A former Miami commissioner who was indicted on corruption charges was found shot to death over the weekend in Waycross, Georgia. James Burke, 68, was killed on Saturday and police have arrested and charged his wife, Sonia Burke, 58 with his killing.
In a 911 call made by Sonia Burke, she reported that her husband was having trouble breathing. When paramedics arrived at the home, she pointed them toward a locked bedroom. When they opened the door they found her husband lying on the bed with multiple gunshot wounds. Police were summoned and Sonia Burke was transported to a local hospital for a possible drug overdose. According to Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner, it appeared that Jimmie Burke died from “gunshot wounds during a domestic dispute.”
Burke served as a Miami-Dade County commissioner and was involved in a public corruption scandal during the late 1990s. He was convicted of bribery and money laundering after a video emerged of him taking a bribe. Burke maintained that he was innocent but he was sentenced to a federal prison for 21 months for his role in the scandal. During his trial Burke, stated in court, “I believe God has something planned for me. I know I’ve lost the trust of the people I represented. I lost the respect of people who watched me through over 20 years of public service. I’m not blaming anyone else. I’m here because of what I did and I don’t want anyone else to think anyone did anything to me … I sincerely regret my part in the events that brought us here today.”
Burke was married six times and has seven children. He married Sonia Burke in 2014. On her Facebook page she posted, “On Sept. 28, 2014, I married a most amazing man. He appeared suddenly, stated his case and swept me off of my feet. We are two parts of one and I love him very much.”
