LANCASTER, PA — Justin Burke, a 27-year-old resident of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 11 to 22 years behind bars on multiple sex crime charges. The verdict was announced by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, February 5, 2024.
Lancaster County Judge Jeffery Wright delivered the sentence following Burke’s retrial in October 2023. Burke, of the 100 block of S. Poplar Street, was found guilty of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (IDSI), two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of indecent assault.
This isn’t Burke’s first brush with the law. In November 2020, he was initially sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison after being convicted of rape, IDSI, sexual assault, and aggravated indecent assault. However, a retrial was ordered, leading to the more recent sentencing.
Burke’s criminal history extends beyond these convictions. He has previously been found guilty of assaulting two women at a dormitory party at Thaddeus Stevens College back in 2017. The latest offenses were committed while Burke was on probation in 2019.
During the sentencing proceedings, Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick represented the commonwealth. He painted a grim picture of Burke’s lengthy record of sex crimes, which date back to his juvenile years. “He’s a repeat sex offender and a danger to the community,” Haverstick stated. “It’s astonishing that he’s on his 11th victim of sexual assault. The goal is to get people help. He had every opportunity to rehabilitate himself and he’s shown he cannot do so.”
In a poignant moment during the proceedings, the victim’s sister read out an impact statement penned by the victim herself, detailing the harrowing offenses committed by Burke.
Prior to the sentencing hearing, a licensed clinical psychologist testified that Burke could be classified as a sexually violent predator. This designation carries with it a lifetime registration and specific notification requirements to neighbors, adding another layer of accountability to Burke’s sentence.
Following his prison term, Burke has been ordered to serve an additional three years of probation. The case was investigated by Elizabethtown Borough Police Detective Matthew Shuey.
Despite the long road, the bravery displayed by the victims, their families, and the diligent work of law enforcement have ultimately led to this repeat offender facing the consequences of his actions.
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