A New York judge has sentenced Michael Charles Burham to 25 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Kala Hodgkin. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty in January, weeks after the 2023 killing that occurred shortly following her rape accusation against him. Burham, who also escaped prison and kidnapped a couple, will serve his sentences concurrently.
Michael Charles Burham, a 37-year-old from New York, received his sentence on Monday from Chautauqua County Judge David Foley for the slaying of Kala Hodgkin, a mother of three. The sentencing followed Burham's guilty plea in January to one count of first-degree murder, entered just before his trial was set to begin.
The murder took place on March 13, 2023, when Burham broke into Hodgkin's home on William Street in Jamestown, New York. At the time, Hodgkin and her children, aged 8, 11, and 14, were asleep. This incident occurred weeks after Hodgkin had accused Burham of rape, leading to an arrest warrant that had not yet been executed.
Following the issuance of a murder warrant, Burham kidnapped an elderly couple at gunpoint in Warren County, Pennsylvania, on May 20, 2023, and drove their vehicle to Charleston, South Carolina. Authorities located the unharmed couple and arrested Burham days later after a homeowner reported him in their backyard.
While detained at Warren County Prison, Burham escaped on July 6, 2023, by using a rope fashioned from tied bedsheets. He evaded capture for 10 days until a couple's dog alerted them to his presence in their backyard, leading to his recapture.
Burham pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, theft, and burglary related to the Pennsylvania incident. A Pennsylvania judge imposed a 25-to-50-year sentence, which he is serving concurrently with his New York term. Upon completion of the Pennsylvania sentence, he will transfer to a New York facility.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt commented on the plea, stating, "Two and one-half years after Kala was brutally executed in her home while she and her three kids slept during the early morning hours and not a single day has gone by that we haven't thought about her and the children... waiting to finally hold this monster accountable for his heinous, cowardly actions." Schmidt added that the harm caused will affect the family forever, including ongoing trauma for the children, and expressed doubt about Burham's chances of parole given the first-degree murder conviction.