Alleged SC Spree Killer, Patrick Burris, Shot Dead by Police

July 07, 2009

Police in North Carolina shot and killed 41-year-old career criminal Patrick Tracy Burris, a man whom they believe is the spree killer responsible for at least five murders in South Carolina in the past week.

According to authorities in Gaston County, N.C., the case began to unfold Monday morning, when police received a report about a suspicious vehicle parked at an abandoned house on Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road. When a patrol unit arrived on the scene, the officer approached the vehicle —a beige Ford Explorer — and asked the occupants to identify themselves. Inside the vehicle were Patrick Burris and Mark and Sharon Stamey, a brother and sister who explained that they grew up in the house that was still owned by their family. Satisfied with their explanation, the officer drove off, and the trio went inside the home.

Roughly ten minutes later, police knocked on the door and announced that they had an open warrant for Burris's arrest. At that point, Burris allegedly brandished a firearm and shot Officer J.K. Shaw. Burris was then shot and killed by return fire from officers on the scene.

"I just heard gunshots. I think maybe two or three gunshots went off in the house," Sharon Stamey said, according to a story on charlotteobserver.com.

As authorities secured the area, evidence found at the crime scene led them to suspect that Burris might have been involved in the South Carolina spree killings. While they attempted to connect the two cases, the Stameys were taken back to police headquarters for questioning. It was there that they allegedly told police they had been hanging out and partying with Burris since Thursday. They claimed they did not know him very well, and both denied any knowledge of the spree killings. The Stameys were eventually released, and police have not indicated whether they are facing charges.

A background check on Burris shows he had a rap sheet totaling 25 pages, including arrests for armed robbery, larceny, forgery and breaking and entering. He served nearly eight years behind bars in a North Carolina prison before earning parole in April.

The case unraveled further during a press conference yesterday evening when Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton announced at a press conference that Burris's gun was the same weapon that had been used to kill five residents in Gaffney, some 30 miles from the scene of the shootout.

"Through forensics, we were able to prove today that the weapon he shot the officer with was the same weapon all five of our victims were shot with," Blanton said.

Blanton also said that items found in Burris's possession place him at three of the spree killing crime scenes.

Investigators will now concentrate on tracking Burris's movements since the time of his release in an attempt to see whether he could be responsible for other unsolved murders.

"Now we have someone we can focus on," Blanton said. "We want to know where he's been."

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd also spoke at yesterday's press conference, specifically about Burris's lengthy criminal history.

"At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street," Lloyd said.

It is interesting to note that Maurice Godwin, a criminal profiler who was interviewed by Investigation Discovery prior to yesterday's events, correctly predicted the final outcome of the case.

"Watch out for the murders to continue in another state," Godwin said. "It is likely that this killer will barricade himself in and have a stand-off with law enforcement."

So while we now know who, what, when and where, we still don't know the answer to the key question, and that is why? Unfortunately, because of Burris's death, that is one question we may never know the answer to.

History

The South Carolina spree killings began on June 27 with the murder of 63-year-old peach farmer Kline Cash and continued on July 1 with the shooting deaths of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her daughter, 50-year-old Gena Parker. The last known murders occurred the following day when 48-year-old Stephen Tyler and his daughter, 15-year-old Abby Tyler, were gunned down inside the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney. Stephen died almost instantly; however, Abby managed to survive until July 4 when she finally succumbed to her injuries.

The five killings all occurred within 10 miles of one another and, according to Sheriff Bill Blanton, each victim was killed with the same gun. Multiple agencies were involved in the hunt, including profilers and agents from the FBI. Authorities had also implemented a special tip line and offered a reward of $20,000.

Some media outlets erroneously reported that a "serial killer" was responsible, but by definition the murders were spree killings.

Related Links:
Spree Killer Terrorizes Cherokee County, South Carolina

Photo Credits: Cherokee County Sheriff's Department

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Spree Killer Terrorizes Cherokee County, South Carolina

July 06, 2009

Investigators in Spartanburg, S.C., are desperately hunting for a spree killer who has murdered at least five people in the last ten days. A common thread linking the killings could be the key to finding the murderer; however, to date, authorities have yet to uncover what that thread is.

The killings began on June 27 with the murder of 63-year-old peach farmer Kline Cash. According to Kline's wife, he was alive at about 3 p.m. when she left their house to run some errands, but when she returned at 6:45 p.m., she found his lifeless body on the floor. A coroner's autopsy revealed Kline Cash had been shot and killed.

"Regardless of this tragedy that we have experienced, we still firmly believe that God placed the finest and most loving people on earth here in Upstate South Carolina," reads a statement from the Cash family issued by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

As unexpected and mysterious as Kline's murder was, authorities had no reason to suspect that his would be the first of five. That realization came on July 1 when relatives of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her daughter, 50-year-old Gena Parker, discovered their bodies inside their house on Buck Shoals Road in Cherokee County. Like Cash, both victims had been shot.

An eyewitness reported seeing a dark blue van parked in the driveway of Hazel and Gena's house at about 3 p.m. – roughly 30 minutes before their bodies were discovered.

The following day, 48-year-old Stephen Tyler and his daughter, 15-year-old Abby Tyler, were shot inside the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney. Stephen died almost instantly; however, Abby managed to hang on until July 4, when she finally succumbed to her injuries.

The five killings all occurred within 10 miles of one another, and according to Sheriff Bill Blanton, each of the victims was killed with the same gun, indicating a single killer is responsible for the murders.

Some media outlets are erroneously reporting that the suspect is a "serial killer," but by definition he does not qualify. According to the FBI, a serial killer is an individual who commits at least three murders in at least three separate locations, with a "cooling-off" period (roughly 30 days) between each murder. The killer could, however, be called a "spree killer," an individual who murders two or more people, at separate locations, in a short period of time. The lack of a cooling-off period marks the difference between the two categories.

"An example of a spree killer is the murders carried out in 1974 by Paul John Knowles," criminal profiler Maurice Godwin said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "After he was rejected by a woman, Knowles went on a murderous spree across northern Florida and was eventually caught in Georgia."

Godwin believes that, like Knowles's, the South Carolina spree killer's rampage was triggered by an emotional setback. Godwin also warns that the killer could cross state lines and most likely won't give up without a fight.

"Watch out for the murders to continue in another state," Godwin said. "It is likely that this killer will barricade himself in and have a stand-off with law enforcement."

Authorities are hoping to prevent any more violence, and in the past week they have involved multiple agencies in the hunt, including profilers and agents from the FBI. Unfortunately, they have yet to determine what the common denominator is that connects the victims. Were they selected for a specific reason, or were they all random, murders of opportunity?

"Right now we don't have any motive or connection between the murders," Sheriff Bill Blanton said, speaking live on CNN. "With a community this small, I knew all the victims, and it's possible that all the victims knew each other, but other than that, there is no connection," he said.

Investigators have established a special tip line, hoping that the public may be able to help them identify the killer. Since its inception last week, they have received over 1,000 leads. It is not yet known whether any of them have provided valuable information.

A witness account has helped authorities create a sketch of a person of interest in the case. The individual is described as 6-feet-2 inches tall with salt-and-pepper hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at 864-489-4722, ext. 113. Authorities are offering a reward of $20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Photo Credits: Cherokee County Sheriff's Department

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.