Woman allegedly killed father with ice ax in Rainier Valley
Nov 11, 2024, 8:40 AM | Updated: Nov 12, 2024, 8:37 am
A law enforcement vehicle's lights. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A 33-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly killing her father with an ice ax during an argument over turning off the lights.
According to the Seattle Police Department’s SPD Blotter, the incident occurred last Tuesday evening in the city’s Rainier Valley neighborhood, where the two lived together. Police responded to reports of someone breaking windows at a home on Spear Place South around 8 p.m.
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Officers found Corey Burke, 33, outside the house with blood on her face and took her to Harborview Medical Center for a mental health evaluation.
Inside the home, police discovered Timothy Burke’s body, 67, in the basement with wounds to his head and torso. A bloodied silver-and-blue ice climbing ax was found nearby, according to the charging documents.
Corey Burke reportedly told detectives that she killed her father during a mental health crisis, feeling overwhelmed by emotions. She admitted to using the ax and also strangling him, stating that she “just freaked out” when her father argued with her about the lights.
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The deputy prosecutor noted that Corey Burke appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the incident. She had been working on setting emotional boundaries with her father and felt “hyper focused and disorganized” about their relationship.
Corey Burke had purchased the property in June 2023, according to public tax records.
In the police report, the detective noted Corey Burke did “not seem fit to take care of herself, and she was a danger to property and herself.”
Corey Burke was arrested and booked into King County Jail. Her arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 21.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here.
