James Burke Wiki – James Burke Biography
James Burke was previously the Chief of Police for the Suffolk County Police Department and previously served in the rank of Inspector as a Commanding Officer of the Police Department’s Organized Crime Bureau. He was appointed by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota as Principal Investigator for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He was appointed chief of police in January 2012, and it was from then on that the investigation into the Long Island serial killer became murkier.
Shortly after becoming chief, Burke blocked the FBI investigation into the Gilgo Beach serial killings. According to The New York Post, a federal source said Burke did not want the FBI to get involved in the investigation because he was in their sights for assaulting Christopher Loeb.
The Loeb case is explored in the special. Loeb is a childhood friend of one of the podcast hosts, Alexis Linkletter. The year Burke became chief of police, Loeb, who was using heroin at the time, was arrested for stealing a duffel bag from Burke’s car. Loeb claimed that Burke’s car bag contained sex toys, pornography, and what Loeb claimed was a snuff movie that he claimed linked Burke to the serial killings. When Loeb was in custody, he was chained to the floor of an interrogation room and was violently beaten and threatened by Burke.
James Burke Age
James Burke’s age is unknown.
Linked him to Long Island Serial Killer
Burke was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison along with three years of supervised release for violating Loeb’s civil rights. Spota, who named him to the district attorney’s office, was convicted in 2019 of helping cover up the assault on Loeb. He was convicted on charges of obstruction, witness tampering, and conspiracy in December 2019 and was disbarred in June 2020.
The same year he was convicted, an escort claimed that she partied with Burke in 2011 at an unfamiliar Oak Beach home and had “rough sex.” The escort claimed that numerous people, prostitutes, and drugs, including cocaine, were at the meetings, and that she observed Burke using cocaine at the two parties she had attended with him. The allegations are significant because the location of the parties is in the same area where another possible victim of the Long Island serial killer, Shannan Gilbert, disappeared. An attorney for Gilbert’s family also said Burke should be investigated in connection with the case.
Suffolk County Police Officer John Malia and his dog made the surprising discovery of the skeletal remains of Melissa Barthelemy, a Craigslist escort in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. In the following months, the bodies of more sex workers were found and thus began the search for the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK), also known as the Gilgo Beach Killer or the Craigslist Ripper.
Investigation Report
The case of the mysterious murderer remains open, even after years of investigation, the identity of the murderer has not been discovered. This January, a new podcast, ‘Unraveled’, was launched with Alexis Linkletter and Billy Jensen investigating the investigation itself. Now, a companion special is released on Discovery +. ‘Unraveled: The Real Story of the Long Island Serial Killer’ analyzes the case and, especially, the participation of a police officer, whose corruption raised many questions.