Shannon Burke Gets Bond

It's puzzling to me that the two other women who filed injunctions against Burke after he shot his wife were not contacted by the State's Attorney, nor were they consulted about the agreement made at today's hearing in Seminole County that allows Burke to get out on bond. Even though his wife Catherine is the victim in this case, their safety (and that of their children) should not be disregarded.

In fact, the most serious charge of Aggravated Battery w/Deadly Weapon was changed to Shooting Into Occupied Dwelling. An inch or less in the wrong direction, and Mrs. Burke would be just another name on CourtWatch's DV Fatality List for 2009. It sounds to me as if the State believes Burke's story that it was an accident (even though it is alleged in his wife's petition for injunction that he replaced the magazine in his pistol after it failed to fire the first time). Or maybe they think they can't prove more than that. In any case, I'd be surprised if he gets any real jail time after this.

Perhaps his wife has caved in to pressure from Burke and isn't prepared to participate in prosecuting her husband criminally. Perhaps, as is often the case, she just wants him to get the alcohol/drug counseling/treatment that she hopes will "cure" him. I sincerely hope that the treatment that was ordered today helps. But he still needs counseling about his need to exert power and control over his partner. The State should have made a BIP (Batterer's Intervention Program) after he gets out of the the in-patient program part of the deal .

Video of Burke's appearance before Judge Marlene Alva may be viewed at http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/5/27/shannon_burke_returns_to_court_today.html

His wife's Petition for Injunction may be viewed at http://courtwatchflorida.org/uploads/Burke_Petition_for_Injunction.pdf