B.C. double murder suspect shot dead in U.S.

[Tindalos]

B.C. double murder suspect shot dead in U.S.

Updated: Mon Jul. 20 2009 16:47:30
ctvbc.ca


One of Canada's most wanted criminals died last week during a shootout with undercover police officers in New Mexico, according to a report by an ABC News affiliate in Albuquerque.

Joseph Henry Burgess, who is wanted in Canada for the double murder of two campers on Vancouver Island in 1972, was shot last week while trying to break into a cabin where police were waiting to arrest him.

He died at the scene after an exchange of gunfire that also fatally-injured one of the police officers.

In the U.S., Burgess has been nicknamed the cookie bandit following a series of break-ins at cabins in northern New Mexico, where food was stolen.



http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090720/BC_new_mexico_wanted_090720/20090720/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome


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Better late than never, I guess.

[Spazito]

1. Geez, he managed to elude the authorities for 30+ years!

I wonder if he was in New Mexico for most of that time or moved around to various states, I tend to lean to the latter but it does say in the article that "New Mexico police believe he may have been living off the land and sustained himself by breaking into the cabins and stealing food, liquor and survival tools." so I guess he may well have been able to stay there most of the time and still elude the authorities.

[Tindalos]

3. I think you're right

The post below has a link to a story in the guns forum with more details than I provided. He killed a cop who was trying to arrest him for stealing food. He managed to elude capture there for at least a decade. Who knows where he was before that? Thirty years is a long time. Hopefully this provides some closure for the families of his victims.

[iverglas]

2. he may also have been involved in homicides in the US

I've included some links to news reports in this thread in the Guns forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=240468&mesg_id=240468

I'm curious whether he had been legally admitted to Canada for residence, having come as a draft resister. He was apparently a religious "zealot", to put it neutrally.

[Tindalos]

4. Yeah, zealot is putting it mildly

My guess is that he had some kind of underlying mental illness, like schizophrenia or something. Not that I'm an expert or anything like that. He's linked to another murder in California in 2004.

"Burgess, a New Jersey native, had fled to Canada after failing to report for induction to the Army. He moved into a religious commune but was asked to leave after members became nervous about the .22 rifle he was fond of carrying." http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-burgess22-2009jul22,0,5292495.story

[lovecanada56035]

5. Good riddance

Don't feel a bit sorry for such a scumbag.