Wisconsin parolee arrested in slaying

Body of woman, 80, found burned

HOT SPRINGS — A parolee out of Wisconsin living in Hot Springs was charged Thursday evening with capital murder in the death of an 80-year-old woman reported missing last week.

Kevin K. Buerke, 26, has been in custody since Aug. 23 on unrelated charges and could face up to life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted in the death of Betty Slaughter, whose body was discovered Saturday in a cemetery in Royal, burned beyond recognition. Garland County sheriff’s Lt. Joel Ware said Thursday that investigators had developed Buerke as a suspect early in the investigation and “worked closely” with the state Crime Laboratory and the Garland County prosecuting attorney’s office to build the case against him.

Ware said Buerke had been on parole in Wisconsin but had transferred his parole to Arkansas. He gave a home address in the 5800 block of Central Avenue when he was arrested Aug. 23.

According to Wisconsin Department of Corrections records, Buerke pleaded no contest in December 2014 to misappropriating identity documents to obtain money orders, a Class H felony. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised parole.

The Garland County sheriff’s office began investigating Aug. 22 after receiving a report that Slaughter had not been heard from or seen since Aug. 21, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Investigators were told by a close friend of Slaughter’s that she and another friend had entered Slaughter’s residence on Legend Circle after they couldn’t reach her, saying it was unusual for her to not answer the phone or the door, the affidavit said. The friend also noted that it was unusual for Slaughter’s vehicle to be at the residence, but not her, and that they found Slaughter’s dog locked in the bathroom. A spare key to the house also was missing.

Investigators found drops of blood in several areas inside and outside the residence, and there was a single tooth on the sidewalk and a cigarette lighter next to some of the blood, the affidavit said. They also recovered a Taser cartridge cover in the grass about 5 feet from where the tooth was found.

Investigators canvassed area residences in search of any surveillance cameras that may have captured what happened. A next-door neighbor said his camera would show the roadway leading to Slaughter’s property.

Investigators viewed footage that showed Slaughter leaving and returning Aug. 21, and a gold Ford Explorer entering the property about seven minutes after Slaughter came home, the affidavit said.

Investigators returned to Slaughter’s residence Aug. 23 and found a second tooth in the yard near the pool of blood. Police had missed it earlier because it was hidden by vegetation, the affidavit said.

Investigators also located drag marks and more blood on the kitchen floor and on the glass of the front storm door, and a bottle of Pine-Sol near the storm door.

Investigators also spoke with the manager of a bank that same day in reference to Slaughter. The manager stated that a man identified as Buerke came into the bank Aug. 22 with paperwork that granted him “power of attorney” for Slaughter, according to the affidavit. He was seeking financial information about Slaughter and claimed to be her financial adviser, the affidavit said.

The power of attorney paperwork was determined to be counterfeit, and Slaughter’s signature had been forged, the affidavit said. Investigators learned Buerke had obtained a new driver’s license Aug. 22 before presenting the power of attorney documents but also had recently obtained another one Aug. 7. Buerke has no direct affiliation with Slaughter, according to a woman who has power of attorney for Slaughter, police said.

Investigators narrowed down the model year of the Ford Explorer seen in the video to between 2002-2005 and conducted a computer search for all registered Ford Explorers of that model in the county. One was identified as belonging to a woman on Daisy Hill Circle in Royal, according to the affidavit.

Investigators located Buerke’s address in the 5800 block of Central Avenue and determined the property belonged to Slaughter and was being rented by Buerke’s grandparents.

Investigators learned that Buerke was scheduled to meet with his parole officer at 3 p.m. Aug. 23 and went to the Arkansas Community Correction office in Hot Springs and arrested Buerke on a felony charge of second-degree forgery regarding the counterfeit power of attorney.

Investigators located a gold 2002 Ford Explorer in the parking lot and found the keys to the vehicle in Buerke’s pocket, the affidavit said. They also confirmed the vehicle was registered to the Royal woman.

Investigators found what appeared to be drops of blood on the vehicle and sent the vehicle to the Crime Lab for tests.

Investigators also spoke to the Royal woman, who confirmed that the Explorer belonged to her, that she had allowed Buerke to use it and that he’d had possession of it for a couple of weeks, according to the affidavit. The woman’s partner told investigators that Buerke had been staying with them for several weeks.

The Royal woman told investigators that at some point within the past couple of days she had helped Buerke clean out the Explorer because he had gone to get gasoline and one of the gas cans had spilled in the rear of the vehicle, the affidavit said. She also noted that Buerke had burned things in the yard that included women’s clothes, according to the affidavit.

Investigators located a small box that contained a Rosary necklace and a burned shovel among the two burn piles in the yard.

The sheriff’s office received a call Saturday that a body had been discovered in Lowe Cemetery off Ragweed Valley Road in Royal, about 5 miles from the Royal woman’s house.. The body was “badly burned beyond recognition” and appeared to have been there several days, the affidavit said. The body was sent to the Crime Lab for identification and to determine a cause of death.

Investigators processed the scene and located several pieces of evidence, including a Taser prong, the affidavit said.

The woman who has power of attorney for Slaughter notified investigators Wednesday that a transaction dated Aug. 21 had taken place on Slaughter’s Sam’s Club card for the purchase of a plane ticket in the amount of $534.80.

Results from the Crime Lab that same day confirmed that the body found in the cemetery was Slaughter’s, and Crime Lab personnel also reported finding Slaughter’s Sam’s Club card in the Explorer. It was confirmed as the same one used to purchase the plane ticket, the affidavit said.

The lab notified investigators Thursday that two swab samples taken from the Explorer were a DNA match to Slaughter.