In the spring of 2023, the life of 28-year-old April Nicole Newcomb-Cripe was tragically cut short in Portland, Oregon. On the night of April 15th, police responded to a report of a shooting at the Wimbledon Square Apartments in the Reed neighborhood. There, they found April deceased in front of her apartment from a gunshot wound. Her two young children were discovered safely inside their home.
The investigation into the death of the young mother of two quickly focused on her husband,
Adam Jamal Burns, who was also the father of her children. It was revealed that in the time leading up to her death, April had expressed fears that Burns might kill her or have her killed. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed a car matching the description of Burns' vehicle leaving the scene just minutes before the 911 call was made.
Less than a month after April's death, on May 8, 2023, Adam Jamal Burns, then 29 years old, was apprehended in Vancouver, Washington, by U.S. Marshals with the assistance of the Vancouver Police Department. He was arrested on a warrant for the murder of his wife and was subsequently charged with Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Burns was extradited to Oregon to face the charges. In August 2024, Adam Burns pleaded guilty, and the following month he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the domestic violence homicide of his wife.
