In the late afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2020, in McKee, Kentucky, a dispute outside a residence on US Hwy 421 tragically cut short the life of 21-year-old Justin Burkhart. A Caucasian male, Burkhart was a father to a daughter and had a son on the way. Born on March 16, 1999, in Clay County, he was the son of Dwayne Burkhart and Debbie Martin.
That afternoon, just after 2:00 pm, the Kentucky State Police in Richmond received a call from Jackson County 911 about the
shooting. When troopers and detectives arrived at the scene, they discovered Justin Burkhart deceased from what appeared to be a gunshot wound. The Jackson County Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene. His body was later sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Louisville for an autopsy.
The initial investigation by the Kentucky State Police indicated that an altercation had occurred between Justin Burkhart and another McKee resident, 45-year-old Clint Cox. During this confrontation, Cox reportedly retrieved a firearm and shot Burkhart, inflicting a fatal wound.
Following the incident, Clint Cox was arrested by the Kentucky State Police and lodged in the Jackson County Detention Center. He was formally charged with murder. The investigation into the death of Justin Burkhart was led by KSP Post 7 Detective Rob Morris, with assistance from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Jackson County Coroner's Office, Jackson County EMS, and the McKee Fire Department.
