WAYCROSS, Ga. – A former state representative and Miami-Dade County commissioner was found shot to death in Waycross Saturday, authorities said.
James "Jimmie" Burke died from multiple gunshot wounds during a domestic dispute, according to the Waycross Police Department. His wife, Sonia Burke, was charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and aggravated assault.
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Saturday afternoon, firefighters and EMS went to a house on Bay Street off of Highway 84 after getting a 911 call that a woman who was having difficulty breathing, police Chief Tony Tanner said. Police said it Jimmy Burke who made that call.
Tanner said officers and rescue personnel were directed by Sonia Burke, 58, to a room inside the house. Rescue crews had to make forced entry into the room because a door was locked. When crews made their way into the room, where they found body of Burke's 68-year-old husband.
Sonia Burke was arrested, police said, and transported to a hospital because of a possible overdose.
James Burke served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1983 to 1992, then was elected to the the Miami-Dade commission.
According to the Miami Herald, he was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for accepting bribes in the late 1990s and removed from his city position. He served 21 months in prison.
A funeral for James Burke is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Greater Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, 1085 Ossie Davis Parkway in Waycross. The Fluker Funeral Home in Waycross, Georgia will be handling the services. Call 912-283-6161 for funeral information.
The Police Department is awaiting results of an autopsy and continues to investigate.