Mother grieves daughter murdered in Wilmington as alleged killer sits behind bars - WECT

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JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WECT) - As Debi Burnett mourns the loss of her daughter, Micsha Durham, who was murdered in Wilmington on April 11, she looks forward to the day her alleged killer faces trial.

Burnett says Durham loved music more than almost anything. She graduated from a performing arts school in Nashville where she had the opportunity to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. Later, she would make it through four audition rounds for the ninth season of “American Idol.” After that, she turned to the military, joining the Navy for two years.

At just 32 years old, her life was cut short when she was found dead at Godwin Stadium in Wilmington.

Wilmington Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Leslie Irving says detectives are still looking for answers.

“They’re still working on a timeline to confirm what the medical examiner thinks in terms of time of death, before they actually figure out what happened,” said Lt. Irving. “So, we’re still trying to piece all the information together.”

Shortly after Durham’s body was discovered, police visited Burnett in Jacksonville.

“The first thing out of my mouth to the detectives was ‘Okay, what’d she do?’ They said, ‘She didn’t do anything,’ and I said ‘I know I didn’t do anything,’” said Burnett. That’s when officers asked her to sit down.

“I remember saying, ‘Are you telling me she’s dead?’” said Burnett. “They said ‘Yes, we’re sorry for your loss.’ I said, ‘I’d just seen her yesterday.’”

Durham visited Wilmington often before her death. She was there last Tuesday to fulfill a court-ordered community service assignment.

“When I lost her, it was a heartbreak that I have never ever, ever felt before,” said Burnett. “I was like, ‘not again, not again.’”

Burnett lost her son to suicide on Easter morning in 2021. Now, she’ll have to lay her second child to rest just two years later.

As she grieves Durham, Burnett looks forward to the day justice comes down on the man accused of her murder, Altonio Johnson. Johnson was arrested last week and charged with violating a domestic violence protective order. Police say that charge is unrelated to Durham.

In addition to the murder charge, Johnson is also charged with armed robbery in connection with Durham’s death. Johnson is the only suspect in the murder.

“We would not want to release a lot of the details of this case at this time because, remember, this case has not been adjudicated,” said Lt. Irving. “And even though we have made an arrest in this situation, we still have months of investigation that we have to go through and complete before this case goes to trial.”

Burnett says she thought about attending Johnson’s first appearance in court but decided it would be better to wait until he faces a judge and jury.

“You just don’t mess with my kids,” said Burnett. “This guy killed her and it had to be very very brutal.”

Lt. Irving says officers would not have been able to pin Johnson as a suspect without help from the community. She says that help can be hard to come by, especially in unsolved murder cases.

“A lot of our unsuccessful stories that we have are outstanding homicide cases that a majority of them happened in a public place and we just don’t have that buy-in with the public,” Lt. Irving said.

As she awaits Johnson’s day in court, Burnett is holding on to the 32 years of memories she had with Durham.

“[I’ll remember] that smile and how happy she would make people feel,” said Burnett. “She always laughed, always carried a Bible. She just really loved God.”

Police and Burnett are asking that anyone with information about Durham’s death contact them by calling 910-765-7822 or using the Tip 411 app.

Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.

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