Sicko Gilgo Beach Police Chief Who Botched Serial Killer Probe 'Giggled' While 'Watching Snuff Film,' Says Victim’s Lawyer
The disgraced police chief accused of botching an early investigation into the Long Island serial killer allegedly “giggled” while watching a “snuff film” with other officers, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come after ex-Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke, 59, was arrested last week on suspicion of soliciting a sex worker, a lawyer representing the families of two Gilgo Beach victims claimed Burke laughed while watching a video of someone’s murder.
According to attorney John Ray, who is representing the families of murder victims Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, Burke “giggled” while watching a snuff film shortly after Gilbert’s body was found in December 2010.
"There was a showing of a snuff film in the police department, presumably for evidentiary reasons," Ray told the Sun on Monday while citing an unnamed source in the police department. "And Burke was there, and he was giggling.”
“[The source] was so offended that he left. He wouldn't stay in the room with Burke,” Ray continued. "Why he found that funny, I don't know. But Christopher Loeb also claimed to have seen child pornography on the discs in Burke's bag.”
"So if he was in possession of child porn as well, that begs the question: did he have any connection to Rex Heuermann?”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Burke – who was hired as the police chief of Suffolk County in 2011 – first came under fire in 2012 after he beat up a heroin addict named Christopher Loeb after Loeb allegedly stole a bag of sex toys and porn DVDs from Burke's patrol car.
Burke was accused of botching the FBI’s initial investigation into the Gilgo Beach murders because the agency was also investigating the incident involving Burke and Loeb.
“[Burke] never wanted us involved in the [Gilgo Beach] case because he knew we were investigating him,” one FBI source said in 2015.
Burke ultimately resigned as Suffolk County police chief in October 2015 following the controversy. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison in 2016 for his attack on Loeb and the subsequent cover-up.
- New York Serial Killer May Still Be Roaming Free — And Police Fear Finding More Butchered Victims
- 'A Death Factory': Chilling First News Report On Jeffrey Dahmer Resurfaces As Family Members Speak Out Against Netflix Series
- Colorado Mom Reports 19-Year-Old Son to Police for Decapitation of Homeless Man
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
The disgraced ex-police chief was then arrested last week after he allegedly attempted to solicit sex from an undercover ranger at the Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Selden.
Burke was charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure, and criminal solicitation. Additional charges against the disgraced police chief are reportedly pending.
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
Meanwhile, sources involved in the Gilgo Beach murders and suspect Rex Heuermann have questioned whether Burke and Heuermann were in some way connected.
Heuermann was arrested last month in connection to the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello.
Barthelemy, Waterman, and Costello were just three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders.
Heuermann remains the main suspect in the disappearance and death of another victim named Maureen Brainard-Barnes.