Jack Burris
Encyclopedia
Jack Burris served as County attorney
of Mayes County, Oklahoma from 1947 until his murder in June 1952. He was the subject of one of the most famous unsolved murders in Oklahoma
history. His assassination and the investigation by Sheriff Slim Weaver and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
has been the basis for several books and screenplays for over 50 years. It occurred near the scene of another unsolved case known as the Girl Scout murders
.
During a 1979 documentary on the Girl Scout murders, Sheriff L.L. "Slim" Weaver referred to the Burris case and retraced his route to scene. Comparing the two he claimed he picked up photographer Merle Caldwell on the way to the Burris house and they were passed by a white pickup truck with a cattle guard going in the opposite direction. Weaver said he believed this to be the killer. Caldwell had been with Burris earlier in the week taking photos of illegal activities in Langley, Oklahoma
. According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, the killer waited outside the house for Burris with a shotgun. A newsman from KOLS radio station in Pryor, Oklahoma later secretly recorded an interview with a man claiming to be Burris' killer. The newsman described him as a "quiet man from Vanita" but never turned the tape over to authorities. Weaver said he didn't learn of the existence of the tape until October, 1958. Rather than notify the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation of its existence, Weaver spent the next five months "negotiating" for it. In March, 1959 the newsman disappeared and the case remains unsolved.
The cover of a 1975 fictional book based on the murder displays an of a tape spool and recorder.
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
of Mayes County, Oklahoma from 1947 until his murder in June 1952. He was the subject of one of the most famous unsolved murders in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
history. His assassination and the investigation by Sheriff Slim Weaver and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is an independent state law enforcement agency of the government of Oklahoma. The OSBI assists the city police departments of the state and is the primary investigative agency of the state government...
has been the basis for several books and screenplays for over 50 years. It occurred near the scene of another unsolved case known as the Girl Scout murders
Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders
The Oklahoma Girl Scout murders is an unresolved crime in rural Mayes County, Oklahoma. On a rainy, late-spring night in 1977, three girls—ages 8, 9, and 10—were raped and murdered and their bodies left in the woods near their tent at summer camp...
.
During a 1979 documentary on the Girl Scout murders, Sheriff L.L. "Slim" Weaver referred to the Burris case and retraced his route to scene. Comparing the two he claimed he picked up photographer Merle Caldwell on the way to the Burris house and they were passed by a white pickup truck with a cattle guard going in the opposite direction. Weaver said he believed this to be the killer. Caldwell had been with Burris earlier in the week taking photos of illegal activities in Langley, Oklahoma
Langley, Oklahoma
Langley is a town in Mayes County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 819 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Langley is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation, the killer waited outside the house for Burris with a shotgun. A newsman from KOLS radio station in Pryor, Oklahoma later secretly recorded an interview with a man claiming to be Burris' killer. The newsman described him as a "quiet man from Vanita" but never turned the tape over to authorities. Weaver said he didn't learn of the existence of the tape until October, 1958. Rather than notify the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation of its existence, Weaver spent the next five months "negotiating" for it. In March, 1959 the newsman disappeared and the case remains unsolved.
The cover of a 1975 fictional book based on the murder displays an of a tape spool and recorder.