Corey Burke, a 33-year-old space rocket program manager, has recently been accused of murdering her father with an ice pickaxe during an argument over their house lights being off. She reportedly became overwhelmed by emotion triggered by the election day, which led her to commit the alleged crime.
Burke was allegedly found “clapping inside her home” when officers arrived at her residence on November 5 and was found drenched in her father's blood, according to King County charging documents.
According to the police, Burke admitted to killing her father, Thomas, over the argument of the lights being off inside their home while going through a mental health crisis triggered by the 2024 presidential election.
Who is Corey Burke? Space rocket program manager accused in father's murder
According to her LinkedIn, Burke is a training program manager at Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ rocket and spacecraft company. She is married to well-known transgender writer and Conde Nast editor, Samantha Leigh Allen.
Burke reportedly told the police that there was "something important" about the 2024 presidential race as she was allegedly "overwhelmed" by emotions. During an argument with her father regarding the lights being on, Burke allegedly snapped when she realized,
"She could not convince him to keep the lights off."
According to authorities, she tripped her father and then began physically attacking by biting and strangling his father before allegedly finishing him off with the ice axe.
"Corey stated that she had to bite her father while choking him because he was too strong," as per her charging documents. "Corey stated that once her father ‘went limp,’ she felt better. Corey said that she then hit him with the ice pickaxe in the head several more times. Corey then sat next to her father and watched him until she saw that he was not breathing anymore."
After allegedly taking her father’s life, Burke went around the residence and broke windows in "an act of liberation", police said.
"Corey stated... when her father started arguing with her about the lights being shut off, that she 'just freaked out,'" the charging documents said. "The defendant told Detectives that she knew that she could not convince him to keep the lights off, so she went upstairs, retrieved an ice ax, and tripped her father, strangled him with the ax and her hands, and then bit him and hit him several times in the head and side with the blunt and sharp ends of the ice ax."
According to the prosecutors, Burke was not fit to take care of herself; therefore, she was living with her father. Burke told police she had a strained relationship with her father, lacking clear boundaries, which left her feeling overly focused and disorganized.
According to Burke, the killing was meant to "help people change their attachment to their parents" and "had to happen today."
A neighbor first dialed 911 after spotting Burke smashing the windows. When officers arrived, Burke came out of the house with her hands up and blood smeared on her face. While in custody, she reportedly told the police, “I killed him,” in reference to her father, and explained why she did it.
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According to police documents, Burke allegedly described killing her father. "It was really hard," and "there were points where she felt she wasn’t going to be able to," Burke said.
The detectives initially took Burke to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. Later, she was charged with first-degree murder and is currently being held on $2 million bail. Burke is due to appear in court on November 21, 2024.
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