Man wanted in 1972 double-murder in B.C. kills cop and dies in New Mexico shootout

Joseph Henry Burgess - surveillance photo, police handout.

By Salim Jiwa

Vancouver, B.C. – A transient known as the Cookie Bandit, who died along with a policeman in a New Mexico shootout last week, was wanted for a double murder of two young friends shot dead while they were sleeping on a beach on Vancouver Island in 1972.

RCMP had issued a warrant for suspect Joseph Burgess for the June 21, 1972 murders of Ann Durrant, 20, and her friend Lief Karlsson, 21, who were shot dead while asleep in  their sleeping bags on the beach near Tofino.

Cops in B.C. said they were startled when they got a call from New Mexico police that the man who was wanted for a cold murder case in B.C. had been killed in a shootout which also took the life of Sgt. Joe Harris of the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.

Sgt. Joe Harris - ultimate sacrifice.

Sgt. Harris, 46, a veteran cop, is survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons, according to a statement issued on a memorial page.

Harris and a partner were staking out a home following a rash of break-in at cabins where there had been theft of food and other items – resulting in the odd moniker -  the “Cookie Bandit” for the suspect.

“Sergeant Joe Harris was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a burglary suspect along New Mexico 126 at approximately 4:30 am (July 16).  He and another deputy were conducting a stakeout due to a rash of recent cabin burglaries in the area,” said the Sheriff’s office as officers poured out their affection for him on a special memorial page.

“The deputies attempted to take the man into custody when they observed him breaking into a home. Sergeant Harris and the suspect were both fatally wounded in the ensuing shootout.

“Sergeant Harris had served with the agency for six years and had previously retired from the Rio Rancho Police Department after 20 years of service. He is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons,” said the statement.

The shooting has sparked  outrage among current and former colleagues and other police officers. Police now speculate that he had been on the run for almost four decades and did not want to be taken alive since he was wanted for murder in Canada.

Burgess photo from RCMP's Most Wanted

“Burgess was one of the RCMP’s ‘Most Wanted’, being featured on our National website.  Through our partnership with the US Marshal Service, Burgess was also featured south of the border, as well as on the popular crime fighting show ‘America’s Most Wanted’,” said a statement by RCMP.

“Our thoughts are with the family and coworkers of Sgt. Harris.  The loss of a law enforcement partner impacts us all, regardless of distance”, states Cpl. Darren Lagan of the Vancouver Island RCMP.

“In the days to come, Investigators with the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit will continue to work with authorities in New Mexico,” Lagan said.

Police will want to trace the man’s movements to see if he left any more victims as he lived his transient life roaming from B.C. to New Jersey to New Mexico as well as Washington State and California.

Interment for the slain officer was held following a service at the Santa Ana Star Event Center in Rio Rancho, NM. The officer had worked in the city of Bernalillo, NM. where the Sandoval Country Sheriff’s office is located.

There is speculation among policemen that suspect was a religious fanatic who constantly said “Amen.”

Some reports said he may have killed the young couple because they were sleeping together while unmarried.

KRQE.com in New Mexico said Burgess was a possible suspect in the 2004 murders of California couple who were shot dead while they were camping on a beach. “When Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall were found shot to death while camping in California in 2004 police wondered if Burgess was the killer,” the news site said.

Another double murder with some similarities is that of Vancouver Island friends Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, and her 20-year-old friend Jay Cook. They had left their home in Oak Bay on Vancouver Island on November 18, 1987 and were sleeping in their van near the Seattle Dome when they were abducted.

Jay was found dead near Monroe, Washington. Tanya was taken towards Bellingham, sexually assaulted, shot and pushed down a roadside embankment south of Bellingham.

Police in Everett, Washington, who are in charge of probing the double-murder, have the DNA of the killer that they extracted from Tanya. The detectives on the case could not be reached by Vancouverite.com for a comment about whether they will look into Burgess’s movements or compare the DNA to see if he was the killer.

A police memorial Page opened by New Mexico is filled with comments by cops and friends about the death of the officer. Here are a few comments:

“Everything still feels like a bad dream…this is so hard to accept that you’re gone…I keep playing everything in my head, from the time I got the call, to the ER Room til now…again…feels like a bad dream….I miss you brother, just know your family is well taken care of and they will always be part of our family….Rest Sgt Harris…we love you and miss you so much…god bless.”

Deputy Jose Abeita,

Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.

“Joey,

I love ya man, you were like a big brother to me, and I thought the world of you. I remember the countless nights on graveyards, eating at IHOP and you giving me really great advice. Your advice was not just about the job, but about life and how you were so happy with Tonia and the kids, and that it was the Lords way to stay married. I will always cherish the fact that you were only a phone call away when I needed that advice, whether at the gym, the station or at lunch, you always made me feel better about my problems. Thank you for being there for me, as I will be there for your family to make sure those young men have what they need and to offer some of the same advice you always were willing to give me. Rest in Peace my brother, your work here is done. Forever in my heart, Forever my Brother.

Officer Greg Fairhurst

“For Sergeant Joe Harris:

None of us that wear the badge can count on starting our shift and finishing it to the end. While this might be true in any line of work it is proven many times over in law enforcement.

Joe Harris did his 20 years of serving the public. And, like a lot of us in law enforcement, the saying “once is not enough” has special meaning. It brought Joe back on the job. When this happens the public is doubly lucky. They get a new officer and they get a bundle of experience right from the start.

It is unfortunate that a dedicated person like Joe Harris should have his life extinguished by a low-life coward house-breaker. It is fitting that one who shoots a law officer be gunned-down (or even run over, for that matter) on the spot. Justice is served, tax-payers save money and the neighborhood is a whole lot safer.

Even so, the cost is too high. A good law officer is not with us any longer.

I pray for Joe Harris, his family, his friends and his co-workers. I know that a vacancy will remain inside them because of Joe Harris. Good people are impossible to forget. I did not know Joe Harris, but I know many like him. Hence, I feel the loss here.

So I am proud, as retired state trooper, and also a retired Lake County FL deputy sheriff, to render Sergeant Joe Harris a final salute.

Cpl. Ralph D. Fiorenza (Ret.)

Pennylvania State Police

No related articles.

Posted by Salim Jiwa on Jul 21 2009. Filed under B.C., Featured, United States. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry