Former Tampa Bay Devil Rays player Danny Clyburn Jr., 37, was shot once in the heart following an argument with a neighborhood friend, Derrick McIlwain, 38, on February 7, 2012 in Lancaster, SC. McIlwain admitted murdering his longtime friend. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter after confessing he murdered him because he “never did anything for anybody in the hood” once he became a professional ball player. Clyburn was a longtime Minor League outfielder.
On Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Clyburn’s family is outraged because McIlwain’s defense claimed their client was afraid because the (unarmed) former athlete was bigger than McIlwain. An argument started when Clyburn, who was in town from California visiting his father, sister and two children, refused to buy McIlwain a drink at the party spot where they were hanging out.
