Tazewell,TN-
Wayne Burkhart in court
September 26, 2008-
Wayne Burkhart finally went on trial for the crimes against his own children.
A jury in Tazewell convicted the Claiborne County man of rape and torturing his teenage daughters with an dog shock collar. The assistant district attorney, Amanda Sammons told the local news channel. that jurors returned guilty verdicts on 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of incest and 3 counts of aggravated child abuse.
Stepmom-didn't lift a hand to help victims
The man’s wife Rebecca, awaits trial on aggravated child abuse charges because she did nothing to stop the abuse of the children.
15 -year -old brother of victim shows how father used dog shock collars
The father was sentenced to 70 Years in prison for the sadistic crimes committed against his children, according to the newschannel site WBIR out of Tennessee.
Source: Volunteer TV
This TN Couple-Have Got to be the Worst Parents of 2007!
Last month, a Claiborne County, Tennessee grand jury was set to decide whether to indict Wayne Burkhart of Cumberland Gap,Tn for charges of allegedly raping two older teen daughters and forcing them to wear shock collars as punishment.
What ever happened to just grounding children as punishment, or taking away their phone or computer privleges? That is what normal parents would do in these times of technology, isn’t it? Not according to life with Mr. Burkhart. In order for his children to be under his total control-he forced them to wear remote-controlled electric collars on thier bodies (I believe on their leg/ankle area).
One of the daughter’s told the police that she was shocked with the collar for such a small infraction as “going out with a boy”, according to an affidavit from back in the fall. The younger girl (now 18) has siblings that corroborated her and her older sister’s (19 years old) accounts of abuse. If that wasn’t enough painful humilation, both teens also told the authorities their father also sexually assaulted them.
Wayne Burkhart was then arrested and charged with:
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2 counts of aggravated child assault
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2 counts of rape
- Rebecca Burkhart was charged with 2 counts of aggravated child neglect and failing to report the abuse, abuse that the children said she stood by and witnessed. How could ANY mother stand by and allow this and not protect the children? I will hope she can explain how she did that come trial time.
The 2 oldest girls showed bruises that came from the collars to the investigators. The 18-year-old daughter got the courage to tell a resource officer at her school about what was going on and then the authorities were informed. She said that she was fearful that her younger sister was going to be next to suffer from the same abuse. According to reports all of the children were in foster care, but the oldest girl was missing. I am praying that they find her somewhere safe, and that all of those children recover and heal from this.
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4 Comments
November 22 ,2008 at 2:32 am
I personally believe that he did not rape either of these girls. I simply believe that they were rebellious and didn’t want to go by his rules. Get locked up in a cell with him one time and you will hear the real story….
November 22 ,2008 at 2:39 am
I personally don’t think he did that to his children cause why would a man cry his eye’s out when you are interview him. He seen to be a nice man and he has a honest look about him. I think you all need to go back and talk to this man one more time. Give him a chance by telling his story. Thank you for my time.
January 12 ,2009 at 9:59 pm
You both can believe what you want, however there is evidence, physical and otherwise that this man did this to his children. As for giving him a chance to tell his story, he had a chance to do that. There are people that saw these kids and observed how they were like ‘little robots’, who were living in a home environment filled with abuse, fear and harsh discipline tactics from their father.
I ask you honestly, why on earth would a child make up being sexually abused and raped by her father and go thru a trial, go thru having a humiliating rape kit done, having the details printed in the newspapers, go thru getting on the witness stand and tell the whole world what was done to her by a person who was supposed to love and protect her? All this because of being “rebellious” I really don’t think so.
January 30 ,2009 at 9:38 pm
Tammy and Joyce,
Your copmments are breathtakingly ignorant.
I hope you dont have children, because someday a child might have to tell a parent that they had been harmed, and your chilren’s revealtions might be dismissed because “he has an honest look about him” or they might be told that they are only being rebellious. Lets hope that if you do have children there are some other adults around with the sense enough to know how to keep children safe. The two of you obviously dont!