Exeter, NH: Autopsies detail apparent murder-suicide in Exeter

By JASON SCHREIBER
Union Leader Correspondent


EXETER – A couple found dead in an apparent murder-suicide inside their mobile home died of gunshot wounds, the attorney general's office said Monday afternoon.
Results from autopsies performed earlier Monday showed that William G. Burke Sr., 67, died of a single gunshot wound to the head while his wife, Judith 66, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest that entered through her abdomen, according to the findings by State Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie Duval.
The manner of the deaths is still pending and the case remains under investigation.
The Burkes were discovered dead by their son inside their mobile home at 33 Hayes Park Saturday afternoon.
A neighbor said their son, William, hadn't heard from them in about a week so he stopped by to check on them.
Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati said he couldn't comment on statements from neighbors who said the couple had experienced health issues. He said he hoped that the autopsy would reveal whether they had health problems.
Agati said investigators still believed that the deaths resulted from an apparent murder-suicide.
Rita Hutchinson, a neighbor across the street, had just arrived home from grocery shopping Saturday afternoon when she saw the Burkes' son screaming after finding his parents.
"I immediately went over there," said Hutchinson, who didn't know the Burkes too well but had been told by William Burke Sr. that he and his wife had suffered from some health issues.
Hutchinson was handed the phone and stayed on the line with a 911 dispatcher until police and emergency personnel arrived at the house where the couple's cream-colored PT Cruiser still sits in the driveway and two metal chairs still sat together Monday facing the flowers on the porch.