Friday, April 25, 2025 - A newlywed groom was tragically murdered just hours after tying the knot in what was meant to be a joyful celebration of love.
Tyrek Burton, 37, was shot dead outside his wedding venue in
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, last October, only hours after marrying his
longtime partner, Kiara, 33.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Kiara revealed the
heartbreaking series of events that led to her husband’s death. After
mistakenly believing his wife had already left the venue, Tyrek got into his
car and began to drive home. But when he realised she was still inside, he
turned back to pick her up.
That loving gesture would cost him his life.
“It was a
road rage incident,” Kiara explained in an emotional interview with Fox 8.
“Pretty much a stranger—or someone we didn’t know—felt that he cut him off and
confronted him about it. And it ended up terribly wrong.”
Tyrek, a devoted father of four, had been with Kiara for
over a decade. The couple had originally planned to elope, but ultimately
decided on a traditional ceremony for the sake of their children, who attended
the wedding.
“Our happiest moments were seeing our kids smiling,” Kiara
recalled. “The wedding was for them.”
Photographs from that day show the couple glowing with happiness, posing at the altar and sharing their first dance as husband and wife.
But joy turned to horror when Tyrek was ambushed in the
parking lot and shot multiple times in front of his wife and one of their
daughters. According to police, he was hit at least 15 times. Despite emergency
lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead that night.
Tyrek’s sister, Brittany Burton, later explained that the
tragedy was the result of a misunderstanding.
“He made a
U-turn and I guess didn’t see somebody. Cut them off, and that person followed
him back to the park,” she told ABC 7.
No arrests have been made, and the killer remains
unidentified. Kiara is now speaking out, hoping someone will come forward with
information.
“He was so giving. He was a provider, a protector. A great
husband, a great friend,” she said tearfully. “There’s no way this person did
something like this and just slept on it. If you know something, say
something.”
Shaye Holloway, Kiara’s sister, shared a heartfelt tribute on Facebook:
“Life is so unfair. How did the
day we’d all been waiting for turn out so bad? A beautiful day ended up so
ugly. The worst thing I’ve EVER had to witness.”
“I’m just so hurt—for my sister, for their daughters, for our family and
friends. I’m trying to be strong, but I’m lost and confused.”
Photos from the wedding night—showing the couple in a final embrace,
smiling with joy—have since taken on a tragic, haunting tone.
Another family member posted a video montage from the celebration,
writing:
“My heart is broken. Please pray for Kiara, the kids, his mother, sister,
and all of us. There’s nothing I can do but offer God and a shoulder to lean
on.”
“Kiara asked me, ‘How do I marry the love of my life and lose him on the
same day?’ I have no words. This is so rough.”
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