Man charged in Burk case
Special to the News
Courtney Lockhart, 23, of Smiths Station has been charged with capital murder in the Lauren Burk case.
A 23-year-old Smiths Station man is behind bars today, accused in the murder of 18-year-old Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk.
Auburn Police Assistant Chief Tommy Dawson confirmed Saturday morning that Courtney L. Lockhart had been apprehended Friday by the Phenix City Police Department and that he is being charged with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a robbery and capital murder during an attempted rape.
The news came just four days after Burk died from a single gunshot wound. Dawson wouldn’t offer any details about what happened Tuesday night except that authorities found Burk, lying on the roadway of North College Street between Farmville Baptist Church and U.S. Highway 280 after a 9:08 p.m. 911 call. Another call at 9:27 p.m. led police to campus, where they found Burk’s 2001 Honda Civic fully engulfed in flames.
Dawson credited the task force dedicated to this case for the work that led to Lockhart’s arrest. He said it was photographic evidence, obtained early in the investigation, that led them to believe Lockhart was Burk’s killer. Dawson would not say where the picture came from, but said that NASA experts helped to enhance it to make a clear identification.
Chief Frank deGraffenried said there was nothing to indicate that Lockhart was connected to any previous crimes in Lee County or Auburn, specifically the unsolved murder of local businessman Dick Salmon or the unsolved disappearance of AU graduate Lori Ann Slesinski.
Lee County District Attorney Nick Abbett said the next step is a preliminary hearing, probably on Monday. He said he plans to present the case to the grand jury on May 5. A trial probably would start a year from now.
“Capital cases do not move speedily through the system,” he said.
Dawson said he was confident Lockhart was Burk’s murderer, but he talked little about details linking Lockhart to the case.
“Again, I apologize for having to say this so much in this case, but I can not try this case in the media,” he said.
| 737-2534
Reader Reactions
What’s up with this “War Damn Eagle” crap? This isn’t a pep rally or a toilet-paper throwing contest on Toomer’s Corner. A poor girl died here. Put the pom poms away.
I commend the Auburn PD for a job well done. I love you, Daddy! 
I am the father of a 2006 Auburn grad,who also happens to be a Delta Gamma, so this crime hits pretty close to home for me. I love the town and people of Auburn and Auburn University and hope this horrific event doesn’t deter parents from sending their children to study at AU. This was a freak, but tragic occurrence. If I had another child to send to college I would ABSOLUTELY encourage them to go to Auburn. Having looked at a number of schools with my daughter, AU remains the only place where I said to myself, “ Damn, I wish I had gone to college here.“ The university will get through this and perhaps Lauren’s death will ultimately serve to bring this tight-knit community even closer.
And a great thanks should be given to the law enforcement people who have been able to identify and arrest a suspect within 3 days of this murder—-AMAZING JOB! WAR EAGLE to all of you at Auburn—stay strong.
An Arrest in 72 hours! Way to go APD and all the other agencies that made up the task force! Now the long haul to conviction.
To all of you who criticized APD during all of this, I have one question. What color wine goes with the crow you are eating over your comments about your “predicted lack of success”?
Yes, the Slesinski, Salmon, and Chinese student murders are unsolved but I am sure they are still working on those as information is developed. Not all crimes can be solved in this day in age where alot of the public has the CSI-solve-it-in-one-hour mentality. Kudos to all of those who supported our police during this terrible case.
Ms. Burk was younger than my youngest child and it causes me concern over the safety of my family. The key here is that YOUR personal safety is YOUR personal responsibility. The police can help but ultimately, it is YOUR responsibility. You can abdicate it to the criminals or you can be proactive. I choose to use every reasonable and legal means to protect myself and my family. You don’t have to carry a gun
to be proactive. Just plan your safety
to anticipate the worst.
Between my efforts and the support of a good police department, I feel safe in Auburn. Anyone who doesn’t needs to re-evaluate their personal security measures.
What happened to the OA News regulations regarding NO posting using hateful or threatening words???
Does anyone remember Richard Jewel and the AJC fiasco?
Not saying this guy is innocent, but the media is always the first to convict.
So when is Rev Al and Uncle Jessie showing up to stir the pot?
I’m glad to live in one of the 36 states that still has the death penalty. I mean Texas had 26 executions in 2007 and Alabama had 3. I say we boost our numbers starting with this sorry human being (I was going to say sorry soul, but I determined this coward wasn’t even granted a soul from God). Satan is waiting in Hell for you Courtney Lockhart, and he is looking forward to seeing you in a timely fashion,
First. War Damn Eagle! R.I.P. (Rest In Paradise) Lauren Burk. Auburn University is a family and we lost a sister, but we all have to persevere and look forward. Auburn University is still the best school in the U.S. of A! This dude should burn in hell.
Advertisement