SALINE CO.—It was kind of a no-brainer yesterday (Jan. 12) and Tuesday (Jan. 11) in the RE-trial of convicted murderer James Robert Burns (which we didn’t attend because we’re in production for the next issue).
Burns, 56, is the man who was charged with killing Thomas Condon, 73, in December 2004 in Condon’s home in Harrisburg. Condon was found shot in the head; Burns pleaded guilty to the murder in 2006, and received a 45-year prison sentence in exchange for the plea. However, he opted to withdraw his plea shortly thereafter, and the whole thing started all over again.
Apparently, mega-prosecutor Ed Parkinson, of Illinois’ Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, handled the case this week, and apparently he did a fine job, and the jury made short work out of the case, finding Burns guilty a SECOND time.
James Robert Burns, SCDC mug
We don’t know much about this case, as we weren’t covering the area at the time it occurred. We haven’t had a lot of time to dig into the file and learn more about it. Personally, we believe that if a person really wants to assert their innocence in a case, they should use every avenue available to them including an appeals process. However, it’s our understanding that the case against Burns was cut and dried, and the very fact that he bothered to appeal, and put the Saline County taxpayers through this, shows the kind of arrogance that’s responsible for clogging up the court system throughout the state, whether it’s criminal or civil. If you’re in the wrong, and the authorities or the evidence has you dead to rights, shut up and take your punishment. Why be a drain on society any further than what it’s cost already? Damn.
Anyway, just thought you all would enjoy a bit of an update on the case. Burns, we’re told, has been housed in the Saline County Detention Center since DOC remanded him back to their custody November 12, 2009 after his case was overturned and the re-trial process was started. Our sources state he was arrested on Dec. 30, 2004, and has been in constant custody—SCDC or DOC—ever since, so next time you complain about this state’s egregious taxes, think of jerks like Burns who can’t let their yes mean yes and no mean no…or can’t keep themselves from doing something stupid like taking the life of another human being.