A Florida woman has been charged with first-degree murder after stabbing her husband more than 140 times.
According to court documents acquired by CNN affiliate WPTV, Joan Burke, 61, who is being jailed without bond, appeared before a Palm Beach County judge by video conference on Sunday.
Burke’s lawyer has been contacted by CNN for comment.
Officers from Palm Springs Police responded to Burke’s home on the evening of February 11 after receiving a call from a man claiming to be the suspect’s son, according to an incident report.
The caller stated that when he returned home from work, he noticed his stepfather, Melvin Weller, 62, lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.
The caller “paused for many seconds and then said his mother Joan Burke was present” when the 911 operator inquired if anybody else was at home at the time, according to the report.
According to the report, cops discovered the victim in a big pool of blood that covered more than half of the kitchen floor when they arrived. A mop, a broom, and other cleaning utensils were also discovered near the body.
The guy, who seemed to be dead, had multiple stab wounds and lacerations on his body, according to police. Blood splatters and streaks were discovered on the kitchen’s walls, cupboards, and counters. According to authorities, a couple of knives and a meat cleaver were discovered in the kitchen sink.
An autopsy revealed the victim suffered more than 140 stab wounds and a skull fracture caused by a blow to the head with a meat cleaver, the report said.
In a search warrant executed on the suspect’s home, police were able to recover a garbage bag containing a blood-stained nightgown belonging to the suspect and a cellphone which investigators think belonged to the victim, according to the report. Police said Burke was also found to have lacerations on her hands.
A motive for this incident is still unknown. The victim’s family said he was physically disabled at the time of his death.
