I've been following this story since it started. Patrick Tracy Burris terrorized a small sleepy town in South Carolina for about two weeks. We may never know why, but we wish we did. In some ways it puts our curiosity to rest.
I have a personal interest in this story, I grew up in Gastonia, NC, where the spree killer met his fate. (Just a bit of trivia, he was actually killed in Dallas, NC.) Gaffney, SC is only about 30 miles away. When I was growing up it wasn't uncommon to pile in the car on a Sunday afternoon in the summer to drive to Gaffney to buy peaches. If you have ever driven on Interstate 85 thru South Carolina you have seen the huge peach water tower, that's where this maniac changed the lives of the families he murdered and the lives of everyone within a 100 mile radius.
Police agencies worked tirelessly to find out who this killer was and I'm sure they breathed a sigh of relief when it was determined that they had their man. I'd like to salute Gaston County's finest. Thank you for your courage and your bravery! You have made the surrounding communities a little safer. Patrick Tracy Burris will not be tried, convicted and released ever again. But how many more are there out there that should NOT be on the streets.
With a rap sheet that was apparently 25 pages long, there is no valid explanation why this man was not in prison. Questions need to be answered!
To the police agencies in South Carolina who didn't sleep for two weeks, I salute you! Now it is time to uncover they "why" this crazy person wasn't locked away!
To the Gaston County police officer who finally gave us justice, "Good job", there's no telling how many lives you saved!
To the families of those who were murdered, the words "you are in my prayers" and "I am so sorry for your loss" can't provide you with much solace, especially now that you know the history of this criminal. May God provide you with comfort that only He can provide.
UPDATE here:
PHOTO Gallery here:
Man Who Worked With Spree Killer Speaks Out
By Brittany Rothenbach
July 7, 2009
News Channel 7 spoke with Chip Jones, who worked with Patrick Tracy Burris for 6 months last year, at a machine shop in Shelby, N.C. Burris was on a work release program while at a correctional institute in Dallas, N.C. Jones says Burris was a safe cracker and had a temper, but didn’t seem like he would kill someone. He says he was known as, “Big Country.“ “He’d been in prison he told me before in Florida. He told me that. He told me two or three things, but he had a temper,“ says Jones. Jones also says Burris was terminated from his job for insubordination.
1 comment:
Happy to hear the peace officers got their man,saving the tax payers the cost of putting through a trial,and some vindication to all of those victims.
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