In the early morning hours of May 11, 2023, the life of 34-year-old Kala May Hodgkin was tragically cut short in her Jamestown, New York, home. A mother of three, Hodgkin was found deceased inside her residence at 125 William Street after authorities responded to a report of an unresponsive woman around 4:30 a.m. The Jamestown Police Department quickly identified her as the victim of a homicide.
The investigation almost immediately focused on Michael C.
Burham, also 34 at the time, who had been in a relationship with Hodgkin and was the father of one of her children. Prior to her death, Hodgkin had accused Burham of rape and unlawful imprisonment stemming from an incident in March 2023, and an arrest warrant had been issued for him just two weeks before the homicide. In what authorities believe was a move to distract law enforcement, two fires were deliberately set in the area shortly before Hodgkin was killed.
Following the discovery of Hodgkin's body, Burham became the subject of a massive manhunt that spanned multiple states and lasted for nearly two weeks. During his time on the run, he was involved in the kidnapping of an elderly couple in Pennsylvania, whom he drove to South Carolina before releasing them unharmed. His flight from the law came to an end on May 24, 2023, when he was apprehended in South Carolina after being spotted in a resident's backyard.
After his capture, Burham faced legal troubles in multiple jurisdictions. He was extradited back to Chautauqua County, New York, to face charges related to Hodgkin's death. In July 2024, a grand jury indicted Burham on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and third-degree arson. Prosecutors stated that Hodgkin was 'gunned down while asleep in her home with her three children and dog.' Burham was remanded without bail and is being held in the Chautauqua County Jail while awaiting trial, which is not expected to begin before the summer of 2025. In a separate case in Pennsylvania, he pleaded guilty to charges including kidnapping and escape and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison.
