Mark burns driver

A long-hauled truck driver from Utah has been arrested in connection to at least nine violent rapes in two different states going back decades. Police suspect there may be more victims out there. Police in Clearfield, Utah announced year-old Mark Douglas Burns was arrested on Wednesday after a years-long investigation using familial matching DNA samples in collaboration with a true-crime TV show.

According to the statement, the agency investigated multiple rapes in Clearfield between and , and collected DNA evidence. So far, DNA evidence has linked a total of nine cold-case rapes that occurred in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in ; Riverdale City, Utah, in ; Ogden, Utah, in ; Clearfield, Utah in and ; Laramie, Wyoming, in ; Layton, Utah, in , and two more cases that were reported in Clearfield in and He then blindfolded her and proceeded to rape her multiple times before tying her up and leaving.

The case involved a home invasion during which a woman and her year-old daughter were both raped at gunpoint in front of their male family members. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. About a year later, another was jarred awake in a nearby house to find the same attacker holding a gun to her head and shining a flashlight in her face. He demanded to know where her year-old daughter was sleeping. The attacker raped two of the women repeatedly and assaulted the other, forcing each to perform a sex act and binding their hands and feet.

For almost 20 years, his identity eluded police. But on Thursday, in an unexpected development, any remaining questions about who carried out the horrific attacks were answered. Mark Douglas Burns, a year-old long-haul truck driver, pleaded guilty as charged to 17 first-degree felony charges.

Yet any victims who wanted to watch Burns take responsibility for his crimes did not know to show up Thursday. A shackled Burns, wearing a striped Davis County Jail uniform, took prosecutors by surprise. They refused to offer a plea deal and expected he might admit to the charges at some point, but had arrived in court expecting to defend their case. Developments in DNA analysis and technology led investigators to Burns last year.

They say he had earlier victimized other women in the s, including in Clearfield, Layton and Ogden, but also in two Wyoming towns: Rock Springs and Laramie. Burns is charged in the death of Sue Ellen Higgins , 28, who police said was killed in her home.

In the Utah case, prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against a John Doe in but finally linked them to Burns in September after DNA evidence led them to a half-sibling of the formerly unidentified attacker. Burns was cordial and seemingly forthcoming throughout most of the interviews. He said he had not committed a crime since Now that that has happened, I figured I might as well go clear the books. Other than confess. Although investigators said they believed Burns used his trucking route as a cover to commit crimes, Burns said that is not true.

It made me feel complete. I will inform them of those cases as well and confess to them as well. One in Oregon. One in Arizona. One in Wyoming. During the interview, Burns confessed to homicides he had committed in Oregon, Arizona, and Wyoming. I mean, it is what it is. Charges were eventually dropped as law enforcement realized he was wrongfully accused.

Burns will be sentenced for first-degree murder and attempt to commit aggravated robbery on Friday. Totally my bad. Detective Josh Carlson of the Clearfield Police Department said investigators are continuing to work with various law enforcement agencies in Arizona and Oregon.