Markleville man found not guilty of child molesting

Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·1 min read

Sep. 9—ANDERSON — A Markleville man has been found not guilty on two felony counts of child molesting involving a 10-year-old girl.

Joey Lee Burden, 41, was found not guilty after a Madison Circuit Court Division 1 jury deliberated for less than two hours Friday.

Burden was represented by attorneys Bryan Williams and Jimmy McDole.

The jury's decision might have hinged on an absence of potential testimony. During the investigation two adults in the house were not interviewed by investigators and didn't testify at the trial, Williams noted.

During the trial, a family member of the girl disclosed that funds raised to help the girl's family with counseling costs and attorney fees were instead used for a spring break vacation.

Burden was arrested in 2022 by the Madison County Sheriff's Department after the girl said during a Kids Talk forensic interview that Burden had been fondling her for several years.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.