Man accused of killing 8-year-old forces child’s mom to recount the slaying in court
More than four years after an 8-year-old boy was stabbed to death, the man accused of killing him in New Castle, Pennsylvania is facing his day in court. But so far, the trial has been anything but calm, according to local news reports.
Keith Burley, 47, chose to represent himself in the case where he is facing multiple charges, including criminal homicide, kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to police records.
Because Burley is acting in his own defense, it means 8-year-old Mark “Markie” Mason’s mother was called to the witness stand Thursday, Aug. 24, and questioned by the man accused of killing her son in July 2019, according to New Castle News.
“You’re sitting here questioning me and you killed my son, point blank. You have the nerve to sit there and ask me when you know you killed my child,” Maram Ford said in response to one of Burley’s questions, New Castle News reported.
Just a day before, law enforcement officers intervened in court when a cross-examination led to tensions flaring and outbursts, according to the Sharon Herald.
The jury had to be removed from the courtroom after Burley shouted slurs and accusations at the judge who objected to Burley’s line of questioning to a state trooper, the Sharon Herald reported.
The news outlet reported this outburst prompted Mason’s father, who was in the courtroom, to stand up with rage, causing the deputies to hold him back from going after Burley.
Another key moment of the trial was when a witness, who court records show was 7 years old and present at the time of the stabbing, took the witness stand.
The boy testified that he watched Burley stab Mason while repeatedly yelling “die.” He told the court that he threw a chair at Burley to try to stop the attack before running out to look for help, the Sharon Herald reported.
Court records state that two teenagers were also witnesses to the stabbing.
According to a criminal complaint, on July 8, 2019, Ford had picked Burley up in her car. Her two children were in the backseat at the time. An argument started between Ford and Burley, and Burley physically assaulted her, the complaint states.
The mother pulled into a fire department and got out of the car to find help. That’s when Burley allegedly took off in the car with Mason and his brother in the backseat, according to the complaint.
Investigators go on to say that Burley and the two boys arrived at a home known to Burley. Upstairs were two teenage boys. When they heard someone inside the house, they came down to see who was there, the complaint says.
One of the teens testified in court on Aug. 23 that when he came downstairs, Burley had a gun in his hands and had two boys with him. He said Burley then ordered the two teens to go look for the “clip to the gun,” New Castle News reported.
The teen testified that he didn’t know what a clip was, so they pretended to look for it. He said all four boys were together near a bedroom, when Burley “snatched Markie up,” and took him to the kitchen. He testified that when the boys came back downstairs, Burley was stabbing Mason and Mason’s cries kept getting lower and lower, according to New Castle News.
The criminal complaint states that after the stabbing, Burley took off running. He was arrested the next day in Youngstown, Ohio by U.S. Marshals after he was spotted walking down a busy street, according to WKBN.
Burley had previously been arrested in 1999 on murder charges and served a 20-year sentence, according to court records. He was released months before Mason was killed, according to WPXI.
The trial is expected to go to closing arguments on Monday, Aug. 28, New Castle News reported.
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