Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Rev. Tracy Burleson Denies Killing His Wife

Here is an excellent example for Statement Analysis principles to be applied.  thanks, John! 

In a jailhouse interview Wednesday, a Houston pastor charged with murder in his wife’s shooting death denied the allegations against him.

Pastor Tracy Burleson and his son are both facing murder charges in the slaying of Pauletta Burleson. A woman—said to be romantically involved with both the pastor and the son—is charged evidence tampering in the case.
Burleson admitted to having a mistress and said he just recently found out that his son was involved with her, too.

I want them to know that I love being the pastor at the church and I am so sorry for the adultery. But I want them to know I did not kill my wife,” Burleson said.

This is an important aspect of Statement Analysis:  Listening. 

The denial, "I did not kill my wife" is very strong, but it is not what he is saying.  

He said "I want them to know..." which is his desire.  

We can also look at this statement with the order:

1.  I want them to know; love being pastor
2.  Sorry for the adultery 
3.  I want them to know; not killing wife

Third is the murder allegation. 

Note that it may be that the one who does not physically "kill" might say something like this. 


But Burleson’s son, William Fuller, told investigators a different story.

According to documents read in a probable cause hearing Wednesday, Fuller admitted to investigators that he shot and killed his stepmother in a murder-for-hire plot allegedly devised by the pastor.

Pauletta Burleson was shot to death in the driveway of her northeast Harris County home on May 18.

“I would never tell my son to do anything like that” Pastor Burleson said. “I didn’t pay my son. I didn’t have no money to pay my son.”

This is the perfect place to issue a denial.  He does not.  He did not say "I did not tell my son..." but only that he "would not" (future/conditional)

"I didn't pay my son" is very strong.  The next sentence, without the word "because" is just as sensitive:  

He explains why he did not pay his son.  When someone tells the reason why they did something, without being asked, it indicates that the subject anticipates being asked. 

Would an interviewer had said, "Why didn't you give him money?"  

Yet, the subject may be thinking that not having money would prove he was not involved. 

He does not say that, however, and we are not to interpret his words, but listen to them.  


On the night of the shooting, Burleson told police he and his wife had been in a fight. He said he’d gone to the store to buy some potato chips and a candy bar, and when he returned, he found her body in the driveway.

Investigators said they found holes in that story. Investigators said the pastor did not have any chips or candy bars in his possession when he returned, and the store he claimed to have bought them from closed at 10 p.m. that night.
Investigators named him a person of interest the next day.

According to documents read in court Wednesday, a neighbor told investigators he heard arguing in the pastor’s driveway between 10 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., and another neighbor reported hearing gunshots around that same time.

Meanwhile, in a separate probable cause hearing Wednesday, the alleged mistress, Tyonne Palmer, went before a judge.

Investigators said Palmer assisted the gunman after he called and told her the pastor’s wife had been shot.

According to police reports, Palmer picked up the gunman, drove him to get cleaned up and assisted in burning the gun used in the shooting.

The judge set Palmer’s bond at $50,000.

Pauletta Burleson’s death came just a week after Pastor Burleson’s historic church burned to the ground.

Firefighters arrived at the First New Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Gregg at Noble around 2:35 a.m. on May 12 to find the entire building engulfed in flames.

The church, which was first organized in 1917 and rebuilt in 1965, was a total loss.'
When 11 News left the jail Wednesday, there were several arson investigators waiting to talk with Burleson, but they said they have still not determined what caused the fire at the church.
www.khou.com

5 comments:

John Mc Gowan said...

OT.

The People vs. O.J. Simpson: What the Jury Never Heard.

Here are 5 things the jury never heard in the O.J. Simpson trial.


1. Before Kris Jenner was known for all things "Kardashian," she was one of Nicole Brown Simpson's closest friends. Kris says Nicole dropped a bombshell just weeks before her death.

"She had told me, you know, things are really bad between OJ and I, and he's gunna kill me and he's gunna get away with it. You'l watch and see what happens, she knew exactly what was gunna happen to her ".

2. O.J.'s famous housemate, Kato Kaelin, suggests Simpson tried to get him to provide an alibi.

"He had tried to talk to me one time and tell me, you know where is was Kato, you know i was in the kitchen at this time. He was in the kitchen trying to convince me about, what i believe now a d--an alibi for him"

3. The Jury never heard from Skip Junis, who said he saw O.J. throwing things away at the airport on the night of the murders

"A limousine pulled up. And er, OJ Simpsom got out of the limousine. he was carrying this little cheap gym bag. He zipped it just a little bit at the bottom and was reaching his hand in and pulling things out and putting them in a trash can"

4. Jill Shively was another witness who never testified during the trial. She told police she saw O.J. in his Bronco near the crime scene, minutes after the murders were thought to have been committed.

"All of a sudden this car, a white comes flying north on Bundy erm with its lights out, and i barley missed him"

Q. "Did you see who the driver was?"

A. "I did i did, it was OJ Simpson"

5. Simpson Defense attorney Carl Douglas says he did a little redecorating at O.J.'s house before the jury made its visit.

"We wanted to make the Rockingham location, look lived in, and stand with all of its regalness, so that the jurors would say, OJ Simpson would not have risked all of this, for this woman."

Q. "This is not tampering with evidence?"

A. "This is not tampering with evidence, no. I trying to get the optimum advantage to win. They play hard ball in the big leagues, this was the big leagues"

http://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/people-vs-o-j-simpson-what-jury-never-heard-n125001

trustmeigetit said...

There is still the theory that OJs oldest son killed her and Oj came to the scene to help clean up.

His oldest a name is Jason.

His son lied about his own alibi that night

First lied about the time he left work the said he was with his then girlfriend the rest the night and at the time she covered for him.

He had what they have called a "rage disorder"

If that happened and OJ did come help him clean up it could explain a lot.

I'm still torn and at times lean towards it being Jason.

Tania Cadogan said...

fter reading this why do i think the fire and the murder are interlinked?

Arson for insurance is common as muck and perhaps a way to get money to pay someone off or to faciltate and escape.

Could it be he will next claim someone started the fire to get back at him and when that failed , they shot his wife, and he would then claim he was next, it was gangsters. pissed off congregant etc or will he blame it all on his mistress or son?

This is going to be interesting to see who he wiggles on the hook

Anonymous said...

OT to the OJ comments. Kris Jenner was Nicole's good friend? Wasn't her husband (ex?) one of OJ's lawyers? That's kind of weird in my opinion. I'd feel weird if my husband (or ex, idk if they were still married, or actually idk if they even divorced, did they divorce, or were they married when he passed?), was representing my dead bff'd accused murderer.

Katprint said...

OFF TOPIC: Today, Jerrod Metsker was sentenced to life in prison without parole after he pled guilty to the rape and murder of his 9 year old neighbor Reann Murphy. This link has his call to 911 after she went "missing" (her body was found the next day in a trash can.)

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/oh-wayne/listen-jerrod-metsker-suspect-in-9-year-old-smithville-girl-reann-murphys-murder-called-911