Posted on 07/08/2009 5:22:43 AM PDT by marktwain
A serial killer who murdered five people over six days was tracked down by police who were notified by an alert citizen, and then killed after wounding one officer when he opened fire. But as usual, there is a story behind what was published by Old Media.
Law enforcement raises warning flag
After examining Burris’s criminal history, South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division [SLED] Chief Reggie Lloyd said:
"Look at this," Lloyd said, waiving [sic] a stapled copy of Burris' criminal record. "This is like 25 pages. At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street."
[Emphasis added]
SLED Deputy Director Neil Dolan said: "He was unpredictable. He was scary. He was weird." “We don’t believe he is going to stop on his own,” Lloyd said. “This one is scary.”
Certainly, the citizens of Gaffney, South Carolina appeared to be united in their support of the outcome. Farmer Sam Howell, 61: "My prayers were answered. He got what he deserved."
Sandy Rhinehart, 42, mother of three: “We just want to make sure he’s gone.”
Gene Wyatt, 35, a housing contractor: “[I was] really glad this guy got killed.”
Let’s make a deal!
Sometimes events bring conditions to a point that law enforcement and private citizens–out of self-preservation and in spite of personal costs–are forced to step up when the legal system fails.
Burris’s criminal history began in 1990, when he was convicted of blackmail and given probation.
In early 1991, he had three more charges (speeding, driving with revoked license, and robbery) and the blackmail charge was added in because of violating probation.
The maximum for all charges was 12 years, but because sentences were combined, he served them concurrently (they ran together, instead of being added onto each other). As a result, he was out in May, 1993; about 2 years and 3 months total.
Burris was arrested immediately for driving with a permanently revoked license and given a year sentence, of which he served 1 month.
By November, 1993, Burris was arrested again, and convicted in January, 1994. He got two years, including parole violation time, but served less than 10 months. He was convicted in May, 1996 on two counts of forgery and four counts of “common law uttering,” all felonies, and was given a suspended sentence and probation. In June 2000, Burris was again arrested for driving with a revoked driver’s license and given probation. One month later, he was arrested for larceny. This earned him 3 months, and the probation violations for the previous forgery, uttering, and traffic convictions netted him another 8 months, but Burris served less than 5 months.
By June, 2001, Burris was arrested on multiple counts of larceny and burglary. Along with an added charge of “habitual felon,” he was convicted on October 3, 2001, with all the crimes consolidated into one judgment. The original sentence was 10 years, 1 month. He was supposed to have a minimum sentence of 7 years, 9 months. Since incarceration began October 3, 2001, this means he should have been released around July 3, 2009. Instead, he was released April 29, 2009.
Another interesting citizen response
Gaffney residents, perhaps innately understanding that the criminal justice system failed to protect them, decided to invoke their civil right of self-defense. “Everybody I know — 75 percent of all my friends — we’re all carrying weapons now, everywhere we go,” Cody Sossaman, 57, publisher of the Gaffney Ledger, said early Monday before police announced they had shot and killed the alleged assailant.
Daddy Joe’s bar patrons included women who were packing pistols in their purses for the first time in their lives.
“I’m telling you what — people are just scared to death!” said Kim Blanton, 49, a fourth-grade teacher who had a loaded .32-caliber pistol in her purse. No, she said, she doesn’t have a permit to carry a concealed weapon — and she doesn’t care.
Blanton said she lives alone, but recently she either has been spending the night with friends or having a girlfriend over to her house to sleep. “My friend, she had a gun, too,” Blanton said.
The dread of being the next victim had caused the staff at Daddy Joe’s to change a lot of things they do, said general manager Rea Smiley, 44…
Yes, Smiley said, she keeps a gun close these days. “I haven’t even gone to the bathroom without it.”
Citizens have been accused of paranoia for buying guns and obtaining concealed carry permits. Oxford English Dictionary defines “paranoia” as: “A tendency to suspect and distrust others or to believe oneself unfairly used.” *
Cody Sossaman, publisher of the Gaffney Ledger who decided to carry a defensive firearm, said: “If you didn’t know at least one of them, you know someone who knew them,” he said.
It’s bad enough when someone you know is killed, but it is “very, very bad” when more and more people you know keep getting killed, Sossaman said.
Two questions for the anti-self-defense “paranoid” accusers:
Is five dead friends and neighbors sufficient justification for Gaffney residents to be distrustful towards Patrick Burris?
Were the five dead victims unfairly used? If you can’t honestly answer “yes,” then one final question:
Why are you so paranoid about law-abiding citizens owning firearms for self-defense?
* The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Thumb Index Edition, 1993 Edition, Clarendon Press, page 2097. **************************************** For in-depth analysis of the issues discussed here, read Howard’s book Four Hundred Years of Gun Control: Why Isn’t It Working?, which deconstructs the gun control agenda and motivates more people to support our civil right of self-defense. Autographed copies are available from the author.
The judicial system in North Carolina (where Burris committed most of his crimes up until the murders in Gaffney) has a lot to answer for right now. This is on the heels of the murder of UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson last year...one of her two murderers was out on probation, had never met with his probation officer here in Nifongville (Durham), but she went back in and tried to falsify the records to say he had *after* the news of the murder broke.
}:-)4
In defense of the various government agencies, while he had 25 pages of offenses, they were not indicative of a serial killer, or any killer for that matter. They were convictions of burglary, forgery, parole violation and traffic violations. His history, while bad, wasn’t anything that would point to potential serial killer or mass murderer.
bttt
None of the crimes mentioned seemed to indicate he was on a path to murder?
Wow, big changes must be coming soon. Unlike the last couple of dozen times a career criminal with a phone book for a rap sheet was out on the streets doing harm. Yep, THIS time, things will be different. Or not. I’m betting not.
True but they should have slammed him for the parole violations.
They should have thrown him back in to finish serving the 12 year sentence.
Some people just need killin’
I’ll grant you your points, as far as being a serial murderer is concerned, but his record is certainly indicative of a person who should not be out and around. IMHO, there are people other than serial murderers or rapists who do no belong in society, who need to be kept behind bars indefinitely.
Never happen, unless one of the "chosen" people or their relatives is killed. Looked at the law mandating regulations of pool drains... nothing happens unless a senator/representative or high government official's grandkids or children are affected.
[None of the crimes mentioned seemed to indicate he was on a path to murder?]
Noticed that too. Is it possible that all the scrapes with the law and then the 7 year prison sentence with prisoners who taught him more criminal behaviours( the modern all play and no work prison system makes them twofold more the child of hell it seems to me) may have put him over the edge.
More details here:http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/story/822175.html
Local ping.
Has anyone read or heard anything about the two people who were with the perp when he was killed? I’m curious as to their relationship with the killer.
A list of the judges who let this predator roam free should be published. We need to see who is responsible for the deaths of these murder victims. Too bad they can’t be personally sued by the grieving families.
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