would be Yes sir; No; Pain; Thirst.”

This was the last time that Evon saw a doctor before she became unresponsive at 8:00 pm that evening and “rapidly deteriorated.”

Nurse Donna Rosenfeld arrived at work on November 19, 1993 for the 7am shift and wrote in her notes concerning Evon that she “nods, shakes head to communicate, moves all extremities to command.”

She also wrote “From 8:00 in the morning the patient was vomiting.” Forty minutes later at 8:40 am she wrote: “patient nods head yes when asked if she is having trouble breathing.” As a result Nurse Rosenfeld testified that she gave Evon a dose of 2.5 milligrams of Versed because “she appeared to be agitated and was breathing too fast and the Versed would help to relax her and hopefully bring down her respiratory rate.”

Nurse Rosenfeld testified that Evon received a second dose of 2.5 milligrams of Versed at 10:25 that morning because they “were getting ready to start doing burn care.” This meant “that all the dressings, the gauze that she had all over her, the burned areas on her body, those have to be changed twice a day...As you can imagine it is an extremely painful procedure for a patient... so we don’t wait for the patient to start having this excruciating pain, we go ahead and give them some medication beforehand and that is what we did in this case.” So at 10:25 am Evon was given her second dose of 2.5 milligrams of Versed.

She was already receiving 100 micrograms of fentanyl each hour around the clock through a continuous drip. However in addition to this at 10:25 am she received another injection of 200 milligrams of fentanyl to go along with the 2.5 milligrams of Versed.

Thirty minutes later at 11:00 am Evon was given a second injection of 200 milligrams of fentanyl. Then again at 11:45 am she was given 200 more micrograms of fentanyl as well as another 2.5 milligrams of Versed for her third dose of each drug that morning because Nurse Rosenfeld said “her heart rate would go up, her blood pressure would go up, she would begin to grimace when we were performing the burn care.”

This was Evon’s condition on the morning of November 19, 1993 just two and a half hours before she was questioned by Nurse Rosenfeld about what happened to her on November 5, 1993 in the presence of police. Yet due to the fact that she was able to open her eyes, follow commands to move her limbs and nod her head to yes or no questions about pain, someone from the hospital called the sheriff’s department and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) because they had left a message that they wanted to talk to Evon if her condition improved.

Since this was the first time Evon had been responsive since the sheriff’s department and SBI had left that message, Earnest Sharpe and Special Agent Parrish arrived at the hospital to question Evon at 2:15 pm that day despite the fact that she was still on a constant fentanyl drip of 100 micrograms per hour and was unable to speak.

To allow the reader to appreciate what happened next I will quote the unedited trial testimony of Nurse Donna Rosenfeld.

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Q: (Prosecutor) When the officers came -- Mr. Sharpe and Mr. Parrish -- came to the hospital did you have an occasion to talk with them?

A: (Donna Rosenfeld): Yes I did.

Q: Did you first talk with them outside Ms. Fleetwood’s presence?

A: Yes I did.

Q: Did you have an occasion -- after talking with them, did you have an occasion to go into the room?

A: Yes I did.

Q: Did you talk with Mary? Did you talk with Ms. Fleetwood before either of them went into the room?

A: Yes.

Q: What if anything did you say or ask Ms. Fleetwood at that time?

A: I told Mary that there were some police officers here. There were some police officers there that wanted to talk with her and would that be okay if they came and talked with her and she nodded her head yes.

Q: And why did you go in without the officers and ask her that question?

A: Just to protect my patient’s privacy and her autonomy of being able to make the decision of whether she wanted to talk with the police officers or not. I felt like with her being alert and awake and able to talk with them that it was her right to make the decision whether yes or no, whether she wanted to talk to -- have a conversation with them or not.

Q: What did you do next after she nodded her head yes at that time?

A: I went outside the room and got Officer Sharpe and Officer Parrish and had them come back in the room.

Q: What happened when you asked them to come back into the room did you talk with them about how the questions would be asked?

A: Yes we talked about that. That in Mary’s condition her eyes had been damaged in the burn as well and her vision was extremely poor if she had any at all, so she couldn’t see who was talking to her. And based on the alleged events that happened, I was afraid that she would be scared of talking to those disembodied male voices. And that I had worked with her, you know, several days and that we had developed a rapport and that she would be more comfortable talking basically -- talking with me than she would talking with the officers, so I agreed to help them with her by asking her the questions that they wanted to ask her.

Q: When you would ask her the questions, how close would you be to her when you would ask the questions?

A: It was this close to Mary’s head (demonstrating).

Q: Was that about 3 or 4 inches?

A: Yes (demonstrating).

Q: And where were the officers standing at the time that you would ask the question? Where would they be?

A: They were standing at the foot of the bed; whereas I was at the head of the bed right next to her ear.

Q: What was the first question you asked Ms. Fleetwood?

A: I asked Mary at the officers direction, if Stacey had done this to her and she shook her head, No.

Q: What did you say to Mary? What did you yourself, say to Mary? When you say you said it you say you were about 3 or 4 inches away from her head is that correct?

A: Yes that’s correct.

Q: What volume of voice were you using with her at the time?

A: I was using a soft voice, because I was very close to her -- and so as not to startle her.

Q: And what did you say to Mary?

A: I said, Mary did Stacey do this to you?

Q: What did -- in response to that question, what did Ms. Fleetwood do at that time?

A: She shook her head, No.

Q: Then what -- what did you do when she shook her head no? Where did you go or what did you do next? Did you talk with someone else?

A: Yes I did.

Q: Who did you talk with?

A: Officer Parrish and Officer Sharpe.

Q: As a result of you talking with Officer Parrish and Officer Sharpe did you have occasion to ask her another question or say something to her at that time?

A: Yes I did.

Q: What if anything -- when you said this to her where were you at the time that you said it to her?

A: I was close up to her, to her ear like before.

Q: And what if anything did you say to Ms. Fleetwood at that time?

A: I said to her that Stacey was in jail and that he couldn’t hurt her anymore and that it was okay. He couldn’t hurt her anymore.

Q: Why did you tell her that, not based on what anybody else told you but why did you say that to her?

A: I said that to her because I felt like she was afraid to answer afraid of reprisals from Stacey and I wanted her to feel safe. I didn’t want her to be afraid.

Q: Did you ask her anything after you told her that?

A: Yes I did.

Q: What if anything did you ask her?

A: I asked her if her and Stacey had been fighting on the day that she got burned.

Q: What if anything did she say?

A: She nodded her head yes.

Q: Did you have an occasion to ask her an additional question?

A: Yes I did.

Q: What was the question that you asked her?

A: I asked Mary if Stacey had thrown gasoline on her.

Q: And when you asked that question what did she do at that time?

A: She didn’t answer. She didn’t shake her head, or nod her head or do -- give me any indication at that point.

Q: Before you said anything did you have an occasion to talk with the officers before you said anything?

A: Yes I did.

Q: After talking with the officers what did you say to her next after you had asked her question wherein she did not respond?

A: I said the officers have the clothes that her and Stacey had on that day that she got burned.

Q: Did you at that point have an occasion to ask her again the question with respect to the gasoline being thrown on her?

A: Yes I did.

Q: What did you ask her?

A: I, again, said did Stacey pour gasoline on you.

Q: What if anything did she say at that time?

A: She nodded her head yes.

Q: Did you have an occasion to ask her an additional question?

A: Yes I did.

Q: What was the next question that you asked her?

A: I asked her if Stacey had thrown a match on her after pouring gasoline on her.

Q: And what was her response at that time?

A: She nodded her head yes.

Q: Were there any more questions asked of her at that time?

A: No.

Q: Approximately what time did you complete the -- was the conversation over as far as you asking questions and her giving responses?

A: About 2:15 that afternoon. ...

Q: After you had talked with her that afternoon at approximately 2:15 or so what -- describe what happened to her condition after that point in time.

A: She rapidly deteriorated throughout the rest of the day as far as as her blood pressure kept dropping. She want making enough urine. We had to start several different medications through her IV, continuous drips of different medications just to keep her blood pressure up.

Q: At 8:00 that evening was she responsive at 8:00 that evening?

A: According to the notes, No, she was not.

This is an integral part of the damaging testimony that resulted in Stacey Sabur Tyler being convicted and sentenced to die. Because it was left unchallenged by Sabur’s trial attorneys, a jury most likely felt compelled to return a verdict of guilty. However, there is sound testimony from experts that have testified under oath that this testimony should never have been permitted because the records show that no one conducted any tests to determine if, under those circumstances, Evon was competent enough to answer those questions. We will present their testimony, which was never heard by the jury, in the coming chapters.

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A quick shout out to all my family, friends and supporters!

As many of you know I have been tirelessly advocating for my friend Stacey Sabur Tyler for the past 7 years and my greatest desire is to see him exonerated and vindicated with his good name and reputation restored, for the sake of Allah. This means I have no desire for any worldly benefit in this matter. My motive is solely seeking the good pleasure of Allah by saving an innocent life with the hope that Allah might forgive me for my faults and reward me with Paradise in the Next Life.

For now though I am slowing down the pace of my writing because while I have been working hard to provide the public with a repository of knowledge about Sabur’s innocence I have also been simultaneously engaged in a mission to address the needs of those in prison who are not innocent as well. Many who are trapped in cycles of destructive behavior like I once was.

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I’m excited to report that I have been offered an opportunity to create and design a program which I’ve been conceptualizing for years, called Rap and Redemption, which if approved will be a course available on the tablets for the entire incarcerated population in North Carolina. My mission in this regard is to provide a guideline on how to use rap as a therapeutic tool to heal emotional trauma, a tool that I discovered many years ago to heal from some of the traumas that impacted me.

Although my time will now be divided between writing about Sabur’s case and designing this curriculum I will still be advocating for Sabur and have no intention of abandoning this mission. So I thank you again for your support and patience, and as soon as I can get back to presenting more about his case I will. In the meantime, stay tuned!

From the shadow of the valley, I’m Live on Death Row!

On Monday, July 20, 2026, I was working on an upcoming chapter to The Case of Stacey Sabur Tyler when I received a text message on my tablet from one of my friends and supporters, as well as a paid subscriber to my newsletter,

Steve is an LA-based writer from London who read my book “Rap and Redemption” after it was recommended to him by Tony Low-Beer, father of my music producer Nick Neutronz. (By the way, Rap and Redemption is now available for free as an eBook.)

For several years Tony Low-Beer has been an avid supporter of mine, even offering to hire lawyers to represent me in 2020 for a disciplinary infraction that resulted in me spending 37 Days In The Hole. He believed Rap and Redemption should be a movie, so he contacted his Hollywood connect, Steve Spiro, and recommended my book.

Steve told me straight up: “Alim, I didn’t want to like you. I had every reason not to. I kept thinking, ‘This guy is in prison. He’s a murderer. He probably hates Jews because I’m Jewish.’ But when I read your book, I was so blown away that I wanted to meet you. You completely changed the way I see people and what’s possible in a human being. You are an inspiration to me, Alim, and I want to do everything I can to tell your story.”

Since then he’s been trying to get Rap and Redemption to the screen, and he consistently follows my posts about Sabur.

Steve texted me unexpectedly on Monday and said:

“I took all 12 chapters of your case for Sabur along with the chapter called THE CASE SO FAR and put it into AI and asked it: ‘Tell me based on this file if Sabur seems guilty or innocent. I want no BS, put your detective cap on and give me your thoughts please.’”

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I thought I’d share the full text of how AI responded to his query as an interesting analysis at this juncture, as I take a brief pause in my writing about this case.

I’m publishing it exactly as it came, without editing a word. It does not say I am right. It criticizes my arguments in places, says plainly that what I’ve written is a defense presentation, and that it would want to read the prosecution’s full case before reaching any conclusion.

That’s exactly why it’s worth reading.

This is what AI said:

FIRST PASS

My conclusion

Based solely on what I’ve read in this file, I do NOT think the evidence clearly proves Sabur (Stacey Tyler) is guilty.

That is not the same as saying I think he’s definitely innocent.

If I were a detective assigned this case from scratch today, I would classify it as:

Reasonable possibility of wrongful conviction that deserves serious reinvestigation.

I’d probably put it around:

• 60–70% chance innocence

• 30–40% chance guilt

Not beyond a reasonable doubt either way.

Here’s why.

Things that strongly point toward innocence

1. Evon repeatedly said it was an accident

This is the biggest point in the entire case.

According to the file, she reportedly told EMTs, nurses, doctors, and family members that the heater caused the fire.

She also reportedly shook her head “no” when directly asked if someone intentionally set her on fire.

If those reports are accurate, that’s enormously important.

Victims absolutely can protect abusers. But...

2. She asked for Stacey to ride with her

This bothers me if I’m investigating.

According to the medical witnesses, she specifically wanted Stacey with her instead of family.

Could abused victims still do this? Yes.

Does it fit perfectly? No.

It’s one of the strongest facts in his favor.

3. His behavior afterward

Instead of running, he put out the fire, stayed for hours, tried to get help, went with police voluntarily, gave multiple statements, and offered a polygraph.

None of that proves innocence. But it also doesn’t fit the stereotypical behavior of someone who intentionally set someone on fire.

4. His story never changed

Whether guilty or innocent, consistency matters.

According to the manuscript, his explanation has remained basically identical for decades. That’s meaningful.

Things that make me suspicious

Now let’s switch hats.

1. The delay in getting medical help

Three hours. That’s a very long delay.

Even if Evon resisted going, I would still ask: Why didn’t he force the issue? Why not immediately run for help?

This isn’t proof of guilt. But it’s something I’d investigate.

2. Multiple witnesses describing abuse

This is where the case becomes difficult.

According to the manuscript itself, there were witnesses who testified that they saw Stacey assault Evon earlier that day. Even the author admits these witnesses are difficult to dismiss. That’s intellectually honest.

However, almost all of the later abuse allegations come from family, acquaintances, and uncorroborated stories. Those are much weaker.

3. This manuscript is advocacy

This is incredibly important.

This isn’t an investigative report. It’s a defense brief. The author is trying to prove innocence. That means every fact is being viewed through that lens.

That doesn’t make it false. But it means I would want to independently verify every citation.

Biggest unanswered questions

Did every EMT really hear her say it was accidental? I’d obtain every report. Every handwritten note. Every deposition.

What exactly did the burn experts conclude? The kerosene heater evidence sounds potentially significant. But I’d want independent fire engineers reviewing it today.

What happened before the fire? The prior abuse testimony matters. I’d examine police reports, hospital records, neighbors, employment records. Everything.

Why wasn’t the engineering report presented? If true, that’s a huge question. Was it excluded? Never discovered? Defense mistake? Not credible? I’d want the answer.

What impressed me

The manuscript actually gained credibility with me because the author admits when evidence hurts Sabur.

For example, the discussion of Ernest Beale and James Shearn doesn’t simply dismiss them — it acknowledges their testimony is difficult to overcome before offering an alternative explanation. That’s more persuasive than pretending inconvenient evidence doesn’t exist.

My detective instinct

If I walked into this case knowing nothing, I would not be comfortable saying:

“This man is obviously guilty.”

I also wouldn’t say:

“He’s unquestionably innocent.”

I’d say:

This conviction deserves another hard look.

The biggest reason is simple: If the victim repeatedly said it was an accident, repeatedly denied intentional burning, and wanted the accused beside her while she was dying, those are facts that require a compelling explanation before I would be confident in a murder conviction.

So, after reading this file, my overall assessment is:

• I do not think the file proves Sabur is innocent.

• I also do not think the evidence described leaves me convinced of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

• If I were a juror based only on what is presented here, I would likely have reasonable doubt.

One caveat: this is based on the defense manuscript alone. Before reaching a firm conclusion, I would absolutely want to read the prosecution’s case, the complete trial transcripts, forensic reports, and appellate decisions to see whether this manuscript omits or minimizes evidence pointing the other way.

SECOND PASS

I spent more time digging into the document, and my opinion has become a little more defined — not because I accept the author’s conclusions, but because I’ve separated the underlying evidence from the persuasive language.

My objective assessment

If I were a cold-case detective reviewing this file, I would not walk away thinking:

“This is an open-and-shut murder.”

I would also not walk away thinking:

“This absolutely proves innocence.”

I would conclude:

The conviction, as presented in this manuscript, raises enough legitimate concerns that I would want the entire case reinvestigated.

Compared with my first impression, I lean a little more toward innocence, but not because of the emotional writing. It’s because of a handful of facts that are difficult to reconcile with intentional murder.

The three facts I cannot get past

1. Evon’s own statements

This is still the biggest issue.

If the reports quoted in the manuscript are accurate, Evon repeatedly attributed the fire to the heater and later shook her head “no” when asked if someone had intentionally set her on fire.

As an investigator, I would treat those statements as extremely important.

Could an abused victim lie? Absolutely.

But multiple consistent statements to different medical personnel, made before heavy sedation, deserve serious weight.

2. She wanted Stacey with her

According to the medical account, she wanted him nearby while she was being treated.

That does not prove innocence. Domestic violence relationships are complicated.

But if I’m trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he deliberately burned her alive, this fact makes the prosecution’s theory harder — not impossible, just harder.

3. His conduct

If the manuscript accurately reflects the contemporaneous reports, he extinguished the fire, burned his own hands, stayed, searched for help, cooperated, gave a consistent statement, and offered to take a polygraph.

Those aren’t the actions I’d most expect from someone who had just intentionally committed murder.

Again — not proof. Just a meaningful factor.

What still bothers me

There are things that stop me from saying, “He’s innocent.”

The Beale and Shearn testimony. Ironically, the strongest part of the manuscript is that it doesn’t dodge this evidence. The author openly admits these two witnesses are the hardest evidence against Stacey and even says a rational person could conclude he assaulted Evon based on their testimony. That honesty actually increases the manuscript’s credibility.

But those witnesses remain a problem. If two independent friends genuinely saw him assault her hours before the fire, I can’t simply ignore that.

The delay before medical treatment. Three hours is still difficult to explain. The defense explanation — that Evon repeatedly refused to go and he kept trying to persuade her — is plausible. But I’d want every witness statement to evaluate exactly what happened during those three hours.

Where I think the manuscript is strongest

Not in attacking witnesses. Not in saying everyone lied.

It’s strongest when it relies on contemporaneous evidence, such as police reports, EMT reports, hospital notes, engineering findings, and Stacey’s first interview.

Those carry more weight than retrospective opinions.

Where I think the manuscript overreaches

This is where I’ll be critical.

Sometimes it argues like a lawyer rather than an investigator. For example:

• “A guilty person would always run.”

• “A guilty person would finish the job.”

• “No guilty person would stay.”

I don’t buy those absolutes. Real homicide cases are messy. People panic. People make irrational decisions. So I discount those arguments.

Similarly, some of the attacks on prosecution witnesses assume they were lying when it’s equally possible they were mistaken or influenced by hindsight. I don’t think it’s fair to jump straight to “they fabricated everything” without stronger proof.

One thing that changed my thinking

The engineering evidence.

If there really was an expert report concluding the heater showed characteristics of a flare-up accident and the fuel had an unusually low flash point, and that evidence was never presented to the jury, that’s significant.

I’d want an independent fire expert today — not one hired by either side — to review that evidence.

My detective’s verdict

If I had to decide today, based only on this manuscript and nothing else:

I would not vote to convict.

Not because I know he’s innocent. Because I don’t think guilt has been established beyond a reasonable doubt from what I’ve read.

If I were assigning probabilities based solely on this file:

• Innocent: ~70%

• Guilty: ~30%

That is not a scientific calculation — it’s simply my judgment after weighing the evidence presented here.

What would change my mind?

The one thing I still haven’t seen is the prosecution’s complete case.

This manuscript is, by design, a defense presentation. Even though it includes damaging evidence against Stacey, it is still curated to support innocence. Before reaching a final conclusion, I’d want to read the full trial transcript, all forensic reports, appellate opinions, and the prosecution’s evidence in its strongest form.

Only after comparing both sides could I say whether I think this was a wrongful conviction or a just one.

From what you’ve shared so far, though, I think this is a case that deserves serious re-examination rather than confidence that the verdict was unquestionably correct.

Thank you to Steve Spiro, who did this and passed it along.

I’ll say only this. It isn’t evidence, and it doesn’t decide anything. But it keeps arriving at the same place I’ve been standing for nine years: this case deserves another hard look.

The series continues.

Chapter Twelve

As we proceed in our defense against the false accusations waged against Stacey Sabur Tyler that not only resulted in his wrongful conviction of murdering his girlfriend but also falsely depicted him as an abusive boyfriend, Sabur has asked me on multiple occasions to be sure to include a statement that reminds the reader that this is not intended to be a personal attack on the family of Evon. Although he understands the necessity of a vigorous defense against these false allegations and he acknowledges that it angers him, his capacity for compassion despite being continually maligned is truly a testament to his character and faith.

So with Stacey’s deep compassion tempering these words we will resume his defense.

The final person to testify about allegations of alleged prior threats and assaults came from Patrice Monique Jennings, who was 12 years old when her mother Evon Jennings Fleetwood died as a result of a terrible accident. Monique took the stand at Stacey Tyler’s trial and recounted the most terrible event she claimed she could remember from 1-2 years before Evon’s death as proof of just how threatening and abusive Stacey Tyler was. This is the ONLY incident that she could recount from over three years of Stacey and Evon living together.

She said, as by now had become the established norm at this trial, that the only people present besides her when this happened were her mother and Stacey. On this particular occasion she claimed that her mother went to her own bedroom, shut the door and lay down on the bed with Monique. All of a sudden she claimed Stacey came to the bedroom, opened the door and told her mother she’d better not close that door again. When he walked away Monique said Evon got up and closed the door again and Stacey returned moments later and kicked the unlocked door open.

Monique said she told her mother to put her shoes on and let’s go call the police. As they walked to a neighbor’s house to use their phone Monique said Stacey walked with them the entire time. To provide word-for-word accuracy from her actual testimony I will quote exactly what Monique testified to on the witness stand.

Q: (Prosecutor) Did anyone go with you and your mother as you walked to where -- to where that trailer is located on State’s Exhibit Number 17?
A: (Monique) Yes sir.

Q: Who walked with you?
A: Stacey.

Q: How close to you was he walking as you walked from your trailer to the trailer that you showed on the diagram of the Exhibit?
A: He walked with us.

Q: What if anything did he say and what if anything did your mother say as he walked with you?
A: He told my mother that if she called the police that he was going to burn the house down and that we’d better have our stuff because -- our stuff out of the trailer because when she got home from work and we got home from school that the trailer was going to be gone.

Q: What else if anything did he say as you were walking to the trailer?
A: He was saying I’m telling you -- he said I’m telling you and that she should listen.

Q: When you got to the trailer who went in?
A: I went in.

Q: Who stayed outside?
A: My mother stayed outside and Stacey.

Q: What did you do?
A: I called the police.

Q: When you came outside who was was outside when you came outside?
A: My mother.

Q: And what -- was Stacey Tyler there at that time?
A: No he wasn’t.

Q: Where did you go at the time?
A: We went back to my mother’s trailer.

Q: Did the police come?
A: Yes sir.

Q: Did you have an occasion to ask your mother anything after the police left?
A: No, I asked her -- I asked her how come she didn’t want to take out a warrant while they were there.

After Monique answered this last question the judge abruptly stopped the trial in order to call a bench conference to speak to the prosecutor and the attorneys privately so that the jury could not hear what was being said. However, the court reporter was still recording their dialogue so that it would be preserved for the record. This is what was said:

Judge: What is she going to say her mother said?
Prosecutor: If you take out a warrant you have to ride in the police car and everybody would see him. Everybody would see us.

Judge: What does this have to do with assault? What’s it got to do with premeditation, deliberation, malice, intent or absence of accident?
Prosecutor: Nothing as to that.

Judge: Why are you trying to get it out?
Prosecutor: Because it is consistent with the mother not telling the police.

Judge: You know what they are going to say. I specifically asked this stuff. You stated to me that this is coming in for the purpose of 404(B). The cases that you gave me, by you specifically, we’ll only talk about prior assaults. You represented that to me, and that is what I expect you to stick with. You are just going to set me up to have this case reversed.

In this exchange the judge is telling the prosecutor that these witnesses were supposed to be testifying to prior assaults, which is what he refers to as rule 404(B), and now he realizes that he is using Monique’s testimony for evidence that was “consistent with the mother not telling the police.”

The judge ended the prosecutor’s questioning of Monique and turned the questioning over to Stacey’s attorneys who asked Monique:

Attorney: Ms. Jennings, the incident you referred to about walking to the grandfather’s trailer, was Stacey hitting her?
Monique: Was he hitting her?

Attorney: Yes.
Monique: We were walking -- I don’t know when you are talking about.

Attorney: Wherever you were walking to to call.
Monique: No he didn’t hit her. I didn’t see him hit her.

Attorney: Did he grab her?
Monique: I didn’t see him grab her.

Attorney: Did he pull her?
Monique: I don’t know.

...

Attorney: No further questions.

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I shared this testimony directly from the record because it was being said publicly as evidence that Stacey had previously assaulted Evon multiple times. Yet one of the most vocal advocates who proclaims Stacey not only doused her mother with gasoline and set her on fire also swears that Stacey abused her mother regularly and that people should read the actual transcript of what she testified to at his trial to know the truth.

As it is clear from the public record, Patrice Monique Jennings stated under oath when asked if Stacey had hit her mother: “No, he didn’t hit her. I didn’t see him hit her.”

In fact Monique has NEVER seen Stacey hit her mother. Not a single time. Nor had she ever heard of a SINGLE accusation of Stacey assaulting her mother in any way before November 5, 1993. If she had, she would’ve yelled it from the stand.

If she knew of even ONE time when she merely suspected that Stacey had hit her mother she would’ve said it. Not just in reference to the occasion she was referring to when she claimed Stacey kicked open the bedroom door and she went and called the police, but anytime in the entire three years that Stacey and Evon lived together.

Yet the ONLY incident she mentioned is a claim that Stacey kicked open the door and she called the police, which there’s no report of on record. Not a single word of this is recorded in a police file saying that they were called to Evon and Stacey’s trailer concerning an incident reported by Evon’s daughter Monique but that Evon didn’t want to press charges. If it were on record the police would’ve corroborated it.

However this entire testimony, which the prosecutor himself admits to the judge, was nothing more than an attempt to show the jury that this story was “consistent with the mother not telling the police” that Stacey poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. The judge recognized that he was being set up to get this whole case overturned on appeal and ended all further questions from the prosecutor.

Is this the proof being touted to show that Stacey was a repeated abuser, or just another sham to try and answer that unanswerable question: Why would Evon tell everyone who asked her what happened when she was competent, alert and able to talk that it was the heater and that Stacey didn’t do this to her if that wasn’t the truth?

In summary, after 3 years the only allegation of a threat or abuse that Patrice Monique Jennings could come up with to prove how evil Stacey Tyler was to her mother, she could only mention one incident where she swears that Stacey didn’t even lay a finger on Evon. If we push aside the fact that none of her testimony could be corroborated by a single witness and there is nothing on the police file to support it either, what her testimony says is that out of 3 years, or over 1000 days of Evon and Stacey living together, there is only ONE day that Monique claimed she witnessed something bad enough to testify about. She swore under oath that she didn’t see Stacey hit her mother. Never saw him grab her or push her or lay a finger on her at all. If she’d seen something like that she would’ve said it on the stand. It would’ve been glued in her mind as something way more significant than an allegation that he kicked open a door and threatened to burn down the house.

So to make this even more obvious than it already is, as the public record reflects there’s not a single strand, not one fiber of testimony from ANYONE who said they saw a scratch on Evon. EVER!

Monique and Jermaine saw Stacey and their mother together almost every day for 3 years. If Stacey ever hit Evon they would have known it. They would’ve heard it. They would’ve seen the evidence of it. But the only testimony they could muster together is allegations they claim to have occurred when nobody else was present.

The questions beg:

Where was Monique when Jermaine said Stacey was sitting on Evon’s neck?

Where was Monique when Jermaine says Stacey told Evon “I’ll kill you bitch”?

Where was Monique when Jermaine claims that Stacey was choking Evon?

Where was Monique when Jermaine said Evon told him that Stacey had hit her?

Where was Monique when Jermaine says Stacey threatened to burn the MF house down?

And where was Jermaine when Monique claims Stacey kicked open the bedroom door?

Stacey says the two of them were inseparable. Yet they were never together when the other claimed to have witnessed something worthy of testimony at Stacey’s trial. Either of them could have climbed on that witness stand and given testimony about ONE thing that they both witnessed together to give it actual credibility. To strengthen their claims. To corroborate each other’s testimony. Yet in over 1000 days of living with Stacey the two of them together NEVER saw or heard him do a single bad thing to their mother, nor could they say he ever mistreated either of them. Additionally the two of them together or separate couldn’t testify to ever seeing their mother with an injury that they even suspected was caused by Stacey Tyler.

So what does this say? It says that there was never any abuse by Stacey. All of the independent accusations are false. They can’t stand up on their own no more than a single thread of fabric, but woven together to support and back each other up they seem to have substance.

But no matter how tight these falsehoods get sewn together the structure is as flimsy as a spider’s web that just a sprinkle of truth washes away until it vanishes.

Using that same vanquishing truth that we used to so easily knock the brains out of the false allegations that have now been thoroughly disproved, let it now shine light on what may have seemed uncertain before concerning the testimonies of Ernest Beale and James Shearn.

We agreed that based on the testimony of these two corroborating witnesses, any rational impartial person would be compelled to accept their testimony. However, in light of what we have now proven from the testimonies of Jermaine and Monique — that neither of them ever saw Stacey punch Evon in the face, nor had they ever seen a scratch on her in 3 years — the mere thought that Stacey would suddenly, in the middle of a Nintendo game and in the presence of two of his friends, just decide to haul off and begin punching Evon in the face like he was punching a man is inconsistent with anything that anyone has said about Stacey and Evon in 3 years of living together. It doesn’t make sense.

While I won’t say that these men fabricated their testimony because I can’t prove that, I will say that if they believed Stacey set Evon on fire, that’s good enough reason for most people to say what’s necessary to ensure someone they believe is guilty doesn’t get away with murder.

Chapter Eleven

The next witness that the prosecution presented to provide testimony of alleged prior threats and violence committed by Stacey against Evon was Evon’s youngest son, Jermaine Jennings. Jermaine was only 10 years old when his mother was tragically burned and he was 12 years old at the time of his testimony.

He told the jury that about a year before Evon’s injuries on November 5, 1993, when he was around 9 years old, he was asleep in his bedroom when he woke up to the sound of someone choking. He said when he got out of his bed and came to the living room he claimed to see Stacey with “his butt area in my Mama neck choking her.”

He said that he was holding on to the arm of the chair and pressing down on her chest to put more pressure on her neck. While doing this he claimed Stacey said “I’ll kill you bitch.” Then he got off of her and left the house.

Similar to Angie Eley’s testimony there were no other witnesses to verify his claim. According to him only he, Stacey and Evon were present.

This testimony was meant to show that at least one year prior to November 5, 1993 Stacey had assaulted Evon and threatened her in the exact same way that Ernest Beale said when he claimed Stacey had punched Evon in the face and allegedly said: “I’ll kill you bitch.”

He testified that on another occasion he awoke from sleep after hearing Stacey hollering and using profanity. He said he came into the living room and witnessed Stacey grab his mother’s arms and push her out the front door. He claimed that he went and woke up his oldest brother, Anthony Jennings who everyone called Dinky and who would’ve been 16-17 years old at this time. He said Dinky went outside and saw his mother on the ground with Stacey on top of her choking her and saying “I’ll kill you bitch” and Dinky pushed Stacey off of her. After this he said they called the police and they came and “took Stacey away.”

It brings me no joy in exposing the falsehood of this young boy who tragically lost his mother in a horrible accident and who wrongly believed that Stacey had done this. I feel the deepest compassion for his loss and I can understand why he would make up a few false stories to help the prosecution lock up the man he had been led to believe was responsible for killing his mother. Most people would be willing to do much more than tell a lie to try and hurt the person they believe killed their mother. But Stacey says this story is 100% false. It’s a complete fabrication and it never happened. There’s proof that what he is saying is not true because if it was true the prosecution would’ve called his 16-17 year old brother Dinky to corroborate this story if he were available.

If what Jermaine said were true Dinky would’ve gotten on that stand and said “Yes I saw Stacey choking my mother and I ran to her aid and got him off of her.” He would’ve been proud and honored to take the stand and tell the jury how he had protected his mother from this violent abuser. But he didn’t get on that stand. That speaks volumes.

Still though there’s a bigger proof that this incident that Jermaine testified to never happened. There is no incident report in any of the police records that show that the police ever came to Lot 56 of Wise’s Mobile Home Park and took Stacey Tyler away. No arrest record. Nothing that mentions there ever being a police call to that residence for a single complaint of violence the entire time Stacey and Evon lived there.

Yet Jermaine testified under oath that the police came and took Stacey away! If this were true there’d be proof but the prosecution knew it was a lie because if there was one shred of truth to it they would’ve had a uniformed officer on that witness stand supporting this young boy’s testimony. They simply allowed this child to get on the witness stand and make up a tale to allege that Stacey Tyler had previously told Evon “I’ll kill you bitch” and that he’d allegedly assaulted her. They knew after hearing this testimony a jury would probably feel sympathy for this child and believe him. But none of it was true.

Jermaine also testified that his mother told him a year before that she was kicking Stacey out of the house because he’d hit her, though he never testified to ever seeing her with a scratch. Jermaine said his mother called Stacey’s brother Laverne Tyler to come and pick him up. He said that when Stacey’s brother Laverne Tyler arrived Stacey said he wasn’t going anywhere and that when Evon told Laverne to open the trunk so she could put his stuff in it Stacey allegedly said that if he opened that trunk that he would “burn the MF house down.”

When finally questioned by Stacey’s lawyers Jermaine acknowledged that they didn’t have a phone to call police. Then he admitted that he didn’t know if his mother called the police or not.

The lawyer spent less than two minutes cross-examining Jermaine and chose not to call Stacey’s brother Laverne to the stand to refute these false allegations. In fact they offered no evidence at all to prove Stacey’s innocence. Evidence that, as we will show later, was clearly available.

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Perhaps they didn’t want to seem like they were picking on a child who’d tragically lost his mother by thoroughly cross-examining Jermaine. By not doing so they chose to ignore the clear proof from the record that the police had never been called to that residence. False testimony that goes uncontested leaves the jury to believe that it must be true. But a lie is a lie and it doesn’t care who tells it, whether it was Angie Eley or a young boy who lost his mother.

All of this uncorroborated false testimony was presented for one reason alone. It was intended to paint a picture of Stacey Tyler as an abusive boyfriend who Evon was so afraid of that she wouldn’t even tell the police that he’d thrown gasoline on her and set her on fire. Falsehood supporting falsehood to support more falsehood. The prosecution wasn’t finished yet. They had more web to spin.

The next person to testify about how abusive Stacey Tyler was alleged to have been towards his girlfriend was Ivy Faison, the son of Roscoe Faison and the father of Jermaine and Patrice Monique Jennings.

Ivy Faison said that he and Stacey were walking together on the road where Stacey and Evon lived sometime in the winter of 1991 he believed. It was just him and Stacey, no one else was around, and they happened to meet up with Evon who was also walking down the street.

Ivy Faison said that upon seeing her, Stacey all of a sudden walked up to Evon and started “calling her bitches and whores, you no good, and what not.” Then Ivy Faison alleges that Stacey kicked Evon twice in the lower thigh as he stood there and did absolutely nothing except tell Evon to go in the house.

Again there is no one to corroborate this incident which Stacey insists did not happen, because as was the norm in the prosecution’s presentation of this type of testimony, there was no one else around.

What kind of man stands there and does absolutely nothing when the mother of his children is being called names and kicked like a dog in the middle of the street? How he can dare get up on the stand in the presence of his own children and say that he watched another man walk up and call their mother all types of “bitches and whores, you no good and what not,” and do nothing as she gets kicked two good times in the lower thigh is beyond my comprehension. If this were true, and Stacey swears that it is not, I’m sure he has forever lost all respect from his children. To not only lose their mother but also find out later that their own father is a coward who wouldn’t even defend their mother’s honor in the middle of the street is downright disgraceful. It’s embarrassing. If that were my father and he said he let some man treat my mother like that, I’d probably want to call him all kinds of bitches, “you no good” and what not.

Ivy Faison should be ashamed he fixed his mouth to utter such uncorroborated testimony that Stacey says is simply a lie. His entire story sounds like nothing more than a made up account by a jealous ex-boyfriend willing to come to court and give false testimony to help send a former romantic rival to the death house.

This is the type of weak testimony that the State of North Carolina presented to declare that Stacey Tyler was an abusive boyfriend who constantly beat Evon and terrorized her by smashing sandwiches in her face, telling her over and over for years “I’ll kill you bitch,” and that he’s gonna burn her and her kids and a couple of other kids whose mother was taking too long at church!

There’s a common thread in all of these allegations: Not a single person has testified that they witnessed Stacey punch Evon in the face. In Chapter Seven I acknowledged that according to the testimony of Ernest Beale and James Shearn that as a fair and impartial person Stacey and I would be compelled to accept their testimony as reliable in order to maintain credibility with the reader even though Stacey said it never happened and I believe him. But now can the reader, as well as the family of Evon Fleetwood and the public at large, also show the same fairness and impartiality by admitting that the uncorroborated testimonies of Angie Eley, Jermaine Jennings and Ivy Faison should not be held as credible testimonies on the same grounds? Can you, the world, adhere to the same basic principles of fairness that Stacey Tyler is imposing upon himself?

It should be emphasized that after testimony covering at least two years of alleged threats and abuse not a single person claims that they have ever seen Evon with an injury. No black eyes. No bloody nose. No bruises anywhere on her body.

A whole bunch of accusations about abuse and threats but not a single injury to Evon. The reason is very simple. It’s because they are all lies.

Yet this is what the supporters of Evon are touting to the public almost 33 years later as proof of guilt and abuse?

Even if someone wanted to close their eyes in blindness to the weakness of these testimonies and accept them all as true, this is still the explanation you are being given to explain something that simply doesn’t make sense: Why Evon wouldn’t tell the police that Stacey did this to her.

Let’s weigh it on the scale of common sense. On one side you have a pile of accusations about shoving a sandwich in Evon’s face, Stacey sitting with his butt area on Evon’s neck, Stacey on top of Evon choking her, and two kicks to the lower thigh as evidence of prior assaults, combined with a few threats of “I’ll kill you bitch” and threats to burn the house down with Evon, her kids, and the neighbor’s kids inside. All of this is to support the theory that Evon was too terrified to tell the police while she was competent, alert and able to talk in the presence of a dozen people including several members of her family that Stacey did this to her.

On the other side you have the option of Evon simply telling the police that Stacey did this to her if he was guilty and having him arrested right on the spot.

Which one is heavier on the scale of common sense?

Stacey “Sabur” Tyler has been on North Carolina’s Death Row for 33 years.

If you’re just finding this series we are 10 chapters in and present to you the case as it stands and where to start reading.

The claim

Stacey Tyler was convicted of pouring gasoline on his girlfriend, Mary “Evon” Fleetwood, and setting her on fire on November 5, 1993. She died from her injuries.

He has said the same thing from the first hour of the first night: it was an accident. The kerosene heater flared up while she was lighting it and he was the one who put the fire out.

He has never changed that story. Not once in 33 years.

What the first ten chapters establish

There were only two witnesses to the fire. Stacey and Evon. Every theory, every accusation came from people who were not in that trailer.

A professional engineer examined the heater. His report found a burn pattern and soot deposits characteristic of a flare-up accident while refueling. Lab analysis showed the fuel in the tank was more volatile than kerosene, with a flash point of 70°F, ignitable at room temperature.

That report was never presented at trial.

Stacey’s actions were the actions of a man trying to save her. He put out the flames with his bare hands and burned them doing it. He carried her to the shower. He peeled burnt fabric from her skin. He wrapped her in wet towels. He begged her to go to the hospital. When she refused, he left on foot to find someone with a car.

Then he stayed with her for three hours until help came. He never ran.

Evon told everyone it was an accident. She told Bertha Mae Tyler. She told the EMT at the scene. She told the nurse at the hospital. And in the ambulance, hours from death, a doctor asked her directly whether someone had purposefully set her on fire.

She shook her head. No.

And when the EMTs were ready to take her, she asked for one person. Her mother was there. Her sister was there. Her son and daughter were there.

She asked for Stacey.

How he ended up on Death Row anyway

A twelve-year-old girl’s fear became a theory. Monique saw her mother refuse to show her face. She assumed her mother and Stacey had been fighting. She told her grandfather. He told the family. By the time anyone arrived, everyone already believed they knew what had happened.

One of them said it plainly to police: “Stacey kept trying to tell me what happened but I didn’t want to hear it.”

Two friends testified they saw Stacey beat her hours earlier. This is the hardest evidence in the case, and Chapter Seven confronts it head-on rather than dismissing it. But one fact refuses to go away: they described repeated punches to the face, thrown like you’d punch a man and then one of them stayed in the house two more hours.

Nobody testified to a mark on her. No black eye. No split lip. No swelling. Nothing.

And in Chapter Ten, the state’s case begins to come apart. The prosecution’s key witness swore under oath she had never been convicted of anything. “Nothing. Nothing.”

Court records show she had already pled guilty to giving false statements.

If Stacey Tyler set her on fire, why did he put it out?

Why did he stay for three hours? Why did he volunteer for a polygraph? Why has his account never changed?

And why, with her whole family standing in that trailer and police outside the door, did Evon Fleetwood ask for him?

Start here

Chapters 1-6: The night of the fire, and everything that followed.

Chapter 7: The abuse testimony, confronted directly.

Chapters 8 & 9: The case for his innocence, in logic and in full.

Chapter 10: The testimony that convicted him starts to fall apart.

The series continues this week.

This case is being documented chapter by chapter by Alim Braxton, who has spent nine years investigating it from inside the same prison. Every word is written by hand and transcribed out.

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Chapter Ten

Now that we have presented Stacey Tyler’s account of what actually happened on November 5, 1993, it’s time to finally focus on the lies. We will now examine all of the false allegations that were presented during Stacey’s trial that are all a part of the public record which those who believe Stacey is guilty tout as proof that Stacey Tyler was a brutal abuser of his girlfriend and that she was so petrified of him that she wouldn’t tell the police that he poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.

Disgracefully, the prosecution chose to falsely depict Evon as a weak and helpless victim of ongoing domestic violence by presenting testimony from four witnesses who claim that they witnessed prior acts of abuse in order to show that there was a history of threats and assaults prior to November 5, 1993.

It’s necessary to address each of these claims separately in order to not only expose the falsity of all these allegations but also to show the frivolity of these flimsy and weak strands of testimony that are weaker than a single fragment of a spider’s web. The State spun this intricate web of lies with the hope that it could uphold a towering mountain of falsehood they erected to make the public believe that as a result of these prior alleged false accounts of abuse, Evon was too afraid to tell the police while she was competent, alert and able to speak that Stacey Tyler set her on fire.

Angie Eley was one of the prosecution’s key witnesses in providing testimony intending to show evidence of prior threats and violence committed by Stacey against Evon. However, Ms. Eley was tragically gunned down in a shooting several years ago and is no longer here to defend her testimony. Our sympathies and condolences are extended to her family. We only mention her in connection to her testimony in this case and regret not having the opportunity to address her testimony while she was still among the living. Yet we cannot allow her death to excuse what she testified to publicly. We address what she said with no malice or ill will, our goal is to simply defend Sabur with the truth.

Ms. Eley was called upon by the prosecution to lay the first false stone by which this mountain of lies was built. She testified that she was a close friend of Evon Fleetwood. She claimed that she was at Evon’s trailer about six months prior to Evon’s death. While there she alleged that Evon was trying to put Stacey out of the trailer. She wanted him to leave and she said Stacey refused to leave. As a result she claimed that Evon threatened to call the cops and in response Stacey allegedly said that if she called the cops he would burn down the trailer and if her kids were inside “he was going to burn their mother fucking ass up too.” Because of this threat Evon did not call the police.

On the face of it, this testimony sounds chilling. It sends a shiver down your spine because we know that Evon died as a result of a fire. To think that Stacey actually threatened to do this very thing 6 months prior to her being burned is enough to show premeditation and intent. If true, it also shows that Stacey had been contemplating using fire as a weapon way before November 5, 1993 and that he’d threatened to burn her kids too.

However, when she was asked: “Who was in the trailer on that occasion?” She said: “It was me, Stacey and Evon.” Thus the first crack in her foundation because nobody is present to corroborate her testimony. Evon is no longer here and Stacey says it never happened. Perhaps it’s just an unfortunate coincidence or a rare chance of misfortune that nobody else happened to be present to witness these threatening words that clearly lend credibility to two critical things that were directly related to this case: the allegation that Stacey had previously threatened to use fire as a weapon and that Evon was afraid to call the police.

However, Ms. Eley claimed that just six days before the tragic event that would lead to Evon’s demise she asked Evon if she would babysit her two kids until she got back from church. She claimed that she took her kids to Evon’s house at around 4:45 pm so she could be at church by 5:00. When she returned later that night she said her three-year-old daughter ran up to her and grabbed her leg and said she was scared.

She was scared her mother said because “Stacey said that if you wouldn’t of hurried up and came and got us, that he was going to burn us up with Evon in the house too.”

Unfortunately there were no other witnesses to verify this cold menacing statement alleging that Stacey threatened to burn up an innocent 3-year-old child whose only crime was that her mother was at church too long.

Still on another occasion Ms. Eley stated that about a year and a half prior to November 5, 1993 Evon bought some sub sandwiches for them from Subway. As the two of them were enjoying their meal, according to Ms. Eley, Stacey came in the house and asked “where was my mother fucking food.” When Evon didn’t respond Ms. Eley said: “That’s when, she had her plate in her left--with her Sub, and he busted it in her face. For what reason I don’t know.” Again no other witnesses were present other than Evon, Stacey and her two small kids. Ms. Eley testified that she asked Evon if she wanted to call the cops and Evon told her, “No, she could handle it.”

This pile of uncorroborated testimony was presented to a jury for the sole purpose of portraying Stacey as someone who’d threatened to burn Evon, her kids and other kids multiple times and as recently as 6 days before she was burned. The intent was to portray Stacey Tyler as mean, abusive and disrespectful to Evon by showing he would smash food in her face for no apparent reason and that she was terrified to tell the police about his abuse.

She swore to these things under oath. But that wasn’t the only thing she swore to. In fact she was asked: “Ms. Eley, what have you been convicted of within the last 10 years that [carries] possible imprisonment for at least 60 days or longer?”

She responded: “Nothing. Nothing.”

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However it was later discovered well after Stacey’s trial that church-going Angie Eley clearly lied under oath about her criminal record because court documents show that on Feb. 26, 1992 she pled guilty to, of all things, GIVING FALSE STATEMENTS in a Welfare Fraud which carried a maximum penalty of up to 2 years in prison. The attorney who represented her on that case was the very same incompetent attorney who was now representing Stacey Tyler at trial. This attorney did not even address the court and tell the judge that he had in fact represented her a year earlier on a charge of giving false statements.

According to the transcript of her plea agreement which she signed in her own handwriting she is asked: “Do you understand that you are pleading guilty for the misdemeanor of giving false statements to Social Security (Welfare Fraud)?” In response she writes in her own handwriting the word “yes.”

Here is a woman who had already pled guilty to telling lies, swearing under oath that she had never been convicted of anything before, “Nothing. Nothing.” And we are supposed to accept her testimony as the truth when there is no one who can corroborate it happening?

With the facts that we now know about Angie Eley, is it logical to believe that her uncorroborated statements have any credibility? What fair and impartial juror on the face of the planet would accept her testimony as true when she has a clear record of lying, and then lying about lying while under oath?

Angie Eley’s entire testimony was meant to help the prosecution establish the idea that Stacey was this mean, abusive boyfriend who regularly threatened to set Evon on fire as well as her kids and he even smashed a sandwich in his timid girlfriend’s face.

Her testimony was nothing more than a devilish lie disguised as the sanctified gospel truth by wrapping herself up in the cloth of a good church-going woman who was on her way to serve the Lord at 5:00 pm!

However, Stacey said that everything she testified to was a complete lie. None of these things ever happened. They are complete fabrications. Something that Angie Eley invented out of thin air to slander an innocent man and make a jury believe that Stacey Tyler was an awful, evil guy who had his girlfriend so petrified of him that she wouldn’t even tell the police that he’d poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.

She invented these tales because just like everyone else who raised their right hand and swore on the Bible to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God, she believed that Stacey had actually done this to Evon and she wanted to help a close friend even if it meant lying in the process.

Again we sincerely extend our condolences to those who loved Angie Eley, but no one gets a pass for speaking falsehood against an innocent man in this world or the next.

Chapter Nine

The number one problem with the prosecution’s case against Stacey Tyler is that it fails to answer the MOST OBVIOUS QUESTION: Why would Evon deny being maliciously set on fire in the presence of her family and the police and even ask the EMT to go and ask the one they claim was the perpetrator of such an evil assault if he would please accompany her to the hospital despite her mother, sister, son and daughter there?

The prosecution in an attempt to explain this absurdity that anyone would do such a thing, asked the family of Evon, the citizens of North Carolina and the public at large to completely abandon all common sense and sound reasoning and accept a narrative built on pure fiction.

In order to get a rational person to believe anyone would not scream bloody murder as soon as the cops arrive, the prosecution devised a preposterous explanation that demanded the jury believe that Evon was SO TERRIFIED of what Stacey might do to her in the future or what he might do to her kids, she chose to protect him and hide what he did and say it was just an accident after he had already done the absolute worst thing you can do to a human being! They want you to believe that Evon didn’t have a mind of her own and simply repeated everything that Stacey told her to say. The prosecution wanted the family of Evon to believe that she was trying to protect her kids from what he might do to them.

Well the best way to protect the kids and herself is by telling the police while they were right there in the presence of her family that he did this. He would’ve been arrested right then on the spot. The case would be closed, all of this speculation would be over and justice would’ve taken its course if he were in fact guilty.

Everybody present at that moment was on Evon’s side. Stacey was all alone, not a friend or supporter in sight. With numbers like that even the biggest coward would have the heart to point out the assailant and anybody who truly knew Evon, according to what Stacey has told me about her, knew that Evon was no coward.

Yet how does she respond in that moment when all of the numbers are on her side and she could’ve had him handcuffed right there? She says: I WANT STACEY!

She asks the EMT to go and find the man who had saved her life at that point because he had stepped outside to give them space and to make room for her family. She asks the EMT to please go find Stacey and ask him will he ride with me to the hospital because I’m scared.

Her mother is right there yet she didn’t cry out as most people tend to do in our most frightened moments: I want my Mommy! No. She cried out I WANT STACEY! PLEASE SOMEBODY GO FIND STACEY!

Why didn’t she call for her mother or someone in her family? Because this man saved her life! She trusted him more than any other person in the world at that moment. He had proven his worth in gold.

In the most frightening moment of her life this man ran TO HER! He didn’t run away. He stepped up and showed courage and he put that fire out like only a brave man would do. He didn’t stand there wringing his hands in fear, he pushed her outside and rolled her on the ground and burnt his own hands in the process. He stayed with her for three hours after she’d been burned and as she kept repeating over and over that she was scared. He stayed there and comforted her because she begged him “Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone!”

This man was her HERO!!! I WANT STACEY!

Yet instead of receiving a hero’s welcome, when reinforcements finally arrived they showed their gratitude by showing him nothing but contempt! When he tried to explain what happened they didn’t want to hear a word he had to say. Instead of thanking him and consoling him for the tragedy he too had witnessed they greeted him with the vilest hatred and ACCUSED HIM! The very man that saved Evon’s life at that moment. They accused him!

Evon tried to tell them what happened too when she was still competent, alert and able to speak, but they didn’t want to believe her. They chose to trade in the truth of what she told them for a lie! Then they snatched up this innocent man who had done nothing except help Evon and they handed him over to the executioner!

I can only imagine Evon rolling over in her grave knowing the people she held dearest in her life turned daggers on the man who tried to help her.

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Next point of analysis, is that when help arrived Evon told several people on multiple occasions that she caught fire while trying to light the kerosene heater. She told Bertha Mae Tyler (no relation to Stacey Tyler) and Jean Hoggard Stacey, the EMT on scene at the house, as well as the nurse when she arrived at the hospital and later a doctor in the transport vehicle that no one did this to her. It was an accident. In addition, by the time the EMT and police arrived Evon was surrounded by family. Her mother was there. Her sister Lucy was there. Her son Darius was there. Her daughter Monique was there. Stacey went outside to give everyone space. In his absence even the most terrified person would have the courage to identify the person who did this to her while surrounded by support yet instead of whispering to someone that this is the person who did this to me, she asked the EMT if Stacey could ride with her to the hospital. She didn’t ask for her mother, sister, son or daughter. She asked for Stacey to accompany her to the hospital. This is irrefutable.

The question arises: Would anybody in their right mind think that a person who just had gasoline poured on them and set on fire is going to ask the EMT to go and get the very person who did this to her so he can now accompany her to the hospital?!

In fact the opposite would be the case. As soon as the cops are there and her Mom and family she would scream bloody murder, look at what this monster has done to me!

For ANYONE to think that Stacey Tyler would be so bold, so brazen, so cocky to have committed one of the most callous and evil crimes that could be committed against a person by setting them on fire and then sit there calmly and as cool as a cucumber and not think that this woman is going to tell everybody what he just did to her is not thinking logically. On top of that it is an insult to Evon to think she would not only try and protect him but that she would have the audacity to ask the EMT to please go get the monster who did this to me so he can ride with me to the hospital! This is either an implication that they believed Evon still thought he cared about her after doing such an abominable thing or that they believed Evon still loved him? It’s an insult either way you look at it.

The fact is that it was an accident and Evon said it was an accident and she wanted the person who had been there comforting her the entire time to continue to be there for her as she went to the hospital.

These are the facts of what happened. To reinterpret what occurred to try and paint Evon as a victim of ongoing domestic abuse who is trying to protect the evil person that did this to her does more to dishonor her than anything. Instead of simply believing what Evon said when she was conscious, alert and able to talk, a completely false narrative was invented. Instead of believing that this was an accident as Evon and Stacey said, someone was made to wear the blame. Suspicion and anger often cause people to become blind and deaf to the truth. Intense emotion during a time like this will cause people to think and believe what simply doesn’t make sense to justify their anger and to find someone to blame. Blind anger however leads to injustice. As a result an innocent man whose only role in all of this was his efforts to try and help Evon after a tragic accident was blamed for something he didn’t do and sentenced to die. This is the real truth.

Chapter Eight

Before proceeding further with this case, I want to examine and analyze some of the facts so far presented.

First of all, it has been clearly established that there were only two witnesses present when Evon caught fire: Stacey Tyler and Evon Jennings Fleetwood. Therefore, whose account should we give more credibility to: the actual people who were present or somebody who wasn’t there and has merely devised a “theory” to support their rejection of what the two eyewitnesses stated?

Secondly, Evon’s accident happened around 5:15 pm. The police and EMT did not arrive until 8:15 pm, three hours later. During that three hour interval Stacey was with Evon nursing her wounds. He is the one who put out the fire. Put her in the shower. Helped remove her clothes. This is indisputable. The fire did not extinguish itself so it is irrefutable that Stacey is the one who put out the fire and helped her until EMT came. This leads to the question: If he was the one responsible for setting Evon on fire, why would he turn around and put out the very fire they say he intentionally set?

In addition, if it was his intent to kill Evon why would he put out the fire and sit with her for three hours until the medics arrived and not just finish the job? Is this something that any sane perpetrator would do?

Let’s suppose he set the fire and then had a change of heart and put the fire out, why wouldn’t he flee? Why would he stay there until the police and EMT arrived?

If he did it and then suddenly felt “remorse” or regretted his actions why has he always denied responsibility? His story of what happened has never changed from the beginning. He has never tried to hide anything. He has been completely candid about everything that happened and even volunteered to take a lie detector when asked!

If he did it and as prosecutors allege suddenly had a change of heart, why would any rational minded person think that if they threw gasoline on someone and set them on fire that as soon as the police and medics arrive the victim of that assault wouldn’t tell the police what they did? Why would anyone expect otherwise?

Who in their right mind would think that someone they set ON FIRE is gonna turn around and cover for them and say it was an accident?! A guilty person would run!!! Not stay with the victim for three hours until the police came!

EVERYTHING that Stacey Tyler did after Evon caught on fire that day shows that he tried to HELP her! These are not actions consistent with an assailant. The assailant is gonna finish the job to try and cover up what he did or he’s gonna run. What he’s not gonna do is stay there for three hours until the police come!

Again he is the one who nursed her wounds, picking off the burnt fabric sticking to her flesh. He is the one who extinguished the flames. He put her in the shower. He got her robe. He wet towels for her. He left the trailer on foot to find someone to take her to the hospital.

He did everything he could to help Evon. Is this consistent with what someone who would pour gasoline on her and set her on fire would do?

A guilty person would’ve finished the job. A guilty person’s conscience is going to tell him that as soon as someone sees her she’s going to tell them what really happened. A guilty person is going to flee.

If, as the prosecution alleges, that he suddenly developed a conscience and that’s why he put out the fire and tried to get her help, that same conscience will lead the guilty person to apologize. To express remorse. To tell the police and everybody he encounters that he’s sorry. What he’s not gonna do is turn around and then deny any responsibility for what happened after several hours of being questioned by police and volunteering to take a polygraph.

The only one that would deny what they did is the guilty person who doesn’t have a conscience, who doesn’t have remorse, and whose sole focus is on saving himself. The person whose number one goal is to save himself would’ve never tried to help Evon in the first place. He would’ve made sure she was dead to ensure she could never tell anyone what he did.

Therefore all the rational evidence points to the common sense conclusion that Stacey Tyler is innocent.

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Next point of analysis, is that when help arrived Evon told several people on multiple occasions that she caught fire while trying to light the kerosene heater. She told Bertha Mae Tyler (no relation to Stacey Tyler) and Jean Hoggard Stacey, the EMT on scene at the house, as well as the nurse when she arrived at the hospital and later a doctor in the transport vehicle that no one did this to her. It was an accident. In addition, by the time the EMT and police arrived Evon was surrounded by family. Her mother was there. Her sister Lucy was there. Her son Darius was there. Her daughter Monique was there. Stacey went outside to give everyone space. In his absence even the most terrified person would have the courage to identify the person who did this to her while surrounded by support yet instead of whispering to someone that this is the person who did this to me, she asked the EMT if Stacey could ride with her to the hospital. She didn’t ask for her mother, sister, son or daughter. She asked for Stacey to accompany her to the hospital. This is irrefutable.

The question arises: Would anybody in their right mind think that a person who just had gasoline poured on them and set on fire is going to ask the EMT to go and get the very person who did this to her so he can now accompany her to the hospital?!

In fact the opposite would be the case. As soon as the cops are there and her Mom and family she would scream bloody murder, look at what this monster has done to me!

For ANYONE to think that Stacey Tyler would be so bold, so brazen, so cocky to have committed one of the most callous and evil crimes that could be committed against a person by setting them on fire and then sit there calmly and as cool as a cucumber and not think that this woman is going to tell everybody what he just did to her is not thinking logically. On top of that it is an insult to Evon to think she would not only try and protect him but that she would have the audacity to ask the EMT to please go get the monster who did this to me so he can ride with me to the hospital! This is either an implication that they believed Evon still thought he cared about her after doing such an abominable thing or that they believed Evon still loved him? It’s an insult either way you look at it.

The fact is that it was an accident and Evon said it was an accident and she wanted the person who had been there comforting her the entire time to continue to be there for her as she went to the hospital.

These are the facts of what happened. To reinterpret what occurred to try and paint Evon as a victim of ongoing domestic abuse who is trying to protect the evil person that did this to her does more to dishonor her than anything. Instead of simply believing what Evon said when she was conscious, alert and able to talk, a completely false narrative was invented. Instead of believing that this was an accident as Evon and Stacey said, someone was made to wear the blame. Suspicion and anger often cause people to become blind and deaf to the truth. Intense emotion during a time like this will cause people to think and believe what simply doesn’t make sense to justify their anger and to find someone to blame. Blind anger however leads to injustice. As a result an innocent man whose only role in all of this was his efforts to try and help Evon after a tragic accident was blamed for something he didn’t do and sentenced to die. This is the real truth.

Chapter Seven

Perhaps some of the most damaging evidence presented in this case was the testimony of two of Stacey Tyler’s friends: Ernest Beale Jr. and James Shearn. They both testified to witnessing Stacey Tyler beat his girlfriend just a few hours prior to her being burned. Their testimony showed prior evidence of violence against Evon that day and it was compelling, believable and corroborative. It does not appear to be coerced or contrived and reading it sounds like honest recollections of what they saw. This cannot be overlooked, ignored or dismissed.

Their statements are deeply distressing for anyone who believes that Stacey Tyler is innocent.

As his friend and perhaps number one supporter, this is something that I have grappled with extensively and it is an issue that is extremely difficult to overcome. On the one hand, it is impossible for me to completely discount the testimonies of Ernest Beale and James Shearn. I believe in the integrity of these two men and the testimonies of what they believe they saw. I have no reason to suspect that they would maliciously lie on Stacey especially considering the fact that they were friends of his and they have both presented independent corroborating testimony. There’s no doubt in my mind that they believe what they testified to.

On the other hand, Stacey is my friend and I believe him and trust him and I honestly don’t think he would lie to me. In addition, there is also an abundance of evidence pointing to his actual innocence. However, I am aware that friendship can be blinding and can lead to certain biases in a person. I can be honest about that and admit that I don’t want to believe that Stacey assaulted Evon in the presence of Ernest Beale and James Shearn, but based on the weight of the evidence presented by these two corroborating witnesses I have to set my biases aside and acknowledge there is enough evidence for any rational objective person to conclude he assaulted Evon in their presence.

It’s always disheartening to make a judgement that goes against someone you are close to but in representing his innocence with truthfulness and impartiality I must be fair and rational otherwise there will be no credibility.

As a human being I also must acknowledge that we have limited capabilities. We can use the tools at our disposal to make the best judgements that we can. No one is able to see the internal thoughts and intentions of people and we can’t be tasked with judging that. We can only judge the outer actions that we observe from our perspective and if we make a mistake or error in our judgement based on what was apparent to us it was not with malice or ill intent. It is only due to our limitations as human beings and only Allah has the full knowledge of the inner and the outer and He sees every aspect of our affairs.

Stacey acknowledges this as well. Yet despite the realization that he would likely be found legally guilty of assaulting Evon in the presence of Ernest Beale and James Shearn based on the weight of the evidence that has been presented, he is still 100% adamant that he did not in fact assault Evon.

In the legal context this type of conundrum sometimes results in a plea of no contest. What that means is that a person who is accused recognizes that based on the circumstances there is enough apparent evidence for a court to return a guilty verdict yet the person still maintains that they are not guilty.

Stacey stands firm that he did not assault Evon. He is absolutely certain that if Ernest Beale or James Shearn believed that he did, it was merely a misperception, and while he can understand how it might be perceived that way to someone who didn’t know him and Evon’s interpersonal relationship, it is simply not true. This is his account.

According to Stacey he remembers for the most part that early afternoon as a typical day. Ernest Beale and James Shearn came over and they hooked up the Nintendo to play baseball. Stacey says Evon was lying on the couch and he sat on the edge of the couch with her behind him and he believes James Shearn sat in front of them on the edge of the coffee table with Ernest Beale to their right.

Stacey says that they played baseball for over an hour or more and per usual when he played he would occasionally “mess with” Evon. When I asked him what that meant he explained that it was normal stuff that they always did and to further explain he gave it some context.

He says that he and Evon often played the game of baseball themselves and they had a healthy ongoing rivalry that was filled with trash talk and playful boasting.

Stacey smiles while saying that Evon was never able to beat him on the Nintendo and if he made a good play he might taunt her with some trash talk or just a sly look. In response she might say something like “I can’t stand you! You make me so sick!”

Sometimes their playfulness was expressed physically. For instance, he said he might rub his open hand across her face to playfully harass her and she’d push him on the side of his head. They also used profanity in their boasts but never as disrespect. It was all innocent couples play.

Since he insists that Evon could never beat him at baseball he says she liked to watch him play against other people so she could secretly root against him. If he made a mistake or lost the game she would have something to taunt him about. It was similar to how sports fans love to see their rivals lose to other teams. On the contrary if he won she knew he’d be boasting and bragging after they left. That’s why she might say something like “he only acts like this when his friends come over” and “it’s only going to get worse when you leave.”

Stacey said his playing Nintendo was always competitive and though he didn’t engage in trash talk with James Shearn he would subtly direct his comments to Evon. So if he was winning the game or made a good play he might imagine Evon stewing behind him and he’d say something like “Do you love me?” And of course she wouldn’t respond. If he made a comment to her or talked trash the people present like James Shearn and Ernest Beale would probably have no idea that it was related to the video game.

Since he was seated on the edge of the couch and James Shearn was in front of him, occasionally he’d nudge Evon with his elbow and mouth something like “watch this.”

All of this is merely to give context to what their relationship looked like outside of the narrow events that happened on November 5, 1993.

Ernest Beale had never been inside of Stacey and Evon’s home before. Ernest didn’t know Evon and therefore he didn’t know how she and Stacey normally interacted.

James Shearn was playing the video game with Stacey. He was seated on the edge of the coffee table. His primary line of sight and focus of attention would have been on the TV. He also would have been largely unaware of any non-verbal contact and communication between them due to his preoccupation with playing the video game. In this respect his perspective was quite narrow.

Likewise, because James Shearn was Stacey’s opponent in the game and Evon was not playing he might not associate Stacey’s brash or taunting trash talk to Evon as being connected to the Nintendo game. However, since Stacey knew that Evon was secretly rooting for Shearn to win, his real opponent in the game would have been Evon. All of this would have likely been lost on Beale and Shearn and thus any trash talk directed towards Evon would seem to be out of place, unprovoked and unnecessary. If Stacey yelled something at Evon it would look like an unwarranted comment for no apparent reason. In this context it might be perceived as mean, spiteful and abusive.

From Stacey’s perspective when he made a good play on the game he was enjoying a moment of fun with his girlfriend and not just James Shearn. So he fell on her in a playful manner that says, “look Evon, what you got to say about Shearn now?” It was like two friends having a laugh at someone else’s expense except Evon is on the butt end of the joke herself because Stacey is winning and beating up on the person she is rooting for. In her playful reaction she might say: “Get off me!” “I can’t stand you!” “You make me so sick!” All spoken in a playfully angry sounding tone, and Stacey might respond by messing with her even more. He might get all up in her face and even “play fight” as couples often do. They did this all the time and other couples do too.

Stacey says that he and Evon didn’t always play like this around other people because they didn’t want people to get the wrong impression. But after being in Philly for two months and now in the comfort of their home with the kids staying with their grandfather they were more relaxed and playful.

Because these type of mock play fights often are only known by people who are “in” on it, those on the outside could easily misjudge what they see as “real.”

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Based on what Stacey has described to me I can firmly believe that Shearn and Beale didn’t know how to react in that situation and may have believed that they were witnessing something real.

There are hints however in their testimonies that show that what they saw could be subject to various interpretations. For instance, both Beale and Shearn state that it began with Stacey asking Evon did she love him but they say she didn’t respond. According to Stacey this is because she was rooting for Shearn and since Stacey was winning the game he figured she was probably fake “mad.” His saying “Do you love me?” is a teasingly fun way of asking “are you mad at me because I’m winning?”

Also they both say that Stacey jumped on her. Stacey explains this to mean that he sat on her playfully. She was lying behind him on the couch and in an effort to simply show her some attention while still playing the game with the controller in both hands he sits on her. He doesn’t know if she’s paying attention to the game or feeling left out so this is his way of giving her some attention. This is typical boyfriend and girlfriend behavior. When he hops on her with his butt she says “Get off me!” or “Stop acting stupid!” It’s all in fun and play. Most couples can relate to this. It’s nothing abnormal but can certainly be misconstrued by other people that have no idea that they are playing around.

The most problematic part of Shearn and Beale’s testimony is their statements that they saw Stacey hit or punch Evon in the face with his fists multiple times. Shearn said Stacey was punching her like you’d punch a man.

Stacey cannot explain what he might’ve done for them to think that he was punching her but he is 100% adamant that this did not happen. The fact that there was no testimony from either of them about any injuries, swelling or bruises to Evon’s face lends weight to Stacey’s claim that he never hit Evon. At the time Stacey weighed 137 pounds and his knuckles are very sharp and angular. If he punched someone in the face with his fists he would most probably leave bruises, knots and cuts as a consequence. Yet Evon did not have a single blemish on her face that they testified to.

Shearn stated that he stayed at the house for two more hours after witnessing Stacey assault Evon and he mentions no further assaults after Beale left. Yet in that two hour span he doesn’t mention Evon having a black eye or a busted lip or bloody nose. No injuries reported after claiming that Stacey was punching her in the face with the same power and force he’d strike a man with. This only strengthens Stacey’s claim that he did not hit, punch or harm Evon in any way despite what Ernest Beale and James Shearn believe they saw.

One possible explanation that Stacey submitted is that he does remember somewhere during the course of the game while he was “messing with” Evon she said the often repeated “play angry” statements: “You make me so sick!” or “I hate you.” or “I can’t stand you!” In response he remembers trying to put her in a playful headlock while she was lying on the couch.

She tried to fend him off as he wrestled with her by saying she had a headache. He said this is something Evon said often while they were playing to get him to stop. Then as soon as he stopped she’d reverse it and put him in a headlock instead. But sometimes she really did have a headache and he’d know because when he did stop she wouldn’t continue to play. Perhaps in his efforts to try and wrestle her into a headlock they misconstrued this as him punching her in the face. We may never know.

Both Shearn and Beale also testified that Evon was crying. Stacey does not recall seeing Evon in tears that day and he says that Evon was not the type to cry in public. He also said that Evon used to get headaches that would cause her eyes to water and the people that knew her could vouch for that. She had complained earlier about having a headache while they were playing so he is not sure if this is something that they saw as a result of her headache. He simply doesn’t recollect.

When looking at the events that played out that day and interpreting them based on what happened afterwards, it’s easy to deduce that if what Beale and Shearn saw was actually just a mock fight or couples play between Stacey and Evon that looked real, the fact that she was actually injured later in a fire that they were made to believe was intentionally set by Stacey Tyler would very likely influence the interpretation of what they witnessed hours before.

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We know for a fact that James Shearn believed that Stacey purposefully set Evon on fire that day because when he testified he specifically referred to Evon as the “murder victim” and he was a hostile witness to Stacey’s defense. He was ultimately held in contempt of court due to his inappropriate comments on the witness stand. During one such exchange the attorneys representing Stacey asked him about his testimony on “intervening” on Evon’s behalf.

The lawyer asked: “After you finished intervening, did you go back to playing the Nintendo again?”

Shearn: “Yes.”

Attorney: “Just like nothing happened, is that correct?”

Shearn: “And to calm him down because Evon asked me. The murder victim asked me.”

While Shearn believes that he may have calmed Stacey down and that’s why there were no other incidents while he was present, the more likely reason is that Evon actually did have a headache and didn’t want to play.

This is exactly what Stacey said in his original statement to police on the night of Evon’s accident. He said “she said she had a headache and didn’t feel like playing while I was playing the Nintendo game. Each time I would score I would nudge her or fall on her in a playful manner. She told me to quit, she had a headache and again didn’t feel like playing.”

James Shearn was biased in how he recalled the events that had transpired that day because he believed before one shred of evidence had been presented that Evon was a murder victim.

Chapter Six

As can be seen from this fully typed report of Stacey Tyler’s interview with police in the earliest hours after Evon’s injuries, his account of what happened that day has never changed, and Stacey’s claim of innocence is not something new that is now being proclaimed for the first time after 33 years. What he said in that interview is the same thing he still says today. Unfortunately, what he had to say was ignored, dismissed and covered up, and to this day his account of what happened has not been heard by a jury, the family and supporters of Evon, his own family or the public at large. The only account that’s been heard is the false narrative that’s been amplified by the prosecution at his trial, supported by a smattering of testimony that helped paint a picture of guilt and has become the public record in this case. When that’s the only story being heard, it’s easy to draw a conclusion of guilt. We are confident that once people simply hear the actual truth, they will without doubt see that Stacey Tyler is innocent.

There are a couple of things from this interview that deserve explanation, not because they have any significance to the facts of this case but simply to illuminate a few things that could be confusing to anyone who wants to do a deeper dive into this case. The first is related to Stacey’s often incorrect attribution of names. For instance, in this interview he incorrectly refers to Catherine Jennings (Evon’s mother) as “Florine.”

This is evident from the context. He mentions that Evon’s sister “Lucy Woodley, came to the house along with Bertha Mae Tyler, Yvonne’s son Darius and Florine, they all live in Pendleton, NC.”

Because all these names are grouped together, it’s easier to identify that he mistakenly called Catherine ‘Florine.’ In isolation, it’s not so easy to determine who he’s referring to. I discovered this when first reading this interview and asking him who Florine was and he had no idea who I was talking about. The same is true for “Mental Health” and saying he went “uptown to Ralph house.” He doesn’t know anyone named Ralph and doesn’t know what is meant by Mental Health. This isn’t limited to just this interview. He still does it today. We can be talking about a book we’ve both read and the main character’s name is Tamika, but he may refer to her as Pam. I’ll be confused and ask who is Pam because I don’t remember “Pam”. Once he begins describing her, I’ll realize he’s talking about Tamika.

I will also explain the “DWI thing” in a later chapter, though it has no direct relevance to this case.

There are a few very important things to take from this interview as well, especially his casual recollection of the events of his day prior to Evon’s accident. In recounting those events, he clearly shows that he made no attempt to hide or conceal anything that would later be used as damaging testimony in this case. His words simply showed that at every moment he told the honest truth.

Lastly, I’ll point out the mention of his willingness to take a polygraph in this case. The detectives asked him if he was willing to take a polygraph (lie detector test) and he said yes because he had absolutely nothing to hide. Interestingly enough, they never conducted a polygraph. He was advised not to return to the trailer that night and driven to his brother Laverne Tyler’s house by the police around 5:30 am the following morning.

The officer who dropped him off at Laverne’s house also told him that they would be back sometime that weekend to get his consent to search the trailer for evidence. They asked him to stay close to his brother’s house and notify them if he decided to stay elsewhere so they’d know where to find him.

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The following day, Stacey and Laverne went across the street to hang out with one of Laverne’s friends whose girlfriend also happened to work at Georgia Pacific with Evon before she was laid off.

There was a small crowd of friends there and one of them mentioned that he had heard about what had happened to Evon over the police scanner but didn’t know that he was the other person involved. Somebody else asked him if he was aware that the police thought he’d done this to Evon. Stacey said no. He had felt like they were implying it the way that they were questioning him but this was the first time he’d actually heard someone say it. Another guy said they’d heard that Evon was doing okay and that she was sitting up in the hospital and talking and Stacey felt some sense of relief hearing that. However, the guy who’d heard it on the scanner told him they were probably going to arrest him for this and asked Stacey had he ever been to jail before or done time. Stacey replied that he hadn’t. He’d never been in any trouble of any kind other than that DWI he’d received a few months prior. Even then he never made it to a jail cell before bonding out.

As they told him about what it was like going to jail and what to expect, he remembers feeling afraid and didn’t know what to expect. He wasn’t worried at all about the accusations that he’d done this to Evon especially after hearing that she was sitting up and talking. He knew that as soon as the detectives talked to her she’d tell them the truth about what happened just like he did. For now his thoughts were filled with the terror of going to jail and what it would be like there.

Chapter Five

According to the typed report from the investigation files in this case, the police interviewed Rascoe Faison, the grandfather of Evon’s children Monique and Jermaine Jennings, on 11-06-93 at 12:05 am at his home.

After interviewing Rascoe Faison, they returned to the police department to once again question Stacey Tyler.

They talked to him for several hours and to his great astonishment and dismay, he began to realize for the first time that, according to the way they were questioning him, they actually thought he did this to Evon. This totally blindsided him.

I asked him personally if he was ever troubled or worried by the notion that they might actually arrest him and charge him for what happened to Evon and he said he had supreme confidence that something like that would never happen. When I asked him why, his answer blindsided me because of its simplicity. He said because he knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong and he was telling the truth and he knew that when they talked to Evon she would tell them the exact same thing.

It never crossed his mind that no one would ever hear Evon’s voice again because, despite her severe burns, he believed she was going to survive. When he’d seen her last, she was still speaking fine. Besides, she had already told everyone who asked her that it happened while she was trying to light the heater.

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The following is the full text from the typed report from the interview with Stacey Tyler:

“After Stacey Tyler was released from RCH, Deputy K. Williams brought him by the Hertford County Sheriff’s Dept. for further questions. S/A Parrish and I interviewed Stacey Tyler. The interview started at 01:13 AM, 11/06/93. We advised him he could leave at anytime, that he was not under arrest. He stated that he understood this was a non testimonial interview.”

“Stacey Tyler stated that on Friday, 11/05/93, around 7:00 AM, I awaken from sleep along with Yvonne Fleetwood, who lives at Lot #56. I played Nintendo for about 2 hours. Yvonne and I talked about what I was going to do about that DWI thing at Mental Health. I was supposed to see my brother, Bruce Tyler, to get some money to pay at Mental Health.

“I think I took a shower, then went uptown to Ralph? house. No one was there. I then walked to Red Apple in Murfreesboro. I stayed there until it stopped raining. While there I bought a 40% beer, I drank it at my brother Bruce Tyler’s house, who wasn’t home. I stayed there for about 30-40 minutes because it started raining again. I went to Food Lion, bought a qt. of King Cobra. I drank it in the trailer park. I caught a ride from Food Lion to the trailer park with Major Hinton.

“I went to Ernest Beale’s house but he wasn’t home. I got home around 12:30-1:00 if not later. When I got home I started playing the Nintendo with James Shearin. We played for about 1 1/2 hrs. then he left.

“Yvonne and I started watching video’s for awhile. I got hungry. Yvonne went to the bathroom, when she returned she said that she was chilly. I went in the kitchen preparing some chicken legs. I don’t remember if I was in the kitchen or looking in the cabinet, this was around 4:25-4:40 PM, when she caught on fire.

“Yvonne started yelling and screaming my name. I looked at her she was on fire. She then ran to the back down the hallway. When she got outside from where I pushed her out the door. I got on top if her, rolled her on the wet ground.

“I picked her up, put her on top of the steps. She went into the bathroom. I cut the water on, cut the shower on her. I assisted her into the house by putting her feet on the steps, the flame was out but her clothes were still glowing. After she got out of the tub, I picked her burned clothes off.

“I wet her yellow robe down in water, she walked into the living room, she wanted to lie down. I placed a wet towel on her body where the robe didn’t cover. I told Yvonne, “You need to go to the doctor.” She said, “I promise I’ll go tomorrow.” She kept repeating that she would go tomorrow. This was around 5:00 PM.

“I told Yvonne, either I’ll find someone to take you to the doctor or I’ll get Raleigh Porter, who works the Rescue. I told her she needed to see a doctor, you can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Then I ran down to Chester Robinson’s, who lives in Wise’s MHP also. Chester Robinson, his wife and daughter came to the house. I went inside but couldn’t fine Yvonne so I went to Rasco Faison’s house, the children’s grandfather. I thought she might have gone there since she said if I leave she was going to leave. It was dark then.

“Chester and his wife and I came back to the house. I still couldn’t find her. Then we rode around the park, when we came back, I saw her looking through the window in the door. I went inside, I found her in her daughter’s bedroom closet. She said she was hiding because she didn’t want to go to the doctor.

“Yvonne came out of the bedroom closet. I tried to get her to go to the hospital along with Chester and his wife, Phyllis. This was around 6:30-7:00PM.

“Rascoe Faison came over to the house, Chester told Rascoe, Yvonne had gotten burned. Rascoe Faison went home and called Lucy Woodley, Yvonne’s sister.

“Her sister, Lucy Woodley, came to the house along with Bertha Mae Tyner. Yvonne’s son, Darius and Florine, they all live in Pendleton, NC.

“Lucy went inside saw Yvonne’s condition, then left to call the Rescue. While they were gone, Mrs. Bertha Mae asked Yvonne what happened. Darius Jennings was in the room. Yvonne said to Mrs. Bertha Mae and Darius it started from the kerosene heater. Yvonne asked for a drink of water and a cigarette.”

“Earlier today when I came home from Food Lion, Yvonne and I had gotten into an argument. She said she had a headache and didn’t feel like playing while I was playing the Nintendo game. Each time I would score, I would nudge her or fall on her in a playful manner. She told me to quit, she had a headache and again didn’t feel like playing.

“When I put Yvonne’s robe on her, I removed the Blue Can of kerosene and the pump. I put them in the cabinet where we normally keep them.

“Yvonne said to me that she was trying to light the heater when she got burned, and I’ll take a polygraph ref. this case. 3:35 AM.

“Deputy Marty Davis transported Stacey Tyler to his brother’s home in Deerfield M.H.P., Murfreesboro.”

Chapter 4

When Stacey and Evon arrived at Roanoke Chowan Hospital, it was approximately 8:40 pm. Evon was taken to Trauma Room #1073 while Stacey was taken to a separate area in the emergency room to have the burns on his hands examined.

Sheri Smith Eubanks was the Emergency Room Nurse working that night. She was interviewed by police on December 8, 1993, which was more than a month after Evon’s injuries. Nurse Eubanks said in her statement that when Evon was admitted into the Emergency Room she was noted to be “alert and talking coherently.”

“She noted (Evon) Fleetwood to be very afraid and overheard Fleetwood to keep repeating, ‘I’m scared.’”

Nurse Eubanks also said that several other medical personnel were present with her in the emergency room with Evon. She lists Anesthetist Tom Lindquist, Doctor Thomas T. Hunter, Zenith Wilson, a nursing assistant as well as EMT personnel.

Nurse Eubanks further stated “that Mary (Evon) Jennings Fleetwood asked if someone could come in the room where she was located with her because she was afraid. Eubanks stated that she denied this request but held Fleetwood’s right hand during the time she was being treated.”

It’s apparent from this statement that Evon wanted Stacey to accompany her in the Trauma Room as he was the only person who came to the hospital with her. She was afraid of facing this fearful situation alone and wanted the reassurance of someone she knew and trusted.

Nurse Eubanks stated “that while in the trauma room just prior to being intubated Doctor Hunter and Eubanks both asked Mary Jennings Fleetwood what had happened to her.

“Eubanks stated that the scene in Trauma Room #1073 at this time was chaotic and that emergency medical technicians present were saying that they had been advised at the scene that a kerosene heater had exploded while Fleetwood was filling it causing her burn injuries. Eubanks stated that emergency medical technicians present also related that they had seen no evidence of any burning present inside of Fleetwood’s residence and noticed that a window was broken out of Fleetwood’s residence upon their initial entry.

“Eubanks stated that the emergency medical technicians present also related that they were told that these injuries had occurred at approximately 5:30 pm to Mary Jennings Fleetwood.

“Eubanks further related that emergency medical technicians present in Trauma Room #1073 stated that they had been advised that a friend of Fleetwood’s had pushed Fleetwood out of the backdoor of Fleetwood’s residence and had rolled Fleetwood on the wet ground to try and extinguish her on this occasion.

“Eubanks stated that Fleetwood indicated that the kerosene heater had blown up on her by saying “Yeah” in response to Eubanks question of ‘Is that what happened?’

“Eubanks stated that she noted that before responding to this question Mary Jennings Fleetwood paused for five to ten seconds and during this time the question was repeated before Mary Jennings Fleetwood replied “Yes.”

“Eubanks stated that she felt that Fleetwood’s hesitation was unusual in comparison to all of Fleetwood’s previous responses to questions being noted as having been emphatic and immediate in response.

“Eubanks stated that Mary Jennings Fleetwood was then sedated, subsequently receiving 5mg of Morphine at approximately 9:03pm through an IV, 5mg of morphine via IV between approximately 9:20pm and 9:24 pm and 1cc of Curare via IV at approximately 9:25pm.”

Evon was then intubated, meaning a tube was placed into her trachea that would not allow her to speak, and she was transported to Sentera Norfolk General Hospital in Virginia.

“Eubanks stated that en route to Sentera Norfolk General Hospital even the heavily sedated Mary Jennings Fleetwood would rouse herself and respond to questions by shaking her head ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

“Eubanks stated that while the ambulance was still in the driveway of Roanoke Chowan Hospital Emergency Room preparing to leave en route to Sentera Norfolk General Hospital Doctor Hunter asked Fleetwood if someone had purposefully set her on fire whereupon Fleetwood then responded by shaking her head “No.”“

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As Evon was being transported to Virginia, deputies Marty Davis and K. Williams of the Hertford County Sheriff’s Department were arriving at Roanoke Chowan Hospital (RCH) where they again briefly questioned Stacey.

According to a typed report from the investigation files in this case, “Stacey told deputies that he was in the kitchen cooking when Mary started screaming his name. She was on fire in the living room of the mobile home.

“He stated that he tried to put her out, he pushed her down the hallway and outside where he pushed her to the ground rolled her over on the wet ground, trying to extinguish the fire. He stated that he assisted her into the bedroom, turned on the shower then wrapped her in wet towels then laid her in bed. Mary told Tyler not to call the ambulance that she just wanted to rest.

“At this time Investigator E. Sharpe was called from RCH for further investigation by Dep. K. Williams.”

In a subsequent typed report prepared by Investigator Earnest Sharpe he states:

“On 11/05/93 I received a call from Hertford County Deputy Keith Williams ref. a Mary Jennings Fleetwood was at RCH and she had been burned severely and was being transported to Norfolk Sentura Hospital.

“At this time I called S/A (Special Agent) K. Parrish for assistance. I met S/A Parrish along with Deputy K. Williams and Deputy M. Davis. Mrs Fleetwood had been transported by the time we arrived.

“S/A Parrish and I went into the EMR where we observed Stacey Tyler, boyfriend of Mary Fleetwood, who had come over with Mary in the rescue vehicle, lying on a bed, he appeared asleep. S/A Parrish took a picture of Stacey Tyler right arm that he had supposed to received burns while trying to extinguish Mrs. Fleetwood.”

They asked Stacey if he would come with them to the police department because they wanted to ask him some more questions about what happened to Evon. He willingly went with them, and when he arrived they put him in a room and detectives came and questioned him briefly before leaving again and returning several times throughout the remainder of the night.

Returning to the typed report, it states:

“At 10:43 pm Stacey Tyler gave Deputy Marty Davis permission to go to Wise’s MHP, Lot 56 to investigate how Mrs. Fleetwood had gotten burned. Stacey Tyler gave deputies Davis and Williams statements that Mary Fleetwood had gotten burned while filling up a kerosene heater and he had gotten burned also.

“S/A Parrish and I along with Deputies Davis and Williams went to Wise’s MHP Lot 56. We put up Crime Scene tape for further investigation. While there we noticed the front glass on the south side of the trailer had been broken out.

“Our investigation led us to Rascoe Faison’s residence. Woodridge MHP the grandfather of Mary Fleetwood’s children, Monique and Jermaine Jennings.”

Before proceeding further, it’s important to note that there are several independent statements attributed to Evon and Stacey that say that the fire happened as a result of the heater blowing up or exploding. This needs to be explained.

Stacey is resolute that he has never meant what people may incorrectly interpret as the heater “exploding” because what most people think of as an explosion is a detonation. This is not what Stacey or Evon intended to convey.

Professional Engineer Frederick Grim described in his Kerosene Heater Failure Analysis report regarding this case that “The kerosene heater has a pattern of burn damage and soot deposits which is characteristic of a flare-up accident while refueling.” He went on to define the term flare-up “as the sudden expansion of flame outside the heater cabinet.”

To a layperson like Stacey and Evon, and most of us as well, if we were describing what happened, if we saw a sudden expansion of flame unexpectedly flaring from the heater cabinet while we were attempting to light the heater, we would likely be startled and say that the heater just exploded on us. In saying this, we are not intending to compare that to the detonation of a bomb. Therefore, if another non-expert were to look at that same kerosene heater after what we just described, and it appeared to be physically intact and in a normal state, that person would say that the heater looks fine and they see no evidence of an explosion.

This is because the laypersons are understanding the word explosion or the phrase “blew up” in two different ways.

It is the professional engineer who is capable of examining the heater and seeing what is not apparent to the layperson. In this case that is that the heater had a pattern of burn damage and soot deposits which is characteristic of a flare-up accident while refueling.

Chapter Two

Jean Hoggard Stocey is also called Jean Stacey in some documents. While she was tending to Evon, Stacey remembers stepping out of the bedroom to give the EMT personnel more space.

By this time there were numerous people both inside and outside the trailer. In addition to Stacey and Evon, there were the two EMTs, as well as two police officers who had arrived and around a dozen other people as well.

Stacey remembers feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened that day and he had been riding on nothing but pure adrenaline and instinct trying to get help for Evon. He was glad that so much help had finally arrived and now that Evon was in more capable hands he stepped outside to get a moment of fresh air and compose himself.

He was deeply worried about Evon. He knew her injuries were severe and he wondered if she might die. He had never seen someone so badly burned and it weighed heavily on him to think about what may be in store for her. He had done all he knew but still felt saddened that his efforts were simply not enough.

As he leaned against one of the vehicles outside of the trailer, the police approached him and asked him what had happened. He told them that Evon had been filling the kerosene heater when it apparently exploded and caught her on fire. He also told them that he and Evon were alone in the house and that he was in the kitchen cooking when he heard her scream his name.

Stacey told them that he looked up and saw her on fire and he then ran over to her, pushed her out the back door onto the ground where water was standing and rolled her around in the water extinguishing the flames. He then said Evon walked inside and got in the shower where he turned the water on. She got out of the shower and Stacey wrapped her in wet towels and then she laid on the bed. Stacey also said Evon told him not to call an ambulance that she just wanted to rest.

This is the first official account of what happened that was placed on record by the police in a typed “Incident/Investigation Report” dated 11-6-93 by Officer Marty Davis.

After this brief statement given to the police, the EMT approached him and asked if he was Stacey. When he indicated that he was, he was informed that Evon had requested that he ride with her to the hospital. It was telling that at this moment, despite her mother, sister, daughter, and son all being present, the one person she asked the EMT to send for to accompany her in this time of great distress is the very person who had been with her, comforting her and helping her for the last three hours. She kept saying repeatedly that she was scared and the person she felt the safest with at that moment was Stacey Tyler.

Of course he obliged and rode in the van with her to the hospital. Jean Stacey said that Stacey sat in the captain’s chair and she remembered him asking if she thought Evon was going to die. She told him she didn’t know.

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Chapter Three

It’s important to mention that while Evon and Stacey were being transported to the hospital almost all of the people left behind at the trailer had one thing in common: They were family members and friends of Evon. In addition, most of them believed before they arrived at the scene that Stacey and Evon had been fighting. After all, this is what Patrice “Monique” Jennings told her grandfather Roscoe Faison. She said according to her initial interview with police: “Grandaddy was getting ready to leave the house, I told him I think Mamma and Stacey had been fighting because she wouldn’t let me see her face.”

This is also what she told her Aunt Lucy Woodley and her maternal grandmother Catherine Jennings.

We can only imagine what everyone was expecting to see when they got there. Perhaps a black eye or a busted lip. Maybe some swelling in Evon’s face based on Monique’s suspicions. What we can probably be sure of is that NOBODY expected to find Evon burnt as severely as she was in her head and face! It was such a shocking discovery that Roscoe Faison said that when Evon’s sister Lucy arrived and was the first person to see Evon’s injuries “she ran out of the residence yelling that (Evon) was badly burned.”

Roscoe said that he then went back into the back bedroom and observed that Evon was indeed badly burned and that he and Lucy then went to the Murfreesboro Police Department together to get help.

They immediately assumed that Stacey had done this to her because their minds had already been primed to believe that Stacey and Evon had been fighting based on Monique’s fears. None of them thought or believed that this was an accident.

In fact, Lucy says as much in her interview with police. She said: “Stacey kept trying to tell me what happened but I didn’t want to hear it.” This clearly shows the tunnel vision that had taken place in the minds of those present. They were drawing their own conclusions of what they believed happened and rejecting anything that didn’t coincide with their suspicion and distrust.

Not only were they not trying to hear anything that Stacey had to say, they weren’t listening to Evon either. Despite the fact that Evon repeated on multiple occasions that it started from the kerosene heater while trying to light it and that Stacey did not do this to her, nobody wanted to accept that. This case was built solely on the doubt and suspicion of those close to Evon. There was no other witness to what took place and yet the consistent repeated testimonies of the only two people that were present, nobody wanted to believe.

There’s another interesting observation to be gleaned from this that has been tellingly overlooked. The number of people who showed up from Evon’s family on the suspicion that Stacey had beat on her clearly illustrates that Evon’s family did not tolerate anyone assaulting her.

If this were something that had happened before in the past it would’ve been testified to at trial or mentioned in police interviews. But the mere fact that the family showed up so strongly for what they thought was likely a fight is clear proof that they had no history of physical violence. They thought Stacey and Evon had been in a fight and their presence indicated that this was something that was not tolerated. In other words their presence said if they even suspected Stacey of laying a finger on Evon this is what he would have to face. The fact that they had never shown up like this before is clear evidence that there was no history of Stacey ever assaulting Evon.

When we think of wrongful conviction we often think of someone being convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. But how often does it cross our mind that someone could be convicted of a crime that was never even committed? This is the harrowing tale of someone who tried to render aid to a person who had a terrible accident and ended up getting accused of the unthinkable, convicted and sentenced to die.

It was a cool wet Friday before sunset at Lot 56 of Wise’s Mobile Home Park on November 5, 1993, in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. A light rain had dampened the ground earlier that morning and Stacey Tyler was at home with just his girlfriend Mary “Evon” Fleetwood in the modest 3-bedroom trailer they shared with Evon’s kids.

The kids, Monique and Jermaine who were 12 and 10 respectively, had spent the previous night at their paternal grandfather’s home who lived a short walk away in Woodridge Mobile Home Park. This gave Stacey and Evon some alone time together since Stacey was only in town for a brief stay.

He’d been living in Philadelphia since August with his oldest brother Lee Tyler. Lee had convinced him there were better job opportunities in Philly after Stacey lost his job pouring asphalt due to seasonal layoffs. Evon had been laid off too from her job at Georgia Pacific and the two of them had decided to leave Murfreesboro and relocate to Philadelphia. Stacey went first in order to find a job and a place for Evon and the kids to stay. He’d already gotten a job at a temporary employment agency but now that the company wanted to hire him full time, he returned to Murfreesboro to get his birth certificate in order to get a necessary Pennsylvania ID.

His aunt was supposed to show him where and how to acquire his birth certificate so he could get back to work. He was expecting to catch a bus back to Philly the following week.

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At around 5 o’clock that day, Evon and Stacey were sitting on the couch watching TV with Evon lying with her head on Stacey’s lap. With a sigh she mentioned that she needed to get up and cook some dinner. Stacey kindly volunteered to do it for her. He had a taste for chicken legs so he rose from the couch to make his way to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Evon stood up as well and headed towards the bathroom. Speaking out loud, she said it was “chilly” and Stacey casually told her to light up the kerosene heater as he rounded the corner to the kitchen.

Moments passed. Stacey was at the sink getting a pan, utensils, a plate. Then he turned to open the refrigerator and suddenly Evon screamed, “Stacey!”

He turned and, in total shock and disbelief, he saw that Evon was on fire from her head to shoulders and was frantically running back and forth in the hallway in panic, fear and confusion.

On mere instinct, Stacey sprung into action, running from the kitchen through the living room and into the hallway where Evon was on fire. Not knowing what to do, he began to forcefully push her towards the back door and then outside and onto the wet ground where he was able to extinguish the flames.

According to a report submitted by Frederick E. Grim, Professional Engineer, dated October 9, 1995, he examined the kerosene heater operated by Evon and wrote in his report: “The kerosene heater has a pattern of burn damage and soot deposits which is characteristic of a flare-up accident while refueling. This hazard is specifically noted by a warning in the operating instructions which forbids refueling while the unit is still operating or hot. Fuel splashed during refueling in the area of the burner assembly will vaporize and flash producing a flare-up potentially igniting nearby combustible materials and causing burn injury to the operator.”

He explains: “The phenomenon of flare-up is defined as the sudden expansion of flame outside the heater cabinet.”

He goes on to say: “Samples of fuel from the tank of the kerosene heater was submitted to two laboratories for gas chromatography and flash point analysis. Gas chromatography revealed that the fuel ‘contains components of petroleum distillates in the range of mineral spirits and kerosene. If the distillate is kerosene it contains a greater concentration of early volatiles relative to what is normally encountered in kerosene.’ The flash point was 70°F, well below the specified 100 to 150°F.”

“In summary, the kerosene heater was fueled with a substance more volatile than kerosene and ignitable at room temperature.”

This evidence was never presented at Stacey Tyler’s trial.

According to Stacey one possible reason that the heater contained fuel more volatile than kerosene is because the refueling container that was used for getting kerosene was the same one also used for getting gasoline as well. Therefore it is possible that the kerosene in the refueling tank contained a small trace of gasoline.

Also according to Stacey, Evon wore her hair in a jheri curl styled hairdo.

Doug Carpenter, a certified fire protection engineer who received his master’s degree in fire protection engineering, has extensive experience working on fire investigations and has testified as an expert witness on many occasions, had this to say when I asked him about the possibility of chemicals in Evon’s hair causing her hair to melt and drop down onto her torso:

“The jell (in hair gels used in the jheri curl styled hairdo) is flammable when applied to hair strands. This increases the surface area of the fuel and promotes ignition when compared to solid jell in a jar. Most likely, it is not the melting of the hair, but clumps of hair can dislodge from the head and drop down. More likely is that the heating of the gel transforms it from a gel to more of a liquid that can ‘drop down’ and spread the fire, it ignited. I think that is more than likely of the hypothesized scenarios.”

After putting out the flames, Stacey says that Evon felt like she was still burning. So he helped her back inside the trailer and into the bathroom where he noticed beneath her clothing what looked like embers glowing. He helped her remove her shirt which was burned and sticking to her skin. He remembers the skin on her arm literally hanging loose like a sleeve from her elbow. Not wanting to show his panic and fear after seeing the horrendous condition of her arm he did his best to remain calm and carefully pick off the burnt parts of the shirt sticking to her torso. As he did he noticed places where the skin was coming off as well and Evon seemed to be totally unaware of it. He dropped the pieces of skin and cloth on the floor and helped her take off her jeans and told her to step into the tub because he could still see the glowing embers in her flesh. He turned on the shower and pointed the shower head at her feet so it would not spray directly onto her and she used her hands to splash her upper body with water until she said “that’s enough.”

Stacey then went and retrieved her bath robe and put it on her and told her calmly, “Evon, you need to go to the doctor.”

He knew her injuries were very serious and he couldn’t believe she wasn’t shrieking in pain which he imagined was how someone who had just experienced such a tragic burn would react.

To his great surprise, Evon responded by saying that she would go to the doctor tomorrow. Right now she simply wanted to lie down.

She led the way from the bathroom to the living room couch and laid down on it. Stacey saw her neck was exposed and not knowing if the raw flesh of her neck should be exposed to the couch he went and wet a towel and brought it to her to place on her neck. She said she was cold and so he went to the bedroom and got her a blanket.

He then sat down on the coffee table in front of her and in soft words told her again, “Evon, you need to go to the doctor. You need some help.”

She responded, “I promise I’ll go tomorrow. I’m scared.”

Stacey told her she couldn’t wait until tomorrow. She needed to see a doctor now. He told her he was gonna go get someone to take her to the hospital.

Stacey says she told him, “Please don’t leave me. I’m scared. I want you to stay with me. I promise I’ll go tomorrow. Don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.”

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As they were talking, Stacey said he could hear Monique and Jermaine outside approaching the front door. He told Evon that they were outside and to his surprise Evon pulled the blanket up over her head as they came inside.

Stacey got up from the coffee table and sat in the chair as Monique asked Evon why she had her head under the cover. Evon said she was cold but Monique wanted to see her face. Evon refused to let Monique see her face and threatened to beat her if she tried to pull back the blanket.

Finally, Monique and Jermaine decided to leave, but once outside Monique heard Stacey asking Evon why she didn’t let them see her face.

Stacey says that he was hoping that Monique would’ve seen Evon’s face and then gone and gotten some help. When I asked him how come he didn’t tell Monique that Evon had been burned, he said that he honestly didn’t know what to do and was basically just following Evon’s lead by not saying anything to Monique. Perhaps Evon believed she was protecting Monique by not allowing her to have this image in her mind of seeing her mother so badly injured. It is likely that this decision to not let Monique see her face ended up being the most critical factor that led to Stacey being suspected of assaulting her.

After Monique and Jermaine left, Stacey again told Evon she needed to go to the hospital. Again she told him she was scared and promised that she would go tomorrow. But by now Stacey was less concerned about continuing to comfort her and knew that he had to do something to get Evon to the hospital. Since they did not have a telephone and there was no serviceable car at the house, Stacey told Evon he was going to see if he could get someone to take her to the hospital. She pleaded with him not to leave her as he headed for the door.

He walked out into the trailer park with his mind fixed on going to the first person’s house that he knew with a car. He said he walked by at least four homes of people he knew but didn’t stop because their car was not parked outside.

Eventually he found himself near the front entrance of the trailer park when he saw Chester Robinson’s car outside.

He walks up to Chester Robinson’s house, a person that he only knows casually, knocks on the door and tells him Evon needs help. She’s been badly burned and needs to go to the hospital. Chester gathers his wife and child and they all pile into his car to return to Stacey and Evon’s trailer.

Meanwhile around the same time, Monique and Jermaine are returning to their grandfather, Roscoe Faison’s house. Twelve-year-old Monique is deeply worried about her mother and fears that her mother and Stacey may have been fighting. So when she gets home she expresses her concerns to her grandfather and tells him that she thinks that Stacey and her mother have been fighting because she wouldn’t let her see her face. She pleads with Roscoe to go and check on her mother.

Roscoe has some other immediate business to tend to and tells her that he will check on Evon when he gets back. In the meantime he tells Monique to call her Aunt Lucy Woodley, Evon’s sister.

Roscoe leaves and Monique calls her Aunt Lucy crying and begs her to come over and check on her mother. Lucy asks her what is wrong and again she expresses her fears that Stacey and her mother have been fighting because she wouldn’t let Monique see her face. Lucy tells her to calm down and she would try to get someone to drive her over there from Pendleton, NC, but if she thinks that something is wrong then she should call the police.

Monique decides not to call the police.

When Stacey, Chester Robinson and his family arrived back at Stacey and Evon’s trailer, she was not there. They went inside and Stacey said he called out for Evon and when she didn’t answer he looked in every room but didn’t see her anywhere. Fearing that she had left the trailer and having no idea where she may have gone, he and Chester began riding around the trailer park looking for Evon. They went to Roscoe’s house and asked Roscoe’s wife if she had seen Evon. She said no and stated that she thought Evon was with him.

Monique, now having more cause for concern, called her maternal grandmother, Catherine Jennings, Evon’s mother, and shared her fears with her. Catherine Jennings decided to find someone to bring her to Wise’s Mobile Home Park.

Not knowing where Evon could possibly be, Chester drove back through Wise’s Mobile Home Park searching for Evon. By now it was beginning to get dark outside. As they were driving towards Evon’s trailer, Stacey saw Evon peeping out of the window. He hopped out of the car and ran inside to take Evon to the hospital, but when he came inside again he couldn’t find her. Knowing he had just seen her peeping out of the window, he knew she had to be in the house somewhere, and as he searched the entire trailer he found her hiding in Monique’s closet. Surprised to find her there, he asked her why she was hiding in the closet. Again she told him that she was scared and didn’t want to go to the hospital.

Chester also tried to urge Evon to let him take her to the hospital but she insisted that she didn’t want to go. Instead she said she just wanted to lay down. She was tired. She went into the bedroom and got in bed.

Soon thereafter, at around 7:00 pm, Roscoe arrived. He said he noticed that there was no light in the back bedroom where Evon was, so he left to go home and get a lightbulb.

When he returned, he brought Monique with him. A few minutes later, Evon’s mother Catherine Jennings arrived and also Lucy Woodley, Evon’s sister, who was driven there by Bertha Mae Tyler.

According to a police interview with Lucy Woodley she said: “When Bertha Mae and I arrived at the house the front door was open. I saw Chester Robinson and Roscoe Faison in the living room. I went back to the back bedroom where Stacey and Evon was. She was lying on the bed. Stacey was sitting on the side of the bed. I kept walking around the back side of the bed and looked over at her face. She was covered from waist down, wearing a gold sweater. I noticed her left side of her face was badly burned. I became very upset, ran back up the hallway and outside where people were standing. I asked who was driving this car parked near the door. Henry Vaughan said he was. He drove me and Roscoe to the Murfreesboro Police Department. I talked with the dispatcher, told him Mary Fleetwood had been burned in the face and needed the Rescue Squad. The police said meet them in front of the house to show Rescue the location.”

Bertha Mae Tyler said in her statement to the police:

“When we arrived we went inside down the hallway to the bedroom where Mary (Evon) was lying on the bed. Stacey was sitting on the side of the bed. Mary was covered up from neck down. Mary pulled the cover back. That’s when I noticed that Mary was wearing blue jeans and a house robe. I asked Mary what was wrong with her. She said nothing is wrong. I asked if Stacey did this she said ‘No.’ Stacey smiled and said ‘you know I wouldn’t do anything to her Mrs. Bertha.’”

Later in her statement she said “both of them said the heater had blown up.”

Monique said in her police interview that her mother “didn’t tell anybody she had gotten burned because she didn’t want Jermaine and me to know.” Which would also explain why earlier she didn’t want Monique to see her face.

Finally police and rescue arrived. One of the EMTs who responded to the call was Jean Hoggard Stocey. She told police in her interview:

“I saw someone lying on a bed and another person sitting on the side of the bed. The patient, Mary Fleetwood was covered from head to feet with a robe or some type of garment. I don’t remember what type. I noticed she was severely burned all over her body. There was a small patch of hair on her head. I asked what time did Mary Fleetwood get burned. Someone said approximately 1 to 2 hours ago. I remember saying ‘Why did you wait so long before you called?’”

Jean Hoggard Stocey continued:

“I remember taking Mary’s blood pressure, using her left arm. I don’t remember what clothing she had on. I asked what happened. She said we were lighting the heater. From what I could understand while lighting the heater it blew up. Mary said she had been in the shower after she was burned. I didn’t remember seeing anything burned in the trailer nor did I smell any odor.”

“Stacey, Mary’s boyfriend, said he had gotten burned trying to put Mary out. He was burned on both hands.”

“Mary didn’t want to go to the hospital but there was no way we were going to leave her because she needed medical treatment.”

“Mary walked to the stretcher. She asked if her boyfriend could ride with her to the hospital.”

As expected, it sent the internet in a frenzy and Sabur was greeted with a tremendous outpouring of support. The Save Sabur Instagram account immediately began to grow in followers and numerous people were screenshotting the Kim Kardashian post and reposting it on the internet. There was a high amount of jubilation and Sabur felt a great sense of budding vindication that after 33 years he was finally being seen.

However, within days, something unexpected happened. I called my friend and co-author Mark Katz for a casual chat on the evening of June 22nd, and as soon as he answered the phone he explained that he’d been told that somebody had been posting negative comments online about Sabur’s case. Whoever this person was, they were saying that Sabur was guilty and it was really surprising because it was the first time we’d encountered any opposition to advocating Sabur’s innocence.

I later shared the news with Sabur and naturally he was disappointed. An innocent man’s only desire is to be believed so anytime a single person expresses disbelief it is painful.

We talked about it for a while and I did my best to assure him that this was merely just a part of the process and that ultimately the truth would prevail.

The following day, on June 23rd, I called Nick Neutronz for a scheduled studio session to record new music but before we got started, Nick began recapping everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. He told me that the person that had been posting negative comments was claiming to be Evon’s daughter. Evon is Stacey’s ex-girlfriend who died accidentally from burns while trying to light a kerosene heater. Her daughter, Patrice Monique Jennings, was a 12-year-old girl when this tragedy happened in 1993 and she was understandably outraged to hear that the person that she believed for 33 years was responsible for mercilessly setting her mother on fire was suddenly claiming to be innocent and receiving support from Kim Kardashian!

She declared that Stacey was in fact guilty and people were misinformed, that several witnesses had seen him abusing her mother. She also claimed that he was a police informant and that all of this was a part of the public record.

Nick was stunned by these allegations and immediately did a quick search to verify her claims. He saw that indeed the public record painted a horrid picture of Sabur. I realized right then that most of the people who have grown to support Sabur have believed in his innocence almost exclusively on my belief alone. Very few have independently researched his case. It is their trust and belief in me that has been extended to Sabur.

It occurred to me also how ill equipped they were to defend Sabur in my absence.

Most people don’t know the details of this case and presently there is no source of publicly available information in support of Sabur’s innocence that people can refer to when confronted by opposing claims supported by public data.

For 9 years I have believed in Sabur’s innocence. I have had virtually unlimited access to talk to him almost every day. There is no one who knows more about his case than I do. I’ve heard him describe the events of that day dozens of times. I’ve read all of the legal documents and his trial transcript. All of this is what led me to the absolute conviction that Sabur is 100% innocent! He isn’t just innocent, he is the VERY person that did everything he could to comfort, aid and try and get help for Evon.

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This has led me to the urgency of sharing everything I know about this case with the public so that all of Sabur’s supporters as well as those who have only known the false narrative surrounding this case will have a source of truth to refer to.

When I first set out on this mission of declaring Sabur’s innocence, clearing his name and complete exoneration were the only goals in mind. I didn’t have the foresight to see how this declaration would affect his family and friends or the family and friends of Mary “Evon” Jennings Fleetwood and neither did Sabur.

It only came to our attention when we learned of the outrage expressed by some of Evon’s family who were suddenly confronted by a post from Kim Kardashian.

Having one of the most famous people in the world supporting an innocence claim of the person they believed for decades had doused Evon with gasoline and set her on fire is earth-shattering. It struck us how alarming, confusing and outright enraging that would feel.

In fact, Sabur expressed his complete sympathies for what they might be going through. He lost his mother in a tragic accident at 15 when she was struck by a car right in front of their home. He witnessed the horrid image of her body lying in the street with blood and pieces of her brain streaking the asphalt permanently stained in his mind. For years he held the deepest anger and resentment for the person driving that car. Even though it was declared an accident, he hated that driver and wanted someone to pay for the pain and loss he felt. He understands.

It moves me to tears knowing that I have been a part of causing such an upheaval in the lives of all those impacted by my advocacy for Sabur.

It’s like ripping off bandages from old wounds that have never healed and forcing people to face the same pain all over again. The truth hurts. It is uncomfortable. But it is the only pathway to healing.

We sympathize with everyone involved. We state with sincerity, compassion and honesty that this is no false claim. This is no ruse. This is a case of genuine innocence and we want all those affected to simply hear the truth that’s been covered up and ignored for 33 years.

Stacey Tyler is innocent.

How many people think they would’ve stood up for Jesus when his enemies wanted him dead?

How many think that at the very least they would’ve spoken out and said “This is wrong”?

How many times have you learned of an injustice and said “SOMEBODY should’ve done SOMETHING”?

It’s written in the Bible that when it is said to Jesus by those he rejects: When were you hungry and we didn’t feed you; or when were you naked and we didn’t clothe you; or when were you in prison and we didn’t visit you? He responds: Even so, if you did it to the least of these you did it to me.

When he mentions those in prison who is he referring to other than the innocent? Those wrongfully accused. Those unjustly persecuted. Those falsely condemned.

So how can we stand around and do absolutely nothing while an innocent person waits to DIE in prison right in front of our nose?

You might feel like it’s easy to brush off the tiny injustices happening all around you, but how can any of us ignore the cries from an innocent person being mercilessly marched off to die?

You say, what can I do? It’s not my fault. I can’t change anything!

With a hundred different things going on every day, you tell yourself you can’t fix them all. It’s not your job. You’re not an expert. That’s how we soothe our conscience, right?

Perhaps you busy yourself championing some other cause that’s less stressful than one you feel helpless to change.

But while you focus intently on what feels less difficult, it’s like straining on a gnat and swallowing a camel.

Have you ever wished you could change an injustice?

If you saw an elderly person fall to the ground as you were driving by, would you stop and help or would you laugh and keep on going?

If someone was being harassed or bullied by a group of ruffians bigger and stronger than them, would you come to their aid or mind your own business and not get involved?

If you saw someone lying in the street bleeding from an injury to the head, would you try to help or just stand by and watch while filming it on your phone?

You don’t have to answer these questions out loud, but if your answer is like so many people’s answer in this day and time: I’d keep going; I’d mind my own business; I wouldn’t get involved; That ain’t got nothing to do with me; I’ve got my own problems to worry about, then I have another question for you. How would you feel if that was you?

If you were that elderly person who had fallen to the ground, how would you feel if people drove by and nobody stopped to help?

If you were being threatened and harassed by a group of people too strong for you to fend off, and folks ignored what was happening to you, how would you feel?

If you were literally lying in the street after being mugged, bleeding profusely from your head, badly injured and in agonizing pain, yet people just stood there looking at you or turned away when you looked towards them, how would that make you feel?

This is the type of world we are living in today. Even sadder is this is what we ourselves have become.

We look out at the world and only acknowledge suffering when it’s happening afar. The war in Ukraine, what’s going on in Israel, Gaza, Iran. Ebola in Africa or hungry children in some remote part of the world. Yet when we see a person in need of help right in front of our eyes, we look away and manufacture a hundred excuses for not getting involved. It’s not our concern.

We can literally see a man suffering and instead of rushing to his aid, we pull out cameras and watch them writhe in pain.

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Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is narrated to have said that if you see an evil or an injustice change it with your hands. If you’re unable to do that, then change it with your speech. If you’re unable to do that, then hate it in your heart and that’s the weakest of faith. That’s the least you can do.

If you can’t effect change, if you lack the power or the resources and you don’t have the platform to be heard, then be displeased with injustice. Hate it in your heart. That’s the least way of showing empathy until you can change it with your hands or words.

Jesus is recorded to have said in the Bible: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. That’s the golden rule, the simplest measure of human empathy. I’m helping you because I’d want someone to do the same for me. Yet this logic has become strange and almost extinct in today’s world.

Everyone is so self-absorbed in what they are doing that they have no room for anyone else. We can’t see it until we are the ones lying in the street bleeding profusely from the head and everybody is walking past us avoiding eye contact.

What happens when it’s you?

This just in. On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, KIM KARDASHIAN posted to her instagram story about Sabur’s case to her 344 million followers! Alhamdulillah!

This is another giant leap in the effort to free an innocent man. I strongly urge all of those who are following this story to join in now and spread the word. It is written in the Qur’an that whoever helps in a good deed has a share in it. It’s not too late to help. Do your part by telling a friend. Let just one person know about this story and be a part of the effort. That’s all it takes.

Eight years ago I was a lone voice buried beneath concrete and mortar where no one could even see me, let alone hear me, and I started crying out for assistance in freeing an innocent man. I spoke to one person at a time. Anybody who had ears. And I never gave up.

Today with the help of Allah and those who’ve believed 344 million people are hearing this call!

Wherever you are, no matter how small or insignificant or irredeemable you might feel, you can make a difference. I’m living proof.

May Allah grant us the strength and the perseverance to do good and help those in need.

I’m Rrome Alone reporting to you from the shadow of the valley and I’m Live On Death Row!

I started the day by waking up at around 4:00 am for the late night prayer (called tahajjud in Arabic). I perform this prayer almost every night. It is not one of the 5 daily prayers that a Muslim is obligated to pray. Instead it is an optional act of worship that is encouraged for those who can do it regularly with ease.

I have been praying the 5 obligatory prayers for at least 16 years, but I just began implementing the late night prayer into my daily practice about 2 years ago because it is only recommended for those who can do it regularly without abandoning it. Allah loves the righteous deed that is done consistently and not the deed that is abandoned.

The religion is meant to be easy and whoever makes it difficult for themselves it will break them. So we only implement what we are capable of doing with consistency until it becomes like our second nature. It’s only then that we see it as something we cannot abandon any more than we could abandon eating or drinking.

When we reach that level of devotion, we strive to implement another meritorious act on a consistent basis until it too becomes easy. The intention is a gradual growth in righteousness that improves our character and conduct over the course of our life and not simply occasional random acts of good conduct. The goal is to attain nearness to Allah.

In attaining that nearness, we also become better servants of Allah and the needs of our fellow man.

During the late night prayer I always read at least 25 verses (ayat) of the Qur’an out loud. If I oversleep and miss the late night prayer, I will read these ayat after the morning prayer. This is an act that I never abandon. For one, the Qur’an is direct revelation from Allah in Arabic and it was recited to Muhammad, peace be upon him, by the angel Gabriel. This means that it is meant to be recited out loud and not simply read silently. In fact, the Arabic root for the word Al-Qur’an means “The Recital.”

One of its attributes is “The Reminder.” Man is prone to forget. Even the Arabic root word from which mankind (naas) is derived means to forget (nasiya). So we need constant daily reminders. Thus it is highly meritorious to recite the Qur’an every single day.

After reciting the Arabic, I read the English interpretation to understand the meaning. Then I pray the morning prayer called fajr which is prayed at dawn and begins after 4:35 at this time of the year.

At 6:00 am the cell doors open for breakfast and I went to the chowhall for a breakfast of French toast with my breakfast companions Ali (59), Hakim (72) and Malik (77). All of whom have been incarcerated for at least 30 years each and who like myself embraced Islam while in prison and radically changed our lives.

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After breakfast I worked out with my crew: Big Lee, Ali, Sabur, and Archie. We have two knee-high stacks of magazines and writing paper tied off in “shipping bags” that are laid on their side and stacked one on top of the other on a sheet and then wrapped up into a compact “workout bag.” It weighs about 100 pounds. We lift it over our heads and also insert the broom handle through loops on the bag to do curls.

I teach an Arabic class every morning from 8:30–9:30. My students Ali and Sabur practice reading, writing and constructing Arabic sentences. They are very dedicated and hardworking students and it has been a blessing to see their growth and progress over the years. They both have excellent penmanship and have developed a decent vocabulary as well as an evolving understanding of the rules of grammar.

After class I sent my Mom a text message honoring her for this day of ours as it is our special anniversary of life together. I then went outside at 10:00 am for an hour of recreation, spent walking laps on the rec yard with my friend and Imam, Jason “Mum’in” Hurst. We talked about ideas for new topics to write about for a book we are writing together with another brother named Jamil.

After rec I came inside and showered, then made some burritos for my birthday meal! I prepared them with meat balls, beef summer sausage, refried beans and rice, jalapeño cheese spread and ranch dressing! All food items I am allowed to order from a vendor four times a year.

Around 3:00 pm Ali, Sabur and I read 25 more verses from the Quran together, another practice that we do every day. I read the first verse then Ali and then Sabur and we continue this rotation until the end. I read the English interpretation out loud and then we make a supplication together and adjourn until the next prayer time.

This is what I do every single day and my birthday was no different. I’m blessed and thankful to have another year to strive to do good deeds. Alhamdulillah!