Who is James Burke? Authorities address speculation about disgraced ex-police chief's ties to Gilgo murders probe
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: Suffolk's Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison has dismissed speculation linking disgraced former Chief of Department James Burke to the Gilgo murder investigation, stating that it is a disservice to the ongoing 11-year-old serial murder investigation. In an interview, Harrison assured the public that there was no cover-up in the case, as per Pix 11 News.
Who is James Burke?
Burke is a controversial figure who served time in federal prison for assaulting a suspect who had stolen his duffle bag containing adult toys and porn tapes. His boss, Thomas Spota, the former Suffolk District Attorney, also went to prison for obstructing justice in an attempt to cover up the incident. A sex worker claimed in 2016 to have encountered Burke at sex parties in Oak Beach, near where the Gilgo murder victims were found, as reported by the New York Post. Prior to becoming Suffolk County Police Chief, Burke had faced another scandal involving engaging in sexual activities with a sex worker who used crack cocaine in his patrol car while he was in uniform, as reported by The New York Times.
Burke has been described by acquaintances as a "sex-obsessed narcissist" and a "middle-aged bachelor with a vulgar disregard for social niceties," according to Vice. He assumed the position of Suffolk County Police Chief shortly after the remains of the victims were discovered on Gilgo Beach. A podcast titled 'Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer', released in July, alleges that Burke, just weeks after taking office, excluded the FBI from the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation. Burke was released from prison in 2019 after serving his sentence for assaulting the suspect.
Details of the Gilgo murders investigation
The Gilgo Beach investigation began in 2010 with the disappearance of Shannan Gilbert, a Craigslist sex worker who went missing after visiting a client's house in Oak Beach on May 1 of that year. During a canine search of the area on December 11, skeletal remains were discovered near Gilgo Beach off Ocean Parkway. However, these remains did not belong to Gilbert and were later identified as those of Melissa Barthelemy. Two days later, the remains of three others, later identified as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello, were found in close proximity to Barthelemy's remains, who also offered sex work on Craiglist. All four women had been reported missing between July 2007 and September 2010. Partial skeletal remains of Jessica Taylor, another known sex worker, were found on March 29, 2011, whose remains had previously been discovered on July 26, 2003, just off Halsey Manor Road in Manorville.
Shortly after the discovery of Taylor's partial remains in 2011, three additional sets of remains were found on April 4, 2011. Among them were the partial remains of Valerie Mack, which had been discovered by hunters in a wooded area, similar to Taylor's remains, near Halsey Manor Road in Manorville, but three years earlier on November 19, 2000. In close proximity to Mack's remains, the skeletal remains of an unidentified little girl were found. Mack's remains were positively identified in 2020. West of Mack's remains and those of the toddler, the skeletal remains of an unidentified Asian male were discovered. About seven miles away, two more sets of skeletal remains were found on April 4. One set is believed to be the mother of the toddler found a week earlier, while the other set of partial remains was linked through DNA analysis to remains found in Davis Park on Fire Island in 1996.
Commissioner Rodney Harrison's past response
Commissioner Harrison expressed his belief that a network of individuals could potentially be connected to the then-unsolved Gilgo murders, which have now been linked to Rex Heuermann, as reported by Patch in 2022. He stated, "I'm feeling confident that we're getting closer to making an arrest. I will say there's been a lot of turns in different directions." Harrison also mentioned his partnership with Suffolk's new District Attorney Ray Tierney, who previously served as a prosecutor in Brooklyn, and the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which he believes will lead to the resolution of these incidents. He emphasized their commitment to tackling the county's gang problem through precision policing and targeting the right individuals.
Harrison began his tenure in Suffolk by conducting a walkthrough of the crime scene, a practice he adopted from his experience as an investigator in the NYPD. He described this as an essential step to ensure that all investigative leads were being pursued appropriately. He also had discussions with former police commissioner Geraldine Hart and outgoing District Attorney Tim Sini, seeking their insights on the investigation. Harrison expressed his gratitude for their willingness to share their expertise. "We will not rest until we bring those accountable to justice," he said, adding, "I stated this when I was nominated as the commissioner for Suffolk County, that solving this surreal case is going to be very, very important."