Jennie M Reed retweetledi
Fred “Killer” Burke (1893-1940) was an American armed robber and contract killer responsible for many crimes during the Prohibition era. He was considered a prime suspect in the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929.
In 1928 and early 1929, Al Capone had a conflict with Bugs Moran and his Irish gang from Chicago’s Northside. Burke and his associates lured five members and two associates of the Moran gang to a garage on Clark Street in Chicago. Burke and his associates entered the garage, some dressed as police, and executed the Moran gang members. The murders received international press attention and within a few weeks Burke was named by Chicago police as a principal suspect. Witnesses placed Burke near the scene and guns seized from his home later in 1929 were matched to bullets from the crime. Years later, in 1935, Byron Bolton, a captured member of the Barker Gang, gave a detailed statement to the FBI implicating Burke, his associates, and other Capone gang members as being responsible
Following the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre, Burke continued his pattern of armed robberies and the occasional murder. In December 1929, an intoxicated and paranoid Burke, using the alias Fred Dane, was involved in a minor traffic collision in St. Joseph, Michigan. When Patrolman Charles H. Skelly became involved with the parties in the collision, Burke shot and killed him.
To avoid capture, Burke fled to rural northern Missouri. A Michigan police bulletin offering a $1,000 reward said in underscored type: “This man is dangerous and will shoot to kill and every precaution should be used in making his arrest.”
On March 26, 1931, a citizen who had read of Burke and seen his picture in True Detective magazine recognized him and notified authorities. Burke was captured at the home of his father-in-law without incident. Returned to Michigan, Burke was convicted of Skelly’s murder and given a life sentence at Marquette State Prison. Having been in failing health with diabetes and heart disease for several years, Burke died of a heart attack on July 10, 1940.
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