Darrell’s Story: Rebuilding a Life After 34 Years

Darrell Siggers’ story is a powerful testament to resilience and hope. Born and raised in Michigan on Detroit’s East Side, Darrell was convicted at the age of 20 of a murder he didn’t commit. Terrorized by police and sentenced to life without parole, he spent his first few years in prison feeling bitter, angry, and betrayed by a broken judicial system. He soon realized that the only person who could truly support him was himself. Determined to fight his way out, Darrell turned to knowledge as his weapon, maintaining that “education is the one thing that freed me.”

The law library became his haven. The more information he absorbed, the more he craved, reading any type of law book he could get his hands on and dedicating uninterrupted time to examining the Constitution. Darrell used this knowledge to constantly advocate for himself, spending decades attempting to overturn his conviction and exhausting every appeal process imaginable. He eventually connected with the Wayne County Conviction Integrity Unit — their investigation led prosecutors to vacate his conviction after the ballistics evidence and witness testimony presented at his trial were deemed deficient.

After 34 years spent behind bars — 34 years of lost freedom and time, 34 years of separation from friends and family, 34 years of being unable to establish a career and a nest egg — Darrell was free.

Re-entering society meant facing a vast array of new demands, as Darrell, like most exonerees, exited prison with no health insurance, Social Security, housing, transportation, work history, or savings. “My exoneration shuffled the whole deck. I had spent so many years fighting to get my life back but hadn’t planned on what I would do once I did,” said Siggers.

Unlike many exonerees, Darrell had a whole community waiting for him: family who had stayed by his side throughout his incarceration, along with lawyers and other professionals including Jon Eldan, founder and executive director of After Innocence, which provides free post-release assistance to exonerees nationwide.

In addition to dental, medical, and mental health care, social services, and other first steps out of prison, After Innocence links exonerees with CFP® professional volunteers who provide individualized financial counseling. Through this program, Darrell connected with Jared Jones, CFP®, who provided objective, fiduciary guidance about how to navigate the settlement he received for his wrongful imprisonment. Jared reviewed proposals Darrell had received from other advisors, explained the fees, identified the flaws, and set forth a personalized comprehensive plan based on Darrell’s goals.

“Part of the real benefit of being a pro bono financial advisor is that my clients know that I am not here for their business,” said Jared. “I can advocate for them and let them know the right questions to ask.”

Jared taught Darrell about the pitfalls of being an emotional investor and the concept of risk tolerance, and helped him develop a trust to set his family up for future success. “Darrell is one of the smartest exonerees I have worked with,” said Jared. “He could have done anything he wanted to in life, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to.”

Inspired by the support he received, Darrell now helps other exonerees navigate the challenges of rebuilding their lives through his nonprofit, AccessPlusAnswers. He emphasizes the importance of financial planning in rebuilding a life after wrongful imprisonment, driven by his philosophy that “every time I do something good for someone else, something good is given to me.”