Bifield: When It’s My Time To Die, I Hope God Takes Me When I’m Riding My Motorcycle

Debra Willis, who’d become Debra Bifield, shares her first-hand account of a free Danny Bifield and circumstance involving his death.

My fight took a little over a year and a half to get him home. As exhausting as it was at times, and the lies that they kept telling, just made the steaming in me a lot harder and a lot stronger. In the end we were winners, and that’s all that truly matters.

From that day on the fight was over, not another word written to them, not even one second of a phone call. The judge had read my letter of concern, and as a health professional I explained how he was treated. That, along with Danny’s note, letting her know was the absolute truth.

He came home very weak and malnourished because on the inside he was supposed to have meat sandwiches two times a day and the shakes called Ensure. That happened for him only one time! Not shocking yet that was a doctor’s orders straight from the hospital, and to the prison doctor. As all the times before with the infections they could have cared less.

When I got Danny home, he was full of love, respect and ready to do his part of whatever he needed to, to show his love for his family. He was completely grateful for the fight that I had put forth for him and I was completely grateful to God for allowing my prayers to be answered.

(Editor’s note: Bifield received more good news from the court.

Since the onset of Bifield’s supervised release, he has maintained a stable residence, secured Social Security Disability, obtained substance abuse and mental health assessments, attended monthly treatment as recommended, maintained negative urinalysis, and successfully completed two-thirds of his location monitoring curfew requirement. Therefore, the U.S. Probation Office respectfully recommends that the remaining four months of the Location Monitoring curfew be stricken, while all other conditions imposed remain in effect. Contact was made with the United States Attorney’s Office in this matter, and they have indicated they have no objections to this request.

We did fun things; we got to travel two times in the 10 months before his accident. He got to go back up north for five days to see his son that lives in Milford Connecticut and grandchildren; to see his friends and the people he called family for over five decades. He even got along perfectly with his probation officer. It was amazing to see how he interacted with people in public.

Everyone he came across seemed to love him, love his spirit and the humorous side of him. He was a complete joy to have in my life finally after waiting and loving him deeply in my heart for many decades and I would have walked to Talladega Alabama if I had to, to get to see him.

I made sure that Danny saw all of the best doctors, specialists, and regular medical providers. He had a few problems yet thank God they were not life-threatening. It was mostly because he went down to 145 pounds in that hospital stay. That should tell you right there how much they cared if he ate food.

Five months after Danny was released, he got down on one knee just three days before my birthday and asked me to be his wife. That was the most beautiful diamond ring I have ever seen in my life, and to this day I wear it and I always will. About four months after our engagement, we were married at our friend’s house and that was the happiest day of my life. Not only was I married to the man that I had quietly and secretly loved for over two decades, I married my best friend, my complete soulmate and every part of me was completely happy.

Our son and he worked out at the gym, about 4 days a week they were like two peas in a pod. Danny taught him how to train the proper way. Danny would tell stories of things that he had done as he was growing up, and things that had happened in the prisons that he had been in.

Danny was a complete joy in my life, in the lives of my family and even in the lives of my dogs!

He spoiled each and every one of them. I even had one of my cats, that just loved to see him sitting at the table and always wanted to jump up in his lap. So not only people enjoyed him so did the animals. I guess they could sense that great heart and wonderful nature that he carried with him.

So knowing Danny, loving him as a friend, falling head over heels with him, and all the letters that we shared, while he was on the inside for the most beautiful handwritten letters any woman would ever want to receive. Danny knew that I was always there for him, if he ever needed anything, yet he always knew that I loved him but he never knew at all that I loved him like that.

Danny was a loving and kind and compassionate human being that would do anything for anybody in need. He always told me, ‘If someone don’t like me is because they do not know me.’ That I have to truly believe, because he was worth every fight and yes because he was the love of my life, but also because no one needs to be treated medically, like he was treated.

One day we had a conversation. He said, “I have a beautiful wife, my friends and my motorcycle. What more could I ask for?”

He also said to me and others: ‘”When it’s my time for me to die, I hope God takes me when I’m riding my motorcycle so I can do it with a smile on my face.’”

That wasn’t something I wanted to hear.

On Wednesday October 2nd I followed him in the car to his friend’s house. He was going to take a motorcycle course with his great friend because he didn’t want him to do it alone. I had to return home three hours away because I had a position and a responsibility that I needed to complete on October 3^rd. Had it not been for that I would have been right there with him like he always wanted.

I spoke with him every morning, and every night before I went to bed. The morning of October 4th I spoke with him, he said he couldn’t wait to see me Sunday and that he missed me and that he loved me very much. I returned those beautiful words right to him.

That was the last time we spoke.

A 74-year-old woman driving a Nissan Altima in Durham, North Carolina ran a stop sign making a left turn while she was looking only to the right and ran into Danny’s motorcycle.

I’m sure it killed him instantly. Within an hour of that horrific accident, I was called and told that my husband had died. In the 10 months that Danny was home it was the most beautiful time ever in our lives.

I was raised to believe that everything happens for a reason, yet I find it hard the reason that he was taken after fighting so hard getting him home, only having 10 months for freedom.

My grief stays with me every minute of the day, because sometimes I feel as if his time was cut too short. Being his wife was the greatest gift, outside of my children, that I could ever ask for. So, hold tight to that one you love, to the one that you respect, because life can change in the blink of an eye.

(Editor’s note: Charges filed against the woman in the death of Bifield are pending.)