JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A jury recommended that the Jacksonville man accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife in 2019 be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday, after he was found guilty of murder last week.
Jerry Burns was the last defendant in the murder of Velvet Burns to be tried. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, which is punishable by the death penalty in the state of Florida. However, he escaped this fate as the jury decided against putting him to death.
The state asked that Burns' sentence be imposed immediately on Tuesday to save the victim's family more emotional stress. Judge Meredith Charbula, who presided over the case, agreed to do so. Burns was allowed to address the court and made a short statement, sending love to his children.
His mistress, Amanda Love, was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder after a jury found she was part of the plot to kill Velvet.
The man who carried out the crime and stabbed Velvet to death, Stephen Hand, was sentenced to life in prison.
Burns conspired with Love to murder Velvet. Love told JSO that Burns offered her $5,000 to "transport individuals" to the victim's residence and commit the murder. Burns allegedly promised an "unknown sum" of additional payment after the murder was completed, which would pay out from Velvet's life insurance policy. Police say he requested that the murder be staged to look like a burglary.
'In the bed where their children were conceived'
The state argued that Burns' crimes were cold, calculated and premeditated, making the crime qualified for the death penalty.
The prosecution said Burns killed his wife "in the bed where their children were conceived," and "he wanted her to take her last breath."
They pointed out the involvement of Velvet's life insurance money, which was part of Burns' scheme and showed he had made his plans in a calculated manner.
Tuesday morning, the defense called an expert witness to support their counterargument that Burns could be productive if sentenced to live in prison. He argued that in prison, Burns would be forced to work and likely be an electrician. In this capacity, he could teach other inmates, the witness said.
What happened?
On the morning of the murder, Burns said he would leave the rear door and the gate to his house on Jacksonville's Westside open so it was accessible when she arrived. This is how police found the door and gate at the crime scene.
Both Love and Hand's DNA were found at the scene, and police found that her phone had pinged there. She told police she had been there during the murder and saw Hand stab Velvet, then destroy the evidence.
Burns' arrest report said that later that day, he contacted a neighbor to say he hadn't heard from Velvet all day and was concerned. The neighbor went over to the house and found Velvet stabbed to death and blood everywhere.
Burns told police he had seen Velvet that morning, and she was alive and "looking at Facebook on her phone." After Love cooperated with the police, Burns was arrested. He has remained in jail since 2019, after waiving his right to a speedy trial.
Hand pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Love was found guilty of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.