File photo Michael Burham, shown here entering his preliminary hearing, was sentenced Friday in county court to decades in state prison for kidnapping and escaping the Warren County jail.
WARREN, Pa. — “You will do anything to anyone to keep your freedom.”
That was just a small piece of the message Judge Gregory Hammond had for Michael Burham, who was sentenced to more than 25 to 50 years in prison for kidnapping and escape charges.
Burham, a person of interest in a Chautauqua County homicide, staked out a Sheffield couple's residence for a week before taking them hostage, fleeing law enforcement to South Carolina. He was picked up there and taken back to the Warren County Jail.
He then escaped from the jail, the start of a 10-day manhunt that drew national and international media attention to the county.
Burham, who has been held at the Erie County Jail since his escape, was escorted into the courtroom Friday by two sheriff's deputies, isolated from other inmates.
There were many people in the gallery for this conviction, including all three Warren County commissioners.
Burham's attorney, Chief Public Defender Kord Kinney, was the first to take the stand Friday and noted that his client had only one DUI on his record, having served 12 years in the state reserves. army and had a strong professional background.
He said Burham was “remorseful” and clearly understands the impact his actions had on the victim.
District Attorney Rob Greene said there are few cases he has seen in his career that are more deserving of a maximum sentence than this one.
He specifically cited the ages of the victims and said Burham was specifically looking for an elderly couple, who “absolutely humiliated” on the way to South Carolina.
Greene disputed any notion that Burham took responsibility, questioning how he could fulfill his responsibilities by fleeing the county jail.
Much of the discussion during sentencing focused on the effect Burham's conduct had on the victims.
“She can’t sleep.” Greene said. “She can’t stop thinking about it.”
He cited a medical report according to which the victim, a man, was under “descending clinical progression”.
Burham's conduct in the Erie County Jail provided more fodder for discussion.
“I have never seen so much misconduct” Greene said.
Hammond said later in the hearing that there were 25.
Greene also spoke about the impact of the manhunt on the community.
“I don’t know what word to use here.” he said, noting that people were afraid and locked their doors. He described it as “nine days of terrorizing a community.”
“No one deserves the most more than Mr. Burham,” Greene said.
Deputy Attorney General Evan Lowry, who prosecuted the escape charge, asked Hammond to think about the effect Burham's escape had on citizens in the community.
Burham “sentenced the citizens of Warren County to imprisonment”, » Lowry said.
Burham was given the opportunity to speak and apologized to the victims and “everyone in Warren.”
He also apologized to Erie County corrections officers for “I treated badly…”
Hammond pointed out that “one of the most important factors” The impact of a defendant's actions on victims and the community is critical in crafting a sentence.
He said a victim impact statement in the kidnapping case was “one of the most compelling victim impact statements I have read in 14 years on the bench” describing the “absolute terror” being held at gunpoint by a person interested in a homicide.
Hammond told Burham that “Peaceful and caring human beings are not made to manage” the level of trauma and torture he inflicted.
Hammond then summarized reports from health care providers regarding the impact of these crimes on the couple as well as the “retraumatization of your escape.”
“In the end, they will never fully recover. » he said.
Addressing victims, Hammond said the community is “overjoyed” that they are safe and “sees you with nothing but admiration, respect and compassion.”
Moving on to the escape, Hammond said he couldn't think of a crime in Warren County that “had a greater negative impact on the community” that this one.
“Everyone in the community has changed the way they live. » Hammond said. “They know you were capable of victimizing a law-abiding couple in their own home.”
He concluded that Burham is a “serious threat to the population” and that the “The public needs protection from you. You will do anything to anyone to keep your freedom.
Hammond acknowledged that a defendant's rehabilitative needs are part of sentencing.
“Your rehabilitation needs are exploding” he said.
Burham was later convicted on six counts – kidnapping, recklessly endangering another, terroristic threats, theft by unlawful taking and burglary in addition to escape.
He was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison, $673.68 in restitution, $375 in fees, a no contact/no trespassing order, credit for 193 days in custody, presentment of a DNA sample and to undergo a mental health evaluation and comply with recommendations on the kidnapping charge; seven to 14 months' imprisonment for recklessly endangering others, one to two months' imprisonment for terrorist threat; 12 to 24 months in prison and $5,367 in restitution for theft by unlawful taking and 10 to 20 years in prison for burglary.
For his escape, he was sentenced to 42 to 84 months in prison and $125 in costs.
The sentences for kidnapping, burglary and escape were the maximum penalties allowed by law, according to Hammond.
The kidnapping, inadvertent endangerment and burglary charges also included a “deadly weapon used” improvement of the sentence.