GUILTY KY - Tracy Burke, 31, & Karen Comer, 53, murdered, Rineyville, 11 Sept 2007

[Mygirlsadie]

If they were not divorced yet then he would have to provide the whole amount of BAH (housing allowance) to the wife. When the divorce became final he would lose it yes. He would either have to move into the barracks or he could rent off post & get a single soldiers amount of housing allowance given to him (which isnt much) and most of the time his company commander or 1st sgt would have to give him permission to live off post anyway. Me personally I don't see how a E5 would have to pay 1ks in childsupport. An E5 don't make much more then that monthly. Not to mention if the wife was a nurse she was making triple what he made.

Thanks MGS. Would he be given a housing allowance that he would lose with not having custody of the children? That would hurt him financially as well.

 

[SewingDeb]

I wonder if he had any other income that was factored into the equation...or perhaps the reporter's source for the information was not good.

 

[MREG2]

Great minds think alike. :blushing:

Unfortunately, I've been down the CS road with an ex.

I looked online at the Hardin County online records search and found nothing listed for anyone involved. Could be that because of the children the records are not available to be seen online.

If I heard right the mom and kids just moved to Rineyville 3 weeks ago. She still had the Tennessee license plate.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

Or maybe she had a really good lawyer..Whatever the case if the slimeball did this to her and her x mother in law then I hope he has to pay with his life...that 1000 a month won't look so bad after all. I know I shouldnt judge but it burns me up when someone takes a mommy away from her babies.

I wonder if he had any other income that was factored into the equation...or perhaps the reporter's source for the information was not good.

 

[kygal]

Great minds think alike. :blushing:

Unfortunately, I've been down the CS road with an ex.

I looked online at the Hardin County online records search and found nothing listed for anyone involved. Could be that because of the children the records are not available to be seen online.

I'd say that since the report said they weren't finalized, then they wouldn't be online yet. Tracy's myspace said someplace in TN. Perhaps that is where the file is? Not sure just thinking. Also, most KY websites are VERY slow about posting things online....

 

[Kymistry35]

This is OT but I wouls be thrilled to get that much. In NC the man only pays $50 a month unless he makes well above minimum wage.

 

[SewingDeb]

This is OT but I wouls be thrilled to get that much. In NC the man only pays $50 a month unless he makes well above minimum wage.

I'm in NC and I had never heard that.

Here's the NC calculator:
http://www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/north_carolina/

 

[nanandjim]

I don't understand how it can be a set amount for child support. Back when support was ordered for my daughter, it was based on the salaries we made. He didn't work much and only had to pay a very small amount per week. Totally off-topic, I know, but I was just surprised to read that, nan!

Hey Taximom - We are moving to KY very soon. Our realtor, who is a divorced father with two children, told us that no matter the salary the court orders $250 per child, max. I'm just assuming that he knows as he went through a divorce himself. Perhaps, things have changed.

My husband didn't get off so lucky. He divorced in Alabama and paid an arm and a leg in child support and alimony and property and debt settlement. That state is very much in favor of the woman. My husband has never complained, mind you. He feels that it is his responsibility to support his children all the way through college. So, I never say anything to him. That's between his ex-wife and him. Of course, her husband always is involved. Thank goodness, his youngest boy is a junior in college. Tick tock...

 

[nanandjim]

I'm in NC and I had never heard that.

Here's the NC calculator:
http://www.alllaw.com/calculators/childsupport/north_carolina/

NC CS payments are low, IMO. I plugged in my husband's data; and, according to their calculations, he would have paid almost half of what he actually paid.

 

[Bobbisangel]

I would imagine that Tracy moved in with her mother-in-law believing that Brent wouldn't come after her there. She probably never dreamed that he would murder her ex-mother-in-law.

In reading the ex-mother-in-laws MySpace it sounds like she was well loved by her children. I gather that Michael is the ex-husband and the father of the oldest child who is 9. And that Brent is the father of the younger boy who is 4 yrs and the little girl who is 3 yrs. I think the dispatcher wrote 3 months instead of 3 years for the little girl. You can see in the picture of them with Tracy that the little girl is around 3 yrs. Vanessa must be the ex-mother-in-laws daughter that works at a hospital. Her children seem to love her a lot. Sounds like she just made a visit to Fort Lewis in Olympia WA.

I wonder if the mother-in-law tried to protect Tracy when Brent went after her. I don't have a doubt that he is the killer. Who else would have a motive for wanting her dead? I'm sure we will hear of an arrest soon. He is cooperating but some killers do cooperate thinking they can bs their way through and get away with murder. He shouldn't be hard to track and to prove where he was when the murder took place.

My heart goes out to those little kids. They are all old enough to know what happened or that something horrible happened. There they were in the house with their dead mom and grandma all of those hours. Bless that little 9 yr old for finally having the courage to call 911 and tell what happened.

I believe that Tracy did everything that she could to keep herself and her children safe. Some of these creeps will follow you to the ends of the earth for revenge. I hope this guy rots in prison. I just hope the two little kids have someone to raise them that will love them and give them a good life. What a sad situation.

 

[STEADFAST]

NO they don't. And I looked him up on AKO and he is an E-5.

Basic military pay is public record and the same for everyone who has the same rank and the same number of years in service. An E-5 with, say, 3 to 10 years of service would make between $2073.00 and $2571.00 per month.

He would also get a housing allowance based on the fact that he has dependants and the average rents in the Fort Campbell, KY area. An E-5 with dependants at Fort Campbell gets $758.00 per month.

So, he gets paid somewhere between $2831.00 and $3329.00 per month (if I did the math right.)

 

[SewingDeb]

NC CS payments are low, IMO. I plugged in my husband's data; and, according to their calculations, he would have paid almost half of what he actually paid.

In my case, my ex was off the charts for calculations and I got a lot more than $250.00 per child. Guess I was lucky.

 

[SewingDeb]

Basic military pay is public record and the same for everyone who has the same rank and the same number of years in service. An E-5 with, say, 3 to 10 years of service would make between $2073.00 and $2571.00 per month.

He would also get a housing allowance based on the fact that he has dependants and the average rents in the Fort Campbell, KY area. An E-5 with dependants at Fort Campbell gets $758.00 per month.

So, he gets paid somewhere between $2831.00 and $3329.00 per month (if I did the math right.)

That doesn't sound too bad.

Earlier today I read that Military Police are 0-10 on the scale...since it shows pay starting at 20 years for 0-10, E5 is probably right for the number of years he has probably served.

Military pay scale for Army in case anyone wants to check:
http://www.military.com/military/benefits/0,15465,military_pay_charts,00.html

 

[Taximom]

Bobbisangel, I thought "Kurt Comer" was her 1st husband/ex. (It's been a while since I looked at all the sights, but that's what I thought anyway!) He was a truck driver and also lived at Karen's home. I wonder if Burke thought that he would be home and he could have killed him too?

 

[Taximom]

Seems like WE all know who did it.....

 

[Fermi]

I apologize if this is already common knowledge here, I just found some of these quotes odd...especially why in the world would this little 9-year-old tell other children that he was the one who killed his mother and grandmother???

http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/091207whasmjdTopMoreRineyville.c9b0dcae.html

A 9-year old boy called police Tuesday, saying his mother and grandmother were dead. Police say the killings happened Monday night on Waterfowl Loop in Rineyville.

“Evidently he told some other kids that he is the person that murdered those two women,” said Trooper Steve Pavey, describing an incident at John Hardin High School. The rumors spread like wildfire – students text-messaging, parents upset.

“And the kid basically just said ‘I was shooting my mouth off,’” said Pavey, who adds that the rumor was a distraction for detectives. Meanwhile, police say they hope autopsies performed in Louisville will help determine when Tracy Burke, 31, and Karen Comer, 53, were shot.

I also spoke with the daughter of Comer, who says she was her best friend, a kind woman who let her former daughter-in-law and her three kids move into her home about a month and a half ago, because she was getting a divorce from her second husband, who is stationed at Ft. Campbell.

Comer’s daughter says things had gotten ugly in that divorce, and Karen Comer had refused to testify against Tracy Burke in that divorce. :waitasec:

http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/091307whasmjdTopTracyBurkeNewInfo.ced7408e.html

The picture her divorce filing paints of her husband is of a soldier who was about to lose it. According to the papers, Brent Burke told neighbors he was considering killing himself, and stated he could kill everybody and it wouldn't bother him in the least.

As a final note, one article I read stated that Tracie listed 4 reasons in the divorce papers: "irreconcilable differences, cruel and inhumane treatment, adultery and that her husband was guilty of inappropriate conduct." These are serious charges/accusations for a soldier. He could be court-martialed or dishonorably discharged from the military if T.B. voiced these allegations (adultery: UCMJ Article 134) to his commander (and if they were proved true). B.B. may have been feeling the heat from more than one side...his backside where his wallet resides and his topside where his beret resides....

 

[Bobbisangel]

Bobbisangel, I thought "Kurt Comer" was her 1st husband/ex. (It's been a while since I looked at all the sights, but that's what I thought anyway!) He was a truck driver and also lived at Karen's home. I wonder if Burke thought that he would be home and he could have killed him too?

Both Brent and Kurt are in the service.....

Police have not named Brent Burke as a suspect. They said they are questioning him and that he has cooperated with the investigation so far.Investigators said Burke's first ex-husband, a soldier based in Ft. Lewis, Wash. has been cleared of suspicion in the killings.

 

[Taximom]

A news article mentioned "Kurt". Maybe that's Karen's husband?

 

[sherri79]

I apologize if this is already common knowledge here, I just found some of these quotes odd...especially why in the world would this little 9-year-old tell other children that he was the one who killed his mother and grandmother???

http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/091207whasmjdTopMoreRineyville.c9b0dcae.html

A 9-year old boy called police Tuesday, saying his mother and grandmother were dead. Police say the killings happened Monday night on Waterfowl Loop in Rineyville.

“Evidently he told some other kids that he is the person that murdered those two women,” said Trooper Steve Pavey, describing an incident at John Hardin High School. The rumors spread like wildfire – students text-messaging, parents upset.

“And the kid basically just said ‘I was shooting my mouth off,’” said Pavey, who adds that the rumor was a distraction for detectives. Meanwhile, police say they hope autopsies performed in Louisville will help determine when Tracy Burke, 31, and Karen Comer, 53, were shot.

I also spoke with the daughter of Comer, who says she was her best friend, a kind woman who let her former daughter-in-law and her three kids move into her home about a month and a half ago, because she was getting a divorce from her second husband, who is stationed at Ft. Campbell.

Comer’s daughter says things had gotten ugly in that divorce, and Karen Comer had refused to testify against Tracy Burke in that divorce. :waitasec:

http://www.whas11.com/topstories/stories/091307whasmjdTopTracyBurkeNewInfo.ced7408e.html

The picture her divorce filing paints of her husband is of a soldier who was about to lose it. According to the papers, Brent Burke told neighbors he was considering killing himself, and stated he could kill everybody and it wouldn't bother him in the least.

As a final note, one article I read stated that Tracie listed 4 reasons in the divorce papers: "irreconcilable differences, cruel and inhumane treatment, adultery and that her husband was guilty of inappropriate conduct." These are serious charges/accusations for a soldier. He could be court-martialed or dishonorably discharged from the military if T.B. voiced these allegations (adultery: UCMJ Article 134) to his commander (and if they were proved true). B.B. may have been feeling the heat from more than one side...his backside where his wallet resides and his topside where his beret resides....

as for the 9 yr old if he did the shooting i'm sure he would have left plenty of evidence. the police seem to feel he is not suspect so i'll stick with their theory in this case. it is really strange that he would say he did it i agree. if what mom said in the divorce paper are true then this child lived in a abusive home for years. then a 9yr old is going through his second divorce and that would be emotionally stressful on any child. then he is home and at least hears his mother and grandmother killed if he did not see it. he does not try to save them or stop the killer. then due to fear the child spends the night with the bodies in the home. children of divorce often feel guilt like it is their fault. children who see abuse even if it is only verbal come away with scars. add to this the trauma of the murder and maybe the child is suffering mental problem right now. guilt over not saving them could lead him to want to take the blame. we know he is just a little kid and there was nothing he could do but how often do kids think that way? with the trauma this child has been through nothing he says would shock me.

 

[Bobbisangel]

A news article mentioned "Kurt". Maybe that's Karen's husband?

Maybe I'm wrong but in the mother-in-laws MySpace a Michael was posting to his mom and Vanessa to mom also. In the first post of Michael it shows a soldier in the darkness with tanks in the background. I'll have to check and see who Kurt is. You've gotten me curious..lol.

I mentioned Kurt when I answered your post. Lord only knows where I got that!!! The 1st husband is Michael. I just rechecked Karen Comers MySpace. I can't find a mention of a Kurt anywhere. Must be my old age kicking in to have said Kurt! Karen Comer looks like such a sweet person. It would be so nice if her son could take and raise all three of the kids if he is a good guy. It's sad when children are placed with different people and don't get to grow up together.