Comments on: The Death of Lily Burk: What We Know – UPDATED

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:59:42 +0000

Stop being pc about it. This was a HATE CRIME just like the Wichita massacre and Knoxville murders.

By: Triumph

Triumph — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:08:47 +0000

What happened to Lily Burk was sad and unfortunate. Robbery and murder is unacceptable in any society. Unfortunately, however, both are going to increase as the economy gets worse. The fact that he had her go to all of those ATM machines tells me that this was a robbery, and not just an attack/rape, etc. There are a lot of Lily Burks out there. In Compton, Inglewood, South Central, Long Beach, East LA, surrounding suburbs..innocent victims of mad criminals perfectly willing to spare a life just to get a buck. The fact that places like Silver Lake are losing people to this “California quicksand” (as Ice Cube calls it) is a sign that our economic crisis is now turning areas that were once safe and trendy into ghettos, too. That’s what happens in a Depression. A lot of people wonder…what will a depression look like? You don’t need a history book. Just drive down Central Avenue, from the 10 freeway all the way into Compton, and that’s what it will look like. But it will look like that everywhere (rich fortresses excluded), as opposed to just the areas designated to be ghettos either by white flight (west side of south central, compton, the many east county suburbs turned barrios) or by architectural design (projects on east side of South Central, Hazard in Boyle Heights, etc.). These sick people like the guy who attacked Burk need to be imprisoned for life, at the very least. Most of us agree there. But until we stop pretending that economic conditions dont’ play a role in these types of crimes, and pretty much most violent crime in general, we’re not going to get anywhere in regards to a long term solution to this madness.

By: Prop36Farce

Prop36Farce — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:55:16 +0000

Welcome to my reality.
The murder of Lily Burk was a tragedy that was bound to happen. I’m a cop who has worked the skid row area for a decade. I deal with these animals on a daily basis. Believe me…those on skid row are not there because of misfortune. They are there by CHOICE. We (our society) have been the enablers of this lifestyle, and ultimately, this tragedy. On a regular basis I read articles and opionions in the local rags (like the LA Times and LA Weekly) about how the police in skid row harass the “homeless” by giving them jaywalking tickets and arresting them for petty crimes like drinking in public and blocking/sleeping on the sidewalk. This behavior is UNACCEPTABLE in the liberal west side enclaves like West LA. To the critics though, it seems to be okay in skid row. Just as long as it’s “NOT IN MY BACKYARD!” We (our society) make excuses for criminal behavior by saying that the “homeless” have no choice. What a bunch of bull! Come down to skid row someday. See your liberal policies in full force. Daily we arrest DRUG DEALERS for 11352 H&S, Cocaine Sells. For a first time offense, they are offered Proposition 36 (3yrs probation and drug treatment) by saying they are an addict and want help. Two days later they’re back out dealing. If you saw the rap sheets of these “poor homeless” people, you’d see a string of violent crime arrests, to include, murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and assault with a deadly weapon. The next entry is either a dismissal, or guilty plea to a lesser charge, followed by a minimal sentence of which only half the time is served.

Charlie Samuel is a posterboy of liberal legislation run amock. A career criminal who had many of his most heinous crimes pled down, then serving minimal time. A PAROLEE who viloated the conditions of his parole, spent a whopping two months in jail, then given “another” chance by being put in a drug treatment program. And who arrested him? A couple of cops who stopped him for drinking in public and found him with a crack pipe. The same type of Chick Sh*t enforcement that our lovely westside Angelenos complain about! (”Don’t you guys have a murderer or rapist to catch??”)

Four days after this crime, my unit and I were arresting a drug dealer (complete with his still packaged for sales rock cocaine) when along came LA CAN (Community action network) complete with their liberal, white westside lackies, video cameras, and clipboards. They scowled at my coworkers and I as they took notes, filmed us, and took down our car numbers. Obviously we were just harassing another poor homeless person! Too bad they weren’t there to film the horse cops picking on poor ol’ Charlie Samuel just for drinking in public. Belive me, I can go on and on and on, on this subject.

Wake up Angelenos! This horrible crime was of our own making! We, and our enlightened liberal policies, were the enablers for Charlie Samuel. Sadly a young innocent girl had to pay the horrific price for our moronic liberal policies. Get used to it though. If we continue on our current path, it won’t be the last of this type of incident.

By: JM

JM — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:50:10 +0000

This is just such a terrible, terrible situation. I have been so affected by this tragedy as I have 2 daughters, 19 & 15. It is obvious that Lily had hope during her ordeal, thinking it would turn out OK, and she operated out of love, but this animal had no compassion. I’m really scared for our future. There was one commentator who talked about the different scenarios running around in her head about how Lily could have gotten away. I, too, had the same thoughts running around in my head. I so wish we all could have been there to help her get away and get rid of that piece of scum. This is a situation where I wish we had a real “Dexter” that could dispose of this piece of scum quietly so he doesn’t get to live a life of relative luxury in the prison system. May God bless you Lily and may somehow, someway, your family find some peace in this lifetime.

By: JJM

JJM — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:36:05 +0000

The only thing one can do is to teach your children, your friends, girlfriends, spouses & wives that no matter what the abductor tells you or threatens you with, NEVER get into a car. Most victims who get into the car are dead within a hour of their abduction. That is a statistic from a friend of mine who is a retired LAPD homicide detective.

Scream, kick, fight, let them shoot or stab you, but don’t get in the car.

A friend of mine was raped, tortured & murdered, there was great forensic evidence, an eye witness. The killer was charged with murder with 4 special circumstances. He had recently been released from jail. The homicide detective thought he committed similar murders in the SF Bay area, but there was no $ to send him up there to investigate it. The L.A. D.A. at the time (was up for election) and he allowed the killer to plead GUILTY to life with parole… which means you are eligible for parole in 6 years. Her killer got out in 9 years. He has since committed other crimes & is back in jail.

So, don’t let it shock you that the pig who killed Lily Burk got out, or that he won’t eventually get out unless the family insists to the D.A. that he not be allowed to plead guilty to life with parole.

By: Lisa B.

Lisa B. — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:57:40 +0000

I cannot stop thinking about Lily and the deep sadness this tragic event brings. I was carjacked after just turning 22, and I had no emergency training, but working as a cocktail waitress I knew to look around my car late at night. Even being aware to this extent, a male predator had followed me without me knowing it, and popped out of the darkness and jumped into my car after I’d parked. I had a gut feeling the man was going to kill me. Turns out he had a record of violence, and was on drugs. After trying to ask him what he wanted, he just said “drive or I’ll hurt you” so I drove, and took the first red light as a chance to escape. He grabbed me and we fought while he took over driving, but I was able to attract several cars who followed me by screaming and pulling out all and any of the hysterics inside of me. This was before cell phones. One car following me flagged a taxi, and told him to call the police. I didn’t see any weapon, but witnesses said they saw him grab something he’d put in to my back seat when he later tried to flee. I sustained numerous injuries from the struggle, but none serious, and got away from the guy through my own wits and nerves within probably the longest and most terrifying ten minutes of my life. I keep wondering why Lily’s mother sent her alone to that awful neighborhood, and why she did not have some type of training to know what to do in such a circumstance. Also wonder why her parents were not alarmed when she called making such an atypical request, why she didn’t have an “alarm” trigger word for them to know she was in trouble, why none of the cameras at the ATMs she visited were set up to assist her. I blame no one, but cannot help but run it over in my mind, wanting Lily to have survived this ordeal somehow. My deepest condolences to her family & community.

By: Randal

Randal — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:51:10 +0000

This case is similiar to the Eve Carson murder/kidnapping/robbery/carjacking that took place in North Carolina in 2008. In that case the Federal Government took over the prosecution from North Carolina and is seeking the death penalty because of the homicide in the commision of a carjaking. I really think this case should also be taken over by the Feds and the death penalty should be imposed. Is there anything we can do to get the Feds to take this case?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:25:54 +0000

This girl looks so sweet and innocent in the pictures… so sad that a stranger thought nothing more of her life than to take it so ruthlessly.

I hope he never gets out of prison. I feel for the parents for their loss. God help them! The young lady appeared to have such a gentleness about her… would have made a fine adult someday.

God help us all!

By: Woody

Woody — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:17:25 +0000

Celeste: You know what caused that kid’s death? Two murderers.

No, no, Celeste. It was the gun! Blame the gun! If you blame the gun, then the buy-back program will work, the 2nd Amendment repealed, and criminals will have to use hammers. Then, we can outlaw hammers!

- – -

Don’t be stupid, Oakwood No one here is blaming the victim. You sure seem anxious to overlook the fact that other parolees will kill innocent victims in the future. The longer that action is delayed, the more that others are put at risk.

By: Em

Em — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:13:32 +0000

Oakwood Alum – you can twist it around and read anything that you want into what I said. I was not trying to blame the victim. I feel terrible that it happened and great sympathy for her family. I think it was a horrible waste of a young and promising life, as I have said in previous posts, if you lool back.

I was simply pointing out that the reality is that women and children are usually the victims of these type of crimes and that it would behoove parents to try to help their children be aware of that danger, and to perhaps help them learn how to “try” to self-defend and deal with those situations, if possible.

She was too young to carry a weapon and I am sure that is not what her parents would have wanted in any event, but she could have carried pepper spray or mace, or a pocket siren or perhaps even activated the alarm on her car, if she had that type of key. I was also trying to point out to other women that statistics show that their best bet is try to fight off abductors, if at all possible. I realize that she was very young and a very small girl, and that we do not know what his build was, etc., or even what the exact circumstances were, such that it might not have been possible for her to fight him off or escape. I most definitely do not blame her or her parents.

With regard to her volunteering to help the homeless and drug addicts, I think both she and her parents are to be commended for that. In no way did I mean any disrespect for that. I am sorry that you took it the way that you did. I was using that example to point out the need for a safer approach to the “real world” and the dangers that surely are out there. I still think the whole unfortunate situation serves as an opportunity for that. I truly believe that since this happened that there are many parents who have since sat down with their children and “talked.”