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Thread: Craig Ryan Hines Jr. Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 PA Murder of Michael Burch

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    Craig Ryan Hines Jr. Sentenced to LWOP in 2018 PA Murder of Michael Burch





    Edited:

    Death penalty sought in 2018 Carlisle homicide

    By Joshua Vaughn
    The Sentinel

    Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man accused of shooting and killing 23-year-old Michael Burch as he walked down the street in Carlisle in 2018.

    Chief Deputy District Attorney Daniel Sodus filed a notice of aggravating circumstances against Craig Hines, 19, of Carlisle, Thursday, which allows for the death penalty if Hines is convicted of first-degree murder.

    Hines is charged with first- and third-degree murder, felony voluntary manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a firearm without a license and multiple counts of felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault and misdemeanor reckless endangerment, according to court records.

    Carlisle Police said Hines opened fire on Burch around 3:45 p.m. June 21, 2018, while Burch was walking along the first block of North Penn Street in Carlisle with another man.

    Burch was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Bullets were found inside at least one home near the shooting, according to testimony provided at Hines’s preliminary hearing in September.

    Sodus listed two aggravating circumstances in his filing against Hines.

    The first is that Hines knowingly created a grave risk of death to another person in addition to Burch during the shooting.

    The second aggravating circumstance is that Hines has a history of felony convictions for violent behavior.

    According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Carlisle Police, Hines received a juvenile adjudication for aggravated assault.

    Hines was arrested in August and has been held without bail ever since. He is currently being housed in Cumberland County Prison. Hines also faces multiple counts of felony drug possession with intent to deliver in a separate case.

    Hines’s case is the second active death penalty case currently being handled by the district attorney’s office.

    https://cumberlink.com/news/local/cr...f8dea2a9d.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    'Absolutely insane': Father of Carlisle murder victim blasts plea deal

    By Jason Malmont
    The Sentinel

    The father of a man murdered in broad daylight last summer in Carlisle is blasting a possible plea deal for the accused killer as “absolutely insane.”

    Michael Burch, 23, of Carlisle, was killed about 3:45 p.m. June 21, 2018, in a drive-by shooting while he was walking along the first block of North Penn Street in Carlisle. Craig Ryan Hines Jr., 19, of Carlisle, was arrested for the shooting in August.

    In February, prosecutors filed a notice of aggravating circumstances that would permit them to seek the death penalty.

    However, Michael Burch's father, William Burch, of Philadelphia, said he participated in a prearranged phone call Friday with a prosecutor from the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, and the prosecutor asked him for his thoughts on a plea deal that would involve dropping the first-degree murder charge for a guilty plea on a third-degree murder charge.

    The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is 20-40 years, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Daniel Sodus.

    That isn’t long enough, according to Burch, both in terms of justice and in ensuring a dangerous criminal does not get back on the streets.

    "I just don’t understand why such a bad, bad person at such a young age has a possibility of walking free,” he said.

    Burch isn’t seeking the death penalty, but would like to see a first-degree murder conviction and life in prison without parole, he said.

    District attorney's response


    Sodus said he would not discuss potential plea negotiations in the press, and no formal plea offer has been made to the defendant. However, Sodus confirmed that he spoke with William Burch on Friday as part of his “due diligence” in meeting with victims.

    Burch left the phone call before Sodus could explain details of the plea ideas he was planning to ask Burch to consider, he said.

    "It was a very incomplete discussion,” he said.

    Burch said he left the phone conversation after stating that he would not approve of the deal. His fiancée remained on the phone for Sodus to further discuss the possibility of a plea, he said, and Sodus confirmed.

    'Just walking down the street'

    In Burch’s view, the crime was especially heinous because Hines tracked his son down in broad daylight while his son was “just walking down the street.”

    "He literally searched him out to shoot and kill him," Burch said.

    Burch said Sodus raised the possibility that Hines would take the case to trial and be found innocent — an argument Burch characterized as “trying to scare me into agreeing with him.” A prosecutor who does his job right ought to be able to obtain a conviction in this case, he said.

    "I can’t see how the district attorney would think this is a reasonable offer," he said.

    Hines faces charges of first-degree murder, third-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a firearm, person not to use or possess a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person, according to court records. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. July 9.

    https://cumberlink.com/news/local/cr...405c82a42.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #3
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    First-degree murder conviction handed down for Carlisle drive-by shooting

    By Matt Miller
    pennlive.com

    Family members of a Carlisle man muttered in disappointment Friday afternoon when a Cumberland County jury convicted him of first-degree murder for a drive-by shooting on a borough street.

    The jury’s next task will commence Monday when it will be asked to decide if Craig R. Hines Jr., 21, should receive the death penalty for the June 21, 2018 slaying of 23-year-old Michael Burch.

    Hines showed no emotion when the jurors announced their verdict after 2 ˝ hours of deliberation.

    The jury also convicted Hines of one count of aggravated assault, illegal gun possession and reckless endangerment, but acquitted him of a second aggravated assault charge and a simple assault count.

    Hines was convicted of shooting Burch from a red SUV as Burch walked in the first block of East Penn Street in the middle of the afternoon.

    Chief Deputy District Attorney Daniel Sodus argued during the five-day trial that eyewitness testimony and video from traffic cams and a convenience store’s security system tied Hines to the killing.

    Defense attorney Shane Kope tried to convince the jurors that the prosecution case consisted only of speculation and assumptions.

    On Monday morning, during the penalty phase of the trial, the jury will return to Judge Albert H. Masland’s courtroom to hear arguments from the attorneys and expert testimony regarding factors mitigating for and against the imposition of a death sentence.

    The jurors will then be able to opt for a death sentence or for a punishment of life in prison. A life sentence will be imposed automatically if the jurors cannot reach a unanimous verdict regarding the appropriate penalty.

    Friends and family of Hines shouted encouragement to him as sheriff’s deputies escorted him from the courtroom in handcuffs. One weeping woman complained that authorities were trying to have Hines executed for a crime he didn’t commit.

    https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2021/...-shooting.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #4
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Carlisle man to spend to life in prison following murder conviction

    By Becky Metrick
    pennlive.com

    Carlisle man Craig Hines Jr. will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2018 murder of 23-year-old Michael Burch.

    Hines was convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, illegal firearms possession and more during a trial last week.

    The Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office had filed to make the case eligible for the death penalty, so once it reached a verdict, the jury then moved to the penalty phase, to decide whether Hines should be sentenced to death or life in prison.

    During the trial, the DA’s office argued that Hines, currently 21, killed Burch in a drive-by shooting in the first block of East Penn Street in Carlisle on June 21, 2018. The shooting occurred in broad daylight, at 3:45 p.m.

    One of the witnesses, a neighbor in the area, testified to the aftermath of the shooting, which included damage both inside and outside her house, caused by bullets. She said her son had been home just before the shooting, but left moments before.

    During Monday’s hearing, the jury found that an aggravating factor in the case was that this was an open-air shooting, where Hines created a substantial risk of death to another person other than Burch, prosecutor Daniel Sodus said.

    But, both the prosecutor and defense agreed that Hines’ age, 18 at the time, was a mitigating factor, Sodus said. The jury agreed that his age and defense arguments related to Hines’ family history and other home life factors, outweighed the recklessness of the shooting.

    Because of that, Hines will spend the rest of his life in prison, without parole.

    “The Commonwealth appreciates the extreme level of attention and consideration the jurors gave to this matter for more than two weeks, and we thank them for serving,” Sodus said.

    https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/0...onviction.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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